SWEET Yamaguchi Track bike on the bay!

My buddy Ross's kick ass Yamaguchi is up for grabs- check it out!!

Had it been my size I probably would've taken it off his hands by now. The photos don't do it any justice, you really need to see how sick it is in person to fully appreciate it. Hopefully it goes to a good new home!

SWEET Yamaguchi Track bike on the bay!

Yamaguchi Frame Building School: The Final Post!

First off, I bring you quite possibly one of the most elegant and artistically conceived frames ever built. The precursor to the Asymmetric frames of the early 90's, built by Koichi for his wife, the Proteus Asymmetric Time Trial Frame:

Un-fucking-real huh?!

Until now the only photo I had ever seen of it anywhere was a crappy scan of the original article:

I left that photo large to aid in reading the articles. I think it gets a little dicey in the later one but you'll get the idea..

I'd been begging Koichi to pull it down out of the rafters for me all week and on the last day he finally took it out. The fact that it was covered with years of dust only made it that much more alluring since I knew I would get to caress every sinew and curve it had to offer whilst cleaning it up. If that sounds kinda sick it's because it is. But WTF ever man, that frame is TITS!

Super, super stoked about getting to see, feel and photograph that frame. Easily one of my favorites ever :-)

It wasn't long after I took those pics that I managed to slice my finger open and drop some blood on the shop floor:

Which is a good thing because frame building without shedding a little blood here and there just wouldn't be the same. In fact, if you're headed out there soon you might still see those 4-5 drops on the floor by his little desk area. I tried cleaning them up to no avail :-/

During my time in the shop, Koichi would pop off a few snaps here and there of us working. Here's a few of me gettin' mah frame buildin' awn:

It's a shame that you don't get to enjoy the sight of my pretty face in more of those :-P

Thanks man!

Lastly, I decided it would be funny to shoot a video with Kiochi instead of the usual buddy photo. While I am an unconscionably HUGE dork-tard in it, Koichi is hilarious! I didn't even tell him to do anything, he just went with it. Dude is a riot!

So there you have it. With the Yamaguchi Frame Building School under my belt I'm ready to move on to building lots more awesomeness in the shape of rad and ridiculous bicycles. For those you of interested in attending his course, it really is a no brainer! Aside from learning about how to build custom frames, Koichi's method of teaching, candor and humor are what really makes taking his course that much more worth while and completely exceeded my expectations. There was many a time where we'd be sitting there working on something when we would go on this 10 minute tangent about some random part or technique in building. He has this inexplicable way of not only spouting various historical facts I had no clue about, but he would walk over to his filing cabinet and pull out some tear sheet/photo that was on topic that he saved from 20 years ago and give you the inside story..

I spent the last 6-7 years wanting to attend this course after first hearing about it and I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was a dream come true! If you have the opportunity and the means, you have no reason not to check it out. I'll be posting a list of tips of what to expect in and around Rifle along with where to go and other peoples suggestions I got but was unable to check out..

I've got another bunch of random photos from around the area which I'll post soon. Along with pics of the frame that I built. You can def see some of what's going on with it in the snaps and video but I still have all the cleaning/filing work to do since I was unable to even get a start on it while I was there. I probably would have gotten some done by now but I had to ship the frame back to myself via UPS ground since friggen Delta wanted to charge me $200 for it. Fuckers!

Anyways, lots more real soon. Including a couple of SICK things I didn't get a chance to post before my trip!

Yamaguchi Frame Building School: The Final Post!

NO WAY- CyclingWMD Stickerz?! Yes way dawg!!

YES! It's about fucking time I got around to getting shit like this done huh? Stoked!!

I know a lot of you dorks weren't as into this design as something with say a cog etc in it. Since I feel like that type of thing is just a liiiiiitle played way beyond the fuck out, I wanted to do something NOT played out. The arrows representing perpetual motion, recycling and you know, the direction a cog or chainring moves- when you're not back pedaling into some sweet one leg over the bar skidzzzzz of course ;-) It also goes along with the whole- build something, destroy it, then build it again! Trust me, I know what I'm talking about during these fleeting moments when normally don't know what I'm talking about..

Right then, so here's the deal:

5 stickers for $4 or 10 for $7!

This does include an envelope with a stamp on it and a lock of my beard (by beard I mean pubes since the ladies are the only ones that can tell the difference) within the US. If you're outside of the US send me an email first and we'll figure on proper postage..

Simply send some of your Paypal cash marked as GIFT to me at:

TheTripleC@hotmail.com

..or I can just send you an invoice :-)

Oh and your address would also be nice!

If you're a buddy of mine and or we've shared a 5 min conversation or so, I'll double the dose for FREE! Yes, I will be giving some out for free but as you'll read in a moment, I could really use some cash and support right now..

