Wolfhound Cycles News

New website, NEW BLOG!

2010-11-16T10:22:00.000-08:00

Wolfhound lovers, thanks for following along on the blog. We've just relaunched the site, and with it, a fancy new blog, so please follow us over to http://wolfhoundcycles.com/ and visit our new blog, where I will be posting more often. Promise!

Greg's Beast

2010-05-28T01:28:00.001-07:00

Anthonys Ride

2010-05-28T01:17:00.000-07:00

Retro Sled

2010-05-28T00:28:00.001-07:00

The Iron Flower

2010-05-28T00:17:00.000-07:00

Price Page

2009-04-13T22:31:00.000-07:00

Having recently updated the price page, I thought I would go over the changes, and explain what is now standard on a Wolfhound.
There are a few options that seem to be added on every bike I've been building, so I thought it might eliminate some confusion by taking them off the options list, and making them part of the base price, those being:
- Headtube rings, all my mtb headtubes are now custom machined with the reinforcement ring integrated, available in all sizes (10mm increments).
-Integrated seat post clamp and hand carved (yes they're still handcarved) W into a signature Wolfhound seattube lug, as shown on this frame.
Also standard now, are stainless or brass faceplates to be polished and masked for paint. These have also been custom cut and will now appear on all drop-outs and brake mounts, adding a classy touch, while providing a solid metal to metal contact in places where paint can become a problem. As an example, I'm posting a couple pics of my new SS drop-outs. These were designed by me, drawing inspiration from many different drop-outs, and made by Noah at Paragon Machine works. A more thorough description will follow soon.

The Austrian Shredder

2009-02-05T23:38:00.000-08:00

Eric Wilmann's Double TT 96 Mtn. Caddie

2008-09-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

This one specializes in Mountain cruzing pimp style. This thing strays so far from the norm, it's almost hard to explain. Double curved TT, 96er, internal brake line, designed for a 110mm travel suspension fork AND a suspension corrected rigid fork (made by me =) which will also hold a 3" Endomorph snow tire, integrated bar stem crafted by Paul of Rock Lobster, extra long chainstays for rollin large on swoopy singletrack and exploring miles of mtn roads.

Obvioiusly this is the first one like this I have done, it is sort of a curvy evolution of this bike
The end result is rewarding, but this is no doubt the most time consuming frame I've ever built, as well as the most difficult. To be honest, I don't know if can charge enough to make building another one like this cost effective. There are so many ways this frame was harder than any other, mitering all of the small tubes at tricky angles, then brazing around them in tight places. Followed by the longest, most challenging step of all - finishing them all down smooth with out butchering the frame. I'm by no means complaining, there is just so much more work in this frame than it looks, even to me after doing it.
Please contact me personally if you have interest in a frame like this beyond enjoying the pictures, I'm not sure this one will be on the price page.

Hello Again

2008-09-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

Hi. Sorry it has appeared that I quit. I really haven't, and there's plenty of cool new stuff going on:

An upgraded blast cabinet with built in storage/shelf

Some improved organization

And now it's getting real exciting, a new custom bender made by Erik Wiesnenburger of Portland ME! This baby bends 5 different tubing diameters, in a 16" radius, which more than doubles my bending capability. I finally got it set up and anchored down, but have only just begun to work with it. Erik tested all sizes and sent samples before shipping out this bohemeth, so I know what it can do, just looking forward to putting it to use. Please note the craftsmanship, this was all done in his basement.
So far, the only example of the kind of bends this beast makes, is the light blue 29er (built for Erik's wife, Liz), shown below in the "In Their Element" post. It's the only one so far, but I think it's a great example. Note the difference in the curves on that bike, bigger bend radius, more swoopy and graceful. This is going to put some beautiful curves in seat stays.

Now the really, really exciting part,

A floor repair and reinforcement,
To make room for my new combo vertical/horizontal milling machine!!!
This is something I have wanted since I started making bikes. Up till now, I've been doing it all with a drill press, grinders, and hand files. This thing makes me feel like my shop is complete, at least as far as major tooling. As mills go, this is a pretty light weight one, but still weighs 2400lbs, which is just about all the floor of my trailer-shop can hold.
I've never used a machine like this before, but after the initial learning curve, this baby will open some new doors for me, and more importantly, speed me up!

