Showpiece

Lugged bicycle framebuilding is undergoing a renaissance at the moment.  Web-based discussion groups are growing larger and hosting more advanced discussions.  The web pages of individual amateur builders are flourishing.  New companies are sprouting up to supply framebuilding equipment.  And to top it all off, several new lugsets are entering the market, most notably from Kirk Pacenti and Richard Sachs.  Thanks to the kind support of people like Fred Parr, Richard Sachs, and Kirk Pacenti, I have the lugs with which to build a magnificent showpiece of a bicycle frame.  It will take a long time to build, but it will be worth it.  Below you can find the beginning steps of the process . . . . .

Here is a set of Richard Sachs lugs.   The lugs are new to the framebuilding scene, the lug designer is not!  Let me just say they are one beautiful  set of lugs!  Dimensions are as follows:  28.6 mm TT, 28.6 mm ST, 31.8 mm downtube, and 31.8 mm HT.   The originals can be viewed at Richard Sachs' website.  I have modified the lugs a little bit.  First, I filed off the rear point of the seatlug.  I can't offer a logical reason, only that all the seat lugs I have "grown up" with only had one point, the front one.  Since I will probably be using a double-taper seat stay and brazing them directly to the back of the seat binder bolt, I may need to grind this off as well and braze in a binder bolt that more closely matches the size of the seat stay.  I also removed, from the lower head lug, the cable stops for STI shifter.  I will be using down tube shifters, and will require a smooth down tube lug.  I may also shorten the head tube extension on the top of the upper head lug.  As of now, it is a 14 mm extension.   I may take it down to 11 mm. 

Here are the front views of 2 of the lugs, and a top view of the third.

Here is the side view of Kirk Pacenti's beautiful BB.    Gorgeous! 

Here is the underside of Kirk's BB.  With all of the nice cutouts in the lugs and BB, they just scream to be filled in with white paint when the time comes!  Nothing like a contrasting color in the lug cutouts to make your frame look oh so sweet. 

Thanks to David Bohm, Josh Putnam, Damon Rinard, Fred Parr, and others whose ideas and information have gone into this page.


If you would like to get in touch with me, please e-mail me at: root@student.uchc.edu

Created September 20, 1998. Last updated December 30, 2003.




visitors since October 2000



[Top] [Home]