I'm selling these decals for pretty cheap to A) fund the next round of new decals and shirts with any luck along with B) I need to put together some extra cash to pay off my recent $4G loan along with getting some sweet new tools going in the shop :-)

So, if you've enjoyed this blog and my dumbass silly builds and general bitchiness, just think of how much the level of REDONKULOUSNESS will get turned up NOW THAT I ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT I'M DOING! Fuck 11 man- we're going straight to 12! I mean, come on, it's going to kick some serious fucking ass this summer. I've already got HELLA ideas cooking along with quite a few things I'm in the middle of getting completed now..

So yeah, radness all around! Also, for those of you who've nagged me in the past about buying shit off me- NOW'S YOUR CHANCE TO MAKE SOME OFFERZ!! Just hit me up and let me know what you're interested in. Aside from DA10 lock rings and the asymetric of course. Just about anything is up for grabs if you're serious and can give one of my babies a good new home..

Also, I've got one last post to complete from my trip to Colorado but it's gonna be a duesy. Hopefully I'll have it up some time tomorrow or the next day..

NO WAY- CyclingWMD Stickerz?! Yes way dawg!!

Christ am I ever Destroyed!

Today was nuts with all the work I managed to get done. My frame, fork and stem are now fully brazed! Just have some touch ups and clean up work to complete and I'll be gtg. I'll probably finish a good portion of the filing/sanding when I return home. Since tomorrow's the last day of class I'll try my best to get a few more photos for all y'allz. Afterwords it's on to Colorado Springs and Pike's Peak! I'll check that shit out Saturday morning for a bit before heading up to Denver. Then Sunday morning I'll be catching my flight back home. Speaking of which, anybody got a bike box I can have? I've been told I can get a box at the airport but I'd rather pack my shit up before getting there. Hopefully I can get my hands on something soon!

In the meantime, here's a couple of snaps from around the area:

Imagine waking up to that view everyday?!

Speaking of waking up, I'm looking forward to waking up in my own bed after being at the Winchester the last couple of weeks! The place is close and hella cheap but MAN.. What a dump! It kinda reminds me of the crappy places I used to go with girlfriends back in the day when we were really young and had no where else to get it on without getting fucked with by cops and their bright lights. Fucking pervs. Minus the nasty bleachy solvent smell you could almost taste the moment you walked through the door of course. This place seems to get more hunters than anything else. Except for that loud couple the other night. Fortunately 99% of it the was the woman. Which I actually didn't mind so much since it managed to drown out the usual soundtrack of the near machine gun rattle my swollen and cut up fingers make against the keyboard of my laptop. Man, some loser huh?! Oh well, there's something to be said about productivity I suppose..

Anyways, more soon!

Christ am I ever Destroyed!

Yamaguchi Frame Building School: ONLY TWO DAYS LEFT!

Holy fuck has there ever been a lot going on in the shop the last few days! As far as timing goes Brian and I are looking pretty good. Still have a few details to finish up but we're both on the home stretch. Right now I have my front triangle all brazed up and the chain stay tacked. Gotta miter out the seat stays next and then braze the whole rear triangle up. Then I've got a few additional braze ons to install. My fork is like 90% right now only needing some touch ups here and there. Stem is like 75% since I added some more silver to it today to build up some of the original bronze fillets. Then I just have to install the clamp bolt braze ons and cut the clamps open. So yeah, two days should be more than enough to to git er done!

Right then, on to the photoz!

Brian getting schooled in the ways of the Master:

Then Koichi brought out a frame newly painted for a customer:

MAN did that thing ever sparkle! Dude's gonna be all types of stoked!!

Later on in the day he brought out three more gems for me to drool on:

SS Cyclocross:

Lovin' that integrated seat bolt clamp!

Some 3Rensho throwback steez:

Fucking was LIGHT! And how about that fork?!! Bummed I forgot to take some snaps of the under side of the BB shell tho. There was some HUGE holes cut into it! Also, the duct tape bar wrap was an amusing touch..

Lastly would be my fav of the lot, a SUPER SUCK TT Tarck:

SO!

FUCKING!!

RAD!!!

Holy fuck I am ever DYING to take that thing out for a spin! Lord knows that's not going to happen anytime soon :-(

There LOTS more snaps from the day that I added to my flicker set so be sure to check em out!

Anyways, that's all for now. Hopefully I'll have enough time to squeeze in some more shots before the end of the trip. I have some random snaps from the area which I'll post tomorrow since I'm pretty destroyed right now..

Yamaguchi Frame Building School: ONLY TWO DAYS LEFT!

Now that..

..is A LOT of chainrings!

Dag..

Now that..

Max from Tokyo Fixed Gear visit to Nagasawa!

Just spotted this via his flickr so be sure check it out when you get a chance!

Great job man! I'm pretty jealz but considering where I am I probably shouldn't talk :-)

More from Rifle soon! It's been cloudy/rainy lately so the light is kinda pooey..

Max from Tokyo Fixed Gear visit to Nagasawa!

