• How do you make sure it’s all aligned before welding? I know professionals will have a jig and have everything clamped into place before, do you do the same or just eye it in? Or a bit of both?

    Looks great btw, really enjoying the thread! Would you consider making a regular (non quill) version of the stem to order?

  • I use a digital inclinometer.

    I’ll start with the seattube, ensure it’s at 90deg to the side to side axis of the bb shell. Then I assemble the headtube and downtube, using the inclinometer to get the angle right as even with the lug there’s a bit of wiggle room. Then attach that hockey stick shaped sub assembly to the seattube/bb sub assembly to make a 3 sided structure, using the inclinometer to check the head and seattubes are parallel or ‘in phase’.

    To check the rear triangle I (try to) ensure the seat stays are leaving the bb shell at the same angle in a number of planes, check a wheel sits in line with the seattube. Then the seat stays should just be a case of laying them in place but evidently something went a bit wrong.

    I think it was that the cast wishbone piece was kicking the stays out for 130mm spacing at the ends, I had to tweak it in to 120mm and must have only brought one side over.

    I will definitely be paying more attention to rear triangles in the future!

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