This week is all about getting back in the groove of things. Jim Carota’s build is well underway and we are moving right along. With paints wait times out a while, we want to try and hit our deadlines as best we can.

Cheers!

Ok, enough talking. More bikes. Here is Jim B’s electronic Ultegra bike we brought to NAHBS. If you didn’t get a chance to see it there, now you will.

Jim got a Pearl and Metallic off-white paint job. The ladies and gentlemen at Spectrum did an amazing job!

Jim is a tall guy that has ridden more classic style frames in the past. He has always loved the steel frames he has owned and I am happy to be added to that list.

Chris King R45 Hubs matched to the paint on the frame.

A new addition to the my frames is my signature, if you are so inclined. It took a couple tries but I finally got one that I enjoy.

King, Enve, Zipp.

The final treat was a custom painted Calfee Powerpost. I know Shimano is doing their own internal seatpost power supply now, but it isn’t nearly as well done as Calfee’s. Plus it has a nice external post on the seatpost for seamless charging.

I’m very happy with how this frame turned out, and so is Jim. He has nothing but positive things to say about it and is very happy with how it handles.

Recently we have been ticking through the build cue. We have had a few setbacks here and there that have put us a week behind, but we are quickly catching up to our 12-14 week wait time. Paint is at about a 4 week wait right now, so that too is holding us back. May will be busy though and we will be building lots of bikes. If you aren’t already, follow along on Instagram to see how the progress is going.

My other goal for May is to get out and ride more. Mudfoot recently did a ride called the Mudfoot Hump Hundo that I was extremely disappointed to miss. I need to make sure I keep finding time to ride. After all, its why I do what I do. I hope to see you all out on the road soon.

Cheers.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This is Nick M’s second bike. Nick wanted a lot of things that were new for me and I was excited to explore those new possibilities.

Lefty Fork was one of the many firsts.

Gates Belt Drive, Rotor Cranks, Bent Seat tube.

Paragon Rocker Drops, Rohloff Rear Hub.

Right here in Santa Barbara, CA.

Curved for clearance.

Syntace Bar. Formula Brakes. Clean Cable routing was a big thing I took into account for this bike. Rohloff bikes usually have horrible cable lines. I really wanted to avoid that on this build.

Tapered Headtube. Curved Stays in the back.

One of the firsts and something that is not common at all. Internal Cable routing for a rohloff and a rear brake.

And the exit. It already has a little dirt on it. Ya, I got a little excited on the test ride.

Rohloff

I really enjoyed this build. It had many challenges, but I was happy I took them on. I learned a lot in the process and now I’m well equipped for the next one that comes my way. Thanks for checking in and if you have any questions, please feel free to Contact Us.

If you havn’t head these guys yet. You should check them out. Good Stuff.

Click here to view the embedded video.

It’s been a while and I apologize for the lack of communication. As many of you know, we were off gallivanting at NAHBS a couple of weeks ago and it’s been nothing but full throttle since we got back. If you aren’t following along on Instagram, you should. @stinnerframeworks is my handle. This app is just too easy to use and makes updating a breeze. I know a lot of it gets doubled up on Facebook and Twitter, but I only have so many hours in the day to entertain social media. I’m going to try and update things more regularly with fresh content. But first things first, a recap of our time in Denver.

DENVER WAS AWESOME! It really was. We had a great time and the trip was a blast. We started our journey the Wednesday before the show as Hazardous Taste and I drove straight from Santa Barbara through to Denver. Twenty hours of driving. Lots of coffee. Really good jokes and REALLY bad jokes. It has been a while since I had done a drive like that, and I couldn’t have asked for a better traveling partner. We hit some gnarly weather, but our Toyota Sienna held up really well and she sure could tackle the icy roads. The show itself was a blur…in a good way. Lots of standing and talking about bikes, which is to be expected. And people really enjoyed our booth. Speaking of our booth, it was designed and constructed by Kyle Kennedy of We Are Pilot Wave. Kyle is a customer and we became really good friends over the last year. He is truly a remarkable guy and I would recommend anyone looking for design work to talk to him. Here is a photo of the booth.

2012 was a great year for us here at Stinner Frameworks. Not only did we establish ourselves in the custom handmade world, but we were able to reach our goal of 30 frames for the year. Most of the frames were delivered on time without mistakes. That’s not to say we didn’t have our challenges for the year, but those challenges quickly lead to happy customers and great bikes. We couldn’t be more happy than where we are headed into 2013.

