Home Made - HT Mk4

[---Matt---]

This is Mk4 of our hardtails and it's by far the best one we've made yet. I've been riding it for about a month now and it seems to be exactly the right size and geometry. It's the first time I've run any of my bikes single speed and so far I'm loving it. The bike weighs in at 13kg on the dot which is also the lightest bike we've made so far, albeit it's mostly due to the parts.

Well enough talking, here's the details. Any comments welcome!

Geometry


Specs
Frame: Home Made Mk4
Fork: Fox Talas 32 RLC 15mm
Handlebars: Funn Full On
Stem: Azonic Baretta
Headset: FSA Pig Pro DH
Grips: ODI Ruffian
Saddle: Charge Spoon
Brakes: '06 Saint
Cranks: Hone
Tensioner: Godspeed
Pedals: Gusset Slim Jim
Wheels: Mavic EX721 on Hope Pro II









​

 

[Tyler!]

a work of art!

nice work dude, looks great...

 

[Jbeardo]

wooow, now that is beauty.

i would love to say that i made something like that, you really are one to admire.

 

[leitch]

Nice work, I'm assuming it's been built as a 4x frame? Would you consider building something with horizontal dropouts and a shorter rear end? It'd be nice to see a street/dirt jump frame!

 

[Cedel]

With shorter forks that HA would be very nice and tight.

As leitch has already asked, for 4X use?

Are you going to keep it raw or get it powdercoated?

 

[---Matt---]

Nice work, I'm assuming it's been built as a 4x frame? Would you consider building something with horizontal dropouts and a shorter rear end? It'd be nice to see a street/dirt jump frame!

It was always intended as being a do-it-all frame, so it needed a little extra tyre clearance and room for a big chainring/bashring, which restricted the chainstay length. Originally I had it spec'd with a chainguide and gears but in the end, decided to be a tightarse and go singlespeed instead.
The next frame (which won't be for a while yet) I'll probably go for something with shorter stays (around 15.5") and possibly a shorter cockpit length as this one is as long as I'd want it.

 

[_Ajax_]

Wow!! Thats really good. Do you sell these or is it a hobby.

 

[---Matt---]

The forks are at 110mm in the pics, which makes the HA 69°. It also drops the BB by another 1/2". And yeah, I'll get it painted one day but I usually wait for a few months to make sure nothing goes wrong first

And nah, we don't sell them... it's definitely just a hobby and something to do while it's too wet/hot (depending on the season) to ride. They take too long to make for it to be worth it.

 

[MTB MAD]

sweet bike man what type of welder did you use mig, tig?
maybe a pain job or claer coat
cool bike tho man

 

[aasr]

nice Matt you and Russ really did well one this one how long did this one take to make ?

 

[French Fries]

Matt thats is so nice man.... Keep up the good work

What kind of achines do you use to make the frames?

 

[Lorday]

Looks like you've got this down to a fine art. Very nice.

 

[zacapp]

that looks so good mate, really well made
amazing

 

[---Matt---]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the comments!
We TIG weld these frames. The welding has come a LOOOONG way from our first frame and is pretty consistent now. Russ has been doing an awesome job, especially on this frame! I don't think twice about the welding quality any more.

For the machines we use, previously we were doing all the mitring by file but this frame was a test for using hole saws in the mill to do the mitring. It's only a little bit faster than by hand but it's much more accurate and much less hassle. At one point on this frame it actually pointed out an error in drawing on the jig so we know it works
The rest of the frame is done on the lathe (head tube) and with a angle grinder (drop outs and yoke). The only part of this frame that was filed was where the seat stays meet the top tube/seat tube.

This frame took about 15 days to put together, spread over many weekends, although a lot of that was taken up refining the jigging and mitring.

Here's a few pics from the build. The wheel in the pic is a 2.7" Minion.

 

[No Skid Marks]

Tidy.
Not sure about the flat plate with the chain stays, but you'll soon see. Have you used that concept before? Is it stiff on bigger sideways slams? Possibly be beneficial even, more cushion for the pushin, more preloaded pop outta corners?

 

[---Matt---]

Yeah, this is the first time we've only bent it in two spots instead of trying to make it round but we've used the plate for a yoke on all our bikes since Wkkie's. On his bike it was there as a test to see if it would give any added traction/suspension but from what we've felt, it hasn't made any difference. Now it's just there to make it easier to get chain ring/tyre clearance.

There are similar designs on some production frames like the Last Raffnix.

 

[_Ajax_]

Hey just wondering, is it possible to use a MIG or arc welder building frames. Are they just as strong as the TIG?

 

[parker93]

Could I ask how much roughly it costs to make a frame?
If possible, Separate costs on the tubing used and the jigs

Cheers mate

 

[---Matt---]

Yeah, you can use MIG to weld the frame. There are quite a few home builders who've done it that way. I'm not into the techy side of welding so I'll leave that up to someone else but I think basically TIG is used because it's easier to control the weld and therefore the heat affected zone.

As for the price of tubing, that generally comes to around $200-$250 per frame. The jig is just a piece of MDF board (see my signature). Then there's the price of the lathe/mill/saws/files/hole saws/etc. And there's the time put into it too.

It's not particularly cheap... but that's not why we're in this sport is it?

 

[slats69]

really nice bike mate, looks a treat