Can aluminium be heat treated twice?

I have other bikes to ride but not a cx and TBH I'm really missing a cx. And spring is just about my fave time of year to be thrashing about the bridleways. So I need to shit or get off the pot pretty swiftly.

Sounds to me like a good opportunity to put a season's hurt on a frame with zero care how it looks at the end of it. Really thrash it.

👆

it's back to the start of the process

Tell them that this bit is unacceptable given the circumstances.

Sternly tell them that this bit is unacceptable given the circumstances.

Whilst waggling your finger and sporting your best 'speak to the manager' haircut

I don't understand how they're meant to magically produce a frame out of thin air though if there aren't any stock ones to rob? Am I missing something?

Am I missing something?

It doesn't take 3-4 months to make a frame. The only reason why it takes 3-4 months is because the process is linear and there is 3-4 months of frames ahead of yours in the queue.

Oh, or Batching. But anyway:

So to deliver the new frame quicker, you either

a. bump everyone else down, or
b. work overtime / out of hours
c. procure additional labour / equipment and do it parallel

All are obviously costly, but fucking up is generally costly, and it's a great way to remember to fuck up less.

Additionally if you can't do a. because all your queue members are already pissed off, or you can't do b. because you are already doing it, there is a huge problem of the sort that typically kills off this kind of company.

Materials are on their way from Italy. They produce in batches so no plans as yet for 52cm Gas Masks and Frank the Welder is essentially a sub contractor so they can't dictate his schedule either. Although I did question that he must be partly to blame so should be able to be accommodating.

I'm talking myself into a refund....

Hah they are basically Sick Bicycles.

Wraith Fabrication Paycheck

Squid Bikes Squidcross

I think I'd still want the Spooky though...

I just wouldn't want to settle for an OTP if I'd flogged a bunch of beautiful custom frames to make space and funds for a special CX build unless you want something like a BMC/ Colnago etc. that'll be a bit different...

An offer of a partial refund/compensation to cover hassle of rebuilding again 4 months down the line would help.

Turner used to take cracked frames back, repair under warranty, repaint and send out again until the next cracks appeared. They obviously thought it was worth doing or they'd have just replaced frames from the off.

but it's good to hear other's views.

This is a blessing in disguise as it will allow you to reconsider your colour choice.

Joking (not joking) aside, if you want a Spooky, you want a Spooky. So I'd say you're best waiting, and enjoying the temp frame. The logical decision all along would have been a Cannondale / Giant /etc. but this isn't a purely logical decision.

Console yourself in the knowledge that if this was an Italian builder it would be "character" and you'd never have had a timeline.

All this chat of ‘settling’ for an otp frame...the Spooky is only ‘custom’ because of the paint yeah? You don’t get to make any other choices/changes do you?

You don’t get to make any other choices/changes do you?

Pretty sure you can spec them with or without cable guides.

Oof!

Proper lol!

well you can try

Haha. Top bants.

Yeah it's not really custom (other than a paint job). But I never claimed it was. It's just low volume hand made production.

The main reason why it's "special" is that it's unique to what I want, which is a non carbon performance cx/gravel frameset that'll take a plumpish 650b or 700c tyre. Most options are steel. I love steel, it's usually my preferred material but I want something fast for this bike as my performance off roader (seeing as I don't have a 29er race bike anymore).

That Low seems to hit a similar niche. But there must be others to consider...?

But there must be others to consider...?

Have you considered a Pinnacle Arkose?

Salsa Warbird... CaadX?

Yes. And that £800 vitus on CRC.