First of all. We would like to thank everyone who purchased a bike from us this year. Without you guys, there would be no Stinner Frameworks. Thank you for challenging us, making me (Aaron, framebuilder/broom pusher) to grow as a person and allowing me to deliver top quality bicycle frames. I hope all of you are getting many miles on your new bikes and enjoying the new year.

Throughout the year we watched the shop take many transformations. I started the year with a bench, vise, files, O/A, TIG welder and a lot of open shop space. I had over a dozen frames under my belt and I was looking forward to NAHBS 2012 as a new builder. Come March, we were off to NAHBS where Stinner Frameworks was thrown into the spotlight as we got the opportunity to show the bike community at large what we are all about. We also got to take home top honors as Rookie of the Year. You can only be the Rookie of the Year once, and we are proud to have taken that honor.

After NAHBS we hit the ground running. A lot of people were really happy with what we were doing and wanted to be part of our growing business. Frame orders stacked up and we got down to business. I also had the opportunity to acquire some milling machines for very very little, Don Ferris of Anvil Bikes got us going with a mitering fixtures, and every penny we made went back into the business to make us more efficient and get frames out on time. We were also getting TIG welded frames out the door in conjunction with our award winning fillet frames. We also had MANY friends on deck to help us get things done. Chris Gonzalez, Neil Mazzolini, Jon McCusky, Bicycle Bob, Matt Miller (Hazardous Taste), Todd at Black Cat, Don Walker and the NAHBS Crew, Carl Strong (for being a guiding light in how to run a framebuilding business) and everyone else involved in making my business better. You know who you are.

Anyway, As the year progressed we kept turning out frames. CX season approached and were able to get a few great riders on our frames. Matt Renfro, Mudfoot/Stinner rider was able to take home the State Champ jersey in the Men’s B’s. Not long after that Matt was on the podium in the Elite category. We couldn’t be more proud of Matt and we look forward to working with him in 2013. We will have a feature on Matt’s frame soon. We built the frame and it immediately went to work as Matt’s workhorse, so we never got photos of it. For those interested, it’s a TIG welded frame with internal cable routing. Which is quickly becoming a Stinner signature.

As the year closed out we worked feverishly to meet our quota for the year and keep our customers happy. As 2012 closes out and 2013 begins we are again preparing for NAHBS and getting ready for the show in Denver. This year we will be at one of the “Big Boy Tables” playing with all the other full time builders. We couldn’t be happier making the step up.

So what are our goals for 2013? We will be hoping to increase our frame production. We will also focus on keeping our wait list down. Our goal from the beginning has been to not have a year long wait list. Who wants to wait a year for a frame? So if orders stack up, production will increase. Customers always come first and we are here to keep that going. There are also a few other surprises and ideas on the table. We hope that you will be a part of the journey in 2013 and come along for the ride. Currently our wait time is about 3 months. Now is a great time to get in line for a frame, get your deposits in and get those order forms filled out so we can get you on a Stinner.

Heres to a great 2012 and an even better 2013. Keep the rubber side down and the tailwinds at your back.

Cheers.

Matsfro (Matt Renfro) recently won the State Championships in the Men’s B’s aboard his TIG welded Stinner CX bike. Words can’t explain how good this guy is at riding a bike. He is rising quickly through the ranks here in Southern California and I’m happy to be along for the ride. Even though I don’t ride at that Elite Level anymore, I’m happy I can at least be in the pits for someone who is. Thanks for the write up Matt, it made my month! Cheers!

Matt Renfro:

Last season I fell majorly in love with cyclocross. I attended 18 out of 20 races and was fortunate enough to come away with some good results in the single speed and B categories. Those 3 months came and went in the blink of an eye and for the next nine months I was left craving another season.

In the build up to this year I knew there were a few foundational things I needed. First, was more miles in my legs. Second, was a better grasp on competition. Since bicycle racing is something I came into later in life, I’d never really dealt with the competitive side of my personality at this level. Some parts of my competitive self I was really proud of (focus, dedication, discipline), but then the other overly-emotional-about-nothing parts I knew I’d need to conquer. Third and most importantly, I needed a bike. The single speed did me good but just wouldn’t get me to my goal for the 2012-2013 season. The goal being to win a state championship in the 3’s.

