Alex's Fork

For those of you who might be inclined to pursue a hand-built steel bicycle frame but are limited financially, an aftermarket fork for your existing bike is a great way work up to that ultimate purchase. Each Capricorn fork is made with the same care and attention given to the frames. The blades, dropouts, fork crown, and steerers are all chosen based on the needs of the customer; as well as the geometry and braze-ons. A well-made, thoughtfully-designed fork will ride better and set your bicycle apart from the rest of them.

Base price for a custom fork is $250. Certain options and fork crowns will increase the price, so please contact me for a full-estimate based on your individual needs.

Angry Catfish 'Cross

I stole this picture from the Bike Jerks blog because I went to The Angry Catfish a couple days ago and didn't bring the camera. Oh yeah, the Catfish is open, serving the best coffee in town and fixing bicycles. They're located at 42nd St and 28th Ave, near the Buster's and the Baker's Wife.

Mixte, Opus 2

This is the second step-through "ladies" Capricorn. The design's changed a little since the first one, not out of necessity, but it's just how I roll. I'll admit the Civia Loring provided a little inspiration for the shape of this frame, as did Dave Kirk's "Terraplane" bicycles-- but just a little. It still needs the bridges, braze-ons, and some clean-up work. And I might add a little rear rack. There's a little time left before NAHBS.

New Thumb Shifter!

Sturmey-Archer just introduced thumb shifters for their internally-geared rear hubs! Sun Race is sending one to Capricorn for use on the Nahbs City-Mixte that I just started building. More info as it comes, but I'm glad that SA is finally offering some new shifter options. I'm excited to try it out.

The 29er

The other night Ben came by the shop to check out the progress of his new frame. He got a glazed-over stare as he took in the details. He got stoked for race season. It's almost done-- there's some clean-up and braze-ons left before it's off to the painter. Some more teaser pics over at Flickr.

Busted

The police finally pulled me over for the first of thousands of traffic infractions I've committed. In this case I passed dozens of cars waiting at a red light, timed my pace perfectly to make a left turn through a busy intersection as both lights were red, checked twice in both directions, and went through before I even had the chance to get in anyone's way. I readily admit that this was illegal, but in my mind it's also safer for me and gets me out of the way when traffic wants to move again. The officer would have nothing to do with my explanation and wrote me a ticket anyway, while I stood there freezing.

This particular officer told me that if I had gotten hit it would meant hours of paperwork for him. This is not only insulting, but implies a certain lack of commitment to keeping the city safe. Since the great ice storm of '09 this city has been THE WORST PLACE ON EARTH TO RIDE A BICYCLE. Side streets are lumpy with tire ruts and glazed ice; drivers on the thoroughfares are hostile when they get stuck behind a cyclist who's just trying to stay upright; the HIGH temperature today is 5 degrees; and the sun sets at 4:30 and rises at 7:30, so darkness compounds upon everything else. Had he been a little more open to discussion I would've contended that I was just doing what I felt I needed to do to stay safe and get warm, that I am probably 90% more aware of my surroundings on the roads than anyone in a car, and that I am actually extremely careful despite my display of contempt for the conventional rules of the road. But something told me not to waste my breath.

At least I finally caved and bought a set of Schwalbe Winter Marathon tires, which I can't wait to try out. The side streets will be usable again, as will the ice rink that is the Midtown Greenway-- both of which were my former commute to and from work.

Bicycle Calenders

You may remember that last year I donated a frame as a raffle prize to benefit the Chicago Women's Health Center. This year it was my sister's turn, and she provided time and photo-studio savvy to the cause. The calenders are awesome, and even feature one of the Capricorns from my parents' basement (the yellow bike above). I guarantee either one will make your year better. The guy's version is gender-neutral, and is basically set-up like an elaborate comic book. The women's calender has more of a pin-up vibe, but I can't imagine it would be considered at all sexist. Anyway, you should buy a calender because it's for a good cause and they came out great. Click here to link up with their website for purchasing info.