Yamaguchi Frame Building School Saturday Stem Course!

I arrived at the shop today to a lovely display of stems and examples of what we were going to be up to:

Few more snaps around the shop:

This one's for Lyle :*

Along with the holiest of holies, the Campagnolo Tool kit:

Apparently he's got TWO more!

If you ever wondered where Park came up with the design for their portable Team Race Stand, look no further:

Lastly, a nice portrait of the master at work:

I can't even begin to describe how much of a blast I'm having out here! Learning from the man, exploring the area and taking lots of photos for all ya'll mofoz! As soon as I get back I'm going to sell some shit so I can A) Pay my parents back for the loan they were cool as shit to give me on such short notice and B) BUY SOME FUCKING SWEET TOOLZ!! I'm pretty sure I'm going to hold onto most of my components but I def have to part with some frames. If anyone is seriously interested in anything I have, send me a legitimate offer and we'll see what we can do. I only have frames in my size (56/57ish) so if you're not close to 6'1" don't bother. NOT selling the asymmetric either!

Anyways, Sunday is my one day off during the course so I'll be out exploring again. Most likely in the Glenwood Springs area. Next Saturday I'm going to pass on Aspen and head over to Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak instead. Looking forward to freezing my ass off at 14,000 feet!

Oh and also, I'm down to shoot guns and check out some of those dispensaries in Denver Nick!

Yamaguchi Frame Building School Saturday Stem Course!

Yamaguchi Frame Building School day Four and more!

Today was pretty damn tough. Lots of critical mitering and nervousness at the outcome. I've done quite a few miters before but nothing as precise as this. Everything came together perfectly so I'm stoked on what I've got going on thus far:

I'm going to a tarcklecross type thing with a brazed HT, lugged BB, ST and Fork Crown. The reason for mixing it up is because I want to learn how to braze the more complex lugs along with doing some fillets as well. Then I'm going with Disc brake tabs with a beefier fork crown and rear stay reinforcement. Should be pretty sweet when it's done! Hoping to hit up Bilenky to learn how to couplerize it :-) Oh and the geo is going to be tight but not too super tight- 74 degree HT, 57ctc ST and 56cm ctc TT. Sorry, should've taken a photo of my blueprint otherwise I'd have all the specifics..

After class I went out exploring again. Having never been to the rockies or anywhere with nearly as gnarly terrain before, my mind was pretty much blown:

Stoked on that last one!

As cheesy as this is going to sound I was really awe struck at how majestic my surroundings were/are. When confronted with massiveness on a scale never before experience it really brings home just how unbelievably large the world is outside your own. You never really get a true sense until you see it for yourself. It really makes me want to travel and explore a whole fuck load more. Hoping to take a drive out to Glenwood Springs to see Doc Holiday's grave or something. Might go to Aspen but I'm not sure if it's worth the hour and a half drive. Certainly would be had I thought to bring my snowboard!

In any case, there's a bunch more on my flickr as per usual: Set 1 and Set 2. Check em out when you get a chance! If you find yourself at the Yamaguchi school and have a rental car, YOU OWE IT TO YOURSELF to hop on Country Road 320 out of town and snake your way through the plateaus all the way to Basement Mesa. Fucking. Amazing.. 

Anyways, stem building class is tomorrow!

Yamaguchi Frame Building School day Four and more!

Yamaguchi Frame Building School day Three!

More mouth watering snaps from Koichi's place 8-)

One of the 6 or 7 Cinelli's 3Rensho received for study:

Most of em were too banged up / used to ride but Koichi was lucky enough to have one of em be his size and in good condition :-D

Lots more on my flickr page..

I've also been trying to document the area a bit. Just check out this hipster!:

More soon!

Oh and p.s. - check out the hate over at tarckbike when you get a chance. Talk about ZERO sense of humor! I mean wow guys, ever hear of sarcasm and just having a bit of fun?? I get such a HUGE kick out of shit like that cause it just goes to show how incredibly fucking BORING some people's lives are. I mean who else is going to start a thread like that other than the biggest fucking loser?! Great job guys! Now put your money where your mouth is and do something, ANYTHING productive that people can actually get something out of. You know, like taking photos and or building bikes maybe?? It most certainly doesn't have to be super positive but at least be smart and personally informed before you just make a complete ass of yourself. Public forums like that are generally the worst since you have to deal with all the anonymous trolls out there who make it harder to get to the genuinely intelligent people..

So by all means fellas, keep that thread going strong! It def helps to keep my low self esteem in check knowing that there's a bunch of people out there with nothing better to do than talk shit about my dumbass :*

(high fives to the people who've actually met me and said good things of course)

More from Rifle tomorrow!!

Yamaguchi Frame Building School day Three!

Yamaguchi Frame Building School day two!

 Just some snaps from today in and around the shop:

More in my flickr set!

Yamaguchi Frame Building School day two!