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Yep, still have the Bates Hellenic - might even start riding it when the weather cheers up!
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When I heard that I would be building a frame with Nervex lugs, I realised that the most appropriate style for finishing the seat stays would be a semi-wrap, which is of course a proper ball ache.
First, you have to carefully cut the top of the stays to the correct angle:
Next, you have to braze a thin steel plate to the stay and then carefully file it away until you achieve the required shape:
Finally, and with great care, braze the whole assembly on to the Seat Tube Lug:
A lot of work went into that, but I am very happy with the way it turned out.
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Columbus SL.
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Such a great project! Are you using the old-style HT lugs with the horns or the newer ones with the fishtail? Good choice on the semi-wrap seatstays although I do like a full wrap, too. Reminds me of my falcon...
1 Attachment
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Lugs are fish-tail. I will post a pic shortly. have do do a quick bit of parenting just now.
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This gon b gud
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Lovely thread. Out of curiosity, why have you taken the course three times?
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Ta. Will give up the day job when the kids have finished school!
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I want to learn how to build a frame properly.
It is possible to spend a week, under careful supervision, and come away with a frame that you have ostensibly built yourself but, in my case at least, you wouldn't be able to do it yourself.
Now, after three goes, I have clearly improved, and I feel more confident technically, but I still have a fair way to go. My goal for this year is to set myself up with the necessary kit, and build a frame on my own, with a view to understanding where my strengths, and my weaknesses lie.
All things being equal, I will probably go back next year. Apart from anything else, I enjoy hanging out with Geoff, talking shit about bikes.
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Once the seat-stays had been attached, the last part of the build was to braze the chain stays, seat tube and down tube into the bottom bracket. Unlike many builders, Geoff recommends leaving this joint (or joints) to the end, on the grounds that the frame is less likely to bend out of true if all the other joints are already in place.
That was certainly the case with my frame, where only a little light persuasion was required to get the frame tracked perfectly. You sometimes read about frame-builders using a heavy 'cheater bar' to 'cold set' their frames. I think if you have to do that, you're doing it wrong.
Once the bottom bracket has been brazed up, it's time for the braze-on's (which are brazed on with Silver), and then it's time to shot-blast, file and sand the frame, until you end up with this:
And now for the money shots; those all important Nervex lugs:
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Excellent work as always, Have you chosen a colour scheme or group set yet?
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For the paint, I think I am going to copy this:
Or at least get Dave at Colourtech to copy it.
Not settled on the Groupset yet. I think it will be a modern silver Campag group, with the option of running downtube shifters and old-school brake levers if I go to any Vintage events. On the other hand, I think I've got a VGC 8 speed Chorus group knocking about somewhere that would probably suit the build.
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Lovely choice on the colour scheme and Chorus will be great.
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If you don't mind me asking, What was the cost of the course ?
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The course is £1,200, plus the cost of the tubes / lugs etc., which is about another £200.
I look at it as a holiday.
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It's great for the money and you've got a superb bike to show for it.
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Great colour scheme! If only campa offered this retro-style athena group to the public, it would be a perfect match: http://fyxo.co/campagnolo-project-bike-build/#1
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Take one set of Nervex lugs
Posted by
@Jingle_Jangle
For the third year in succession, last week I found myself in a cheap hotel in Eastbourne, as I had yet again signed up to build a bicycle frame under the tutelage of Geoff Roberts at Enigma Cycles in Hailsham.
As in previous years, the team at Enigma were very welcoming, and Geoff made the process of frame-building seem fairly straightforward and relatively simple. If you are considering going on a frame-building course, I recommend Enigma highly.
Prior to the course, I had planned to document the process carefully, taking copious photographs and notes, and to subsequently post a detailed 'how I built my own frame' account on this very forum.
Once I actually got down to cutting, mitre-ing and brazeing metal of course, all of my best intentions fell apart, and all of my energy was focussed on getting the job done to the highest standards I could.
This being my third time, I am starting to get the hang of it, so to knock me down a peg or two, Geoff decided to make life difficult, and presented me with a set of NOS Nervex lugs, the sort of thing they used to make bikes with in the 'old days', when 'men were men'.
The rear ends were a pair of 'traditional' Zeus horizontal dropouts, so all in all this frame required a good deal of more accurate slot-ing, shape-ing and braze-ing than my previous attempts.
Here's a few process shots;
Rear ends slotted:
Rear ends brazed:
The seat lug offered a number of challenges of its own. The complex and delicate shape of a Nervex lug means you have to be extra careful with your braze-ing because those complex curves are very fine and can be easily frazzled.
Once brazed in place, I had to hacksaw off the 'ears' for the binder bolt, and braze on a more modern allen-key fitting.
Here is the seat lug with the 'ears' removed and the allen-key fitting in place waiting to be brazed:
And here is the lug with the fitting brazed on, prior to clean-up and shaping.
Here is a shot of the front triangle:
At this point, the seat tube has been tacked to the bottom bracket and the down tube has been fully brazed to the head tube. Then the front triangle is assembled (after much grinding and mitre-ing), tacked and the top head lug and seat lug are brazed in place.