In Their Element

2008-03-08T22:17:00.000-08:00

No fancy display stand with spotlights can mimic this.
Photos by Sean Bagshaw.

NAHBS 2008!!!

2008-02-13T10:44:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am still here, sorry for the long lag in posting for those who have been checking to see if I'm doing anything. I've been busy all right, just spent the last two months letting NAHBS prep consume me, I was kind of trying to keep it quiet and create the whole yahoo-thebig-debut effect with my display stand and the bikes hung in it, and more importantly, make show prep in years to come MUCH easier. I wanted to make a stand that would hold up for a year or two and allow me to display four complete bikes, well lit, with a photo friendly backdrop. As to be expected, what seemed to be a simple structure relentlessly continued to mutate as I attempted to build it, the next thing I knew I had a vision that was finally coming clear, but in the form of something I was spending a grotesque amount of time on, which would eventually require it's own hauling vessel. So anyway, I actually got it all done in time and it all worked - really well, it made me feel just a little better about all the production time I lost, and hopefully I won't ever have to worry about that part of showing again!

The show was awesome and the turn out was seemingly everything the hype predicted, I believe somewhere around 7000 folks wondered through. The bikes displayed were also as expected, stunning and apparently ever improving, this year unveiled some very impressive budding talent from several first time exhibitors. I did my best to get a picture of something from every booth, but failed miserably, there was just too much surrounded by too many people. The most disappointing being the lack of a picture of my friend Sam Whittingham's bike from NAKED custom bicycles, which won People's choice, President's choice, and Best in Show!! And oh yeah, just happened to be the bike that Lance Armstrong fell in love with at first sight and purchased from Sam on Saturday! I had the opportunity to meet Sam and his wife Andrea at last year's show, it takes about 10 minutes to tell that they are about as genuine and kind hearted as it gets. Yet another accolade, they have both set land speed world records on bikes built by Sam, this is one of those things you seem to have to ask about before they will talk about it, so I didn't know at first. Apparently, Lance knew nothing about this when he bought the bike, he just knew that one was for him. Sam wasn't even in the booth at the time, Andrea had to keep her cool and pull the sale all by herself, though I don't think it took much of a pitch. I don't know exactly where to direct someone to see this fine machine, but I'll bet it won't be too hard to find, unfortunately no photos of it here.
This is a strange time in the year in that it is when I post pictures of other builders' work and talk about how cool I think it is. At a glance this may seem like poor business move, but I must disagree because what I'm really trying to show is how much passion there was under one roof. This industry exploding is the result of good change, if we keep the experience positive, there should be no problem finding room for everyone. There were so many incredible works of art that I either missed completely, or only got one shot of, but here is a look at what I was able to capture.

The Evolution of my Head Badge

2007-10-15T21:38:00.000-07:00

Fish's Wolfhound

2007-10-09T15:44:00.000-07:00

It was sort of like a trip down memory lane to build a 26" wheel mtn. bike, though for it's owner and intended use it is an appropriate fit. Fish wanted a "fun" feeling bike, maneuverable and capable of taking a beating. The frame has many options and upgrades, almost every reinforcement I know how to do.

Headtube rings, two lap gussets, and a box gusset,...overbuilt?? Well, for a Freeride hardtail a little overkill is often considered just right.

A goofy, yet functional grin,... matches the build kit!! - Just kiddin Fish

Jay Carpenter's build

2007-10-09T05:57:00.000-07:00

This was an incredibly fun bike to build, and Jay was a model customer. Jay left out no custom feature, he also put in his time doing research to figure out exactly what he wanted geometry-wise. He had his numbers pretty well dialed when it came time for his build, we discussed his steering geometry briefly, and then we had it, he never second guessed himself.
I actually really enjoy the first step in a build, that being the dialog with the customer about what they've been dreaming of. In Jay's case, this step went by pretty efficiently, and I loved it.
That said, however, I also don't mind taking the time to help the customer figure out something unique. The next two projects in front of me are for customers with whom I've spent some time, via phone and email, to come up with some interesting designs, at least considering what I've done so far. Nothing ground breaking, but a stylish twist indeed, each in their own way. They have been great examples of what I would consider the best way to design, they give me their ideas and I give my feedback as well as ideas of my own. The customer doesn't always agree with my recommendations, but I figure out why and learn what they really want. Establishing this connection is a rewarding challenge, and requires flexibility from both builder and buyer.
Anyway, on with Jay's build:

