the only problem with that is it limits what i can do with frames. the possibilities are not so good. columbus & reynolds makes some great tubesets. kirk pacenti makes some other cool lugs. his new mtb & randoneering fork crown lugs are a frame builders dream. so do i limit myself to usa only . do i find someone to make them in america & design them myself? do i have the time to do all that & make frames?  pacenti ,   richard sachs , & rivendel has their lugs made in Taiwan. is it  a choice they made based on cost? or ease of finding someone who would make something like this.? i don’t know. at least for the titanium bikes i have planned ,i can get usa made ti that is the best par none.

well i’m thinking that my frames will be primaraly usa & local materials. if someone want’s a pacenti fork crown i will do it no problem. but i will search out usa made parts even if they will cost a little more. i think i will need to get into the lug making or finding someone kansas city who can make lugs. a good lugset for cross & mtb with a  cross & mtb fork crown is so needed to a frame builder that i may need to design my own.

the balance between being a craftsman who wants to make the very best & a socialy responsible human can happen.

big grin…joel

dream  beautiful dreams

  justin at hlt-c ( happy little tree-construction) is putting up the walls of the home of grincycles as we wright. i just refered to myself in the plural , wow i must be smrt. so the bikes will be a rollin soon. when i get back home  i will be getting up some pictures of the projects iv’e got started. some fork ideas , ti for camron , & very wierd. a large bmxish frame a take off on nemisis project with my twist. look them up  they are very cool.

so for now think beautiful thoughts.

joel grin dyke