This is where Aaron and Stinner Frameworks comes into the picture. Though I’d known Aaron for a while through the bicycle scene in Santa Barbara, we always kind of did our own thing, only crossing paths occasionally. Thinking back to what started this process, it was a day I had stopped by the shop Aaron worked at to pick up some parts for a Rock Lobster that had just been built for me. Aaron came outside to look at it, inspecting the welds and admiring the craftsmanship. He shared with me that he’d be attending UBI to learn to build frames. With frame-building becoming such a popular endeavor for young craftspeople I was skeptical as to what Aaron would be capable of producing. Over the next couple of years I paid close attention to his work, and it finally reached a point where I couldn’t deny his talent. Every build was an improvement from the last. I loved seeing his progression and I loved the idea of being part of that progression. So when Aaron pitched the idea of getting me on a Cross bike for the coming season, I felt completely comfortable committing to a Stinner.

Previous blog posts have made mention of how enjoyable Aaron is to work with, so I won’t say much about it except that after going through the process I now consider Aaron a close friend. How many other business transactions in your life can you say brought you a close friend? Aaron truly cares about your thoughts, but more importantly, he cares about the quality of the frame. So when you have morons like me coming up with all sorts of funky geometry ideas, he’ll have a nod and an idea that’ll set things straight.

The plan for this bike was to be a straight forward cross build. It’d mimic the geometry of my road bike with a slightly shorter top tube, higher bottom bracket and some curvy stays for sex appeal. A few long weeks later the frame was built, sent out to paint and back in the Stinner Garage for the build up just before the season opener. The great thing about Aaron is that not only is he an awesome frame builder, he’s also one of the top bike wrenches in Santa Barbara. We (he) dialed in the bike in an evening over some Sierra Nevadas and folky tunes and the next morning was shred time.
Since that morning the smile hasn’t left my face. The bike is beautiful in every way; Looks, performance and meaning. And I truly believe the level of stoke I have for my Stinner and the support Aaron has given me has gotten me to where we are now.

Last week I completed my season goal  of winning a State Championship in the 3’s. Since it only took me half of the season to accomplish this I had to refocus my goals. Not being a person who likes to settle, and wanting to make the most of this season and the bike, I knew it was time to mix it up with the big boys.
This past weekend I upgraded to the Elites. If races were decided by who had the best looking bike, man I would have smoked that field! They aren’t though so I had to settle with 16th (not last place!).  The new goals for the season are as follows: Finish on the leaders lap, increase pain threshold to 60 minutes (that extra 15 is killer!), build strength for next year and have fun. That last part is so crucial to success and I’m very fortunate to be involved with people who share this outlook, namely MUDFOOT and Stinner Frameworks.

Its been a crazy month so far. Cyclocross season is well underway and the weather is slowly starting to feel like winter. Cold and wet mornings with the smell of espresso in the air just makes me want to hop on my cross bike and go ride in the dirt. Its great stuff. Down here in Southern California we have the So Cal Prestige Series. Its a great series with racing every weekend starting in September through December. We are lucky to have a great promoter in Dorothy Wong. She works really hard to make it a lot of fun for us cross racers. So far I have been able to make it to three weekends of racing and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. Last year I was only able to make it to three weekends total for the whole season. A combination of still working part time at the bike shop, building frames, training and owning a house wasn’t working out. This year, I’m happy to say that I have been able to accommodate framebuilding and training quite well. The homeowner part is always a work in progress.

This year, it is again myself and Jon McCuskey racing under the Stinner Frameworks banner, but I have a few other ‘bros’ on Stinner steads. Matt Renfro and Christophe Raffy of the Mudfoot team are riding on my frames and having some great success as well. Matt has been tearing it up in the Men’s B races and hopefully will be making the jump to elites soon. He is a modest guy but a beast out on the CX course.

Other than that, the shop is staying busy. We are working away on the build list and getting ready to start doing some builds for NAHBS. As I have said before, we are going to have a larger booth at NAHBS this year so I get to bring three bikes this year. I’m really excited to have a full booth that will allow people to see a little bit more about what we are all about. I hope everyone that has been following me on this Journal will get a chance to come out and meet me at the show. It should be a great time.

Stay tuned for a post with a new frame and photos!

Cheers,

Aaron

This is a great jam. It also has some bikes and a company I will be working with in the not to distant future.

I’m finally taking a mini vacation. I havn’t been on a real vacation in a few years. Since I have started Stinner Frameworks, it has demanded most, if not all, of my attention. I’m heading up to Seattle to enjoy some R&R and hang with family. Its a short lived vacation though. I will be back in the shop on Oct. 10th. If you need anything please give us a call or send an email. We will get back to you as soon as we can.

Cheers,

Aaron

Ya, thats right. Time for some Temple of the Dog. Its only fitting that I’m about to bored a plane for Seattle.