Jay's Single Speed features a custom option not yet listed on the price page, a wide bottom bracket shell with pressed in bearings, spec'd to the exact spacing for any standard external bb style crank.

Note the slight ovalization of the downtube (above), and the toptube (below)

The fillet on the downtube is purposely small on the bottom because this area will soon sport a box gusset.

It has taken many attempts and a lot of sacrificed material to develop these chainstay forms, even though they look pretty cowboy, they actually do a pretty nice job of manipulating this specific Columbus Zona chainstay. As shown, I made one specifically for bikes with Slider drop-outs.

Ode to the painter:
Keith put a brilliant finish on this frame, as usual, it's pretty much impossible to show it's full beauty in a picture, I think the best way to describe it is, intensely sublime. Keith does an outstanding job on all my frames, that's why I take my work to him. It's my mission statement to put as much as I can into each frame, that means investing in the nicest possible finish. Keith is semi-local to me (about a 30 min drive), which means the frame is boxed and shipped two less times, and I get a face to face working relationship, which can be a rare thing for a one man business. I also know that he is extremely environmentally conscious with the materials he uses, another important aspect of my quality control.

I need to clarify that Tony Perierra crafted this fine fork, I was sent the fork to go with the frame to paint. Not long after I received it I took an order for my fist thru-axle fork, this one set the bar high for precision.

In spite of a shoulder in need of repair, it appears that Jay can still get the wheels off the ground.

This is unfortunately just a "mock up", the steer tube on the suspension fork was a little too short to ride the bike like this. Even though the bike was designed to be rigid specific, it looks pretty dang good dressed this way, A couple builds down the road I'll be doing a bike very similar to this one, but designed around a suspension fork.

Frame Option: Internal Cable Conduit

2007-10-08T21:49:00.000-07:00

I use the word "conduit" to describe this option because it specifies that the cable housing is routed through a stainless steel internal pipe, custom shaped and brazed into the frame. The progression of Jay Carpenter's build (above), shows some steps in the process of making internal conduit. There are other bikes in the world that have "internal cable routing", except this simply means holes drilled in the frame to feed the cables through, leaving the housings loose to rattle inside the frame, which creates an entry point for water, as well as a nightmare when attempting to change cables and housings.
The internal conduit option is becoming a popular one for my most current builds. Not only does it maximize the beauty of a frame, but also makes a very low maintenance set-up, the required use of full cable housing keeps the cable clean, basically sealed from water and grime.
The price of this option is $150-$300 per cable depending on how many frame tubes the conduit routes through. For example, the internal conduits on my orange bike (shown here), and Jay's bike inter at the front and go through the toptube, into the seatstays, and exit the frame near the drop-outs, so the price would be $300 per cable because it routes through 2 different frame tubes. Another example would be an internal brake line on a cyclocross frame, where the conduit only routes through the toptube. The price for this would be $150 because it only routes through one tube and is considerably easier to build.

Frame Option: Custom brake mount

2007-10-08T21:33:00.001-07:00

This basically means any kind of mount I make from scratch. The basic frame price includes a standard disc mount on the back of the seatstay. Sometimes, however, there is an opportunity to enhance a design with something special, here are a few examples of brake mounts I've custom fabricated. Each one was specially designed for a specific frame (or fork), prices of custom brake mounts vary depending on the degree of difficulty and time involved.

Frame option: Paragon Slider drop-outs

2007-10-04T20:55:00.000-07:00

Frame Option: 1 1/2" Round Drop-outs

2007-10-04T11:48:00.000-07:00

These drop-outs can be a solid option for basically any geared bike. They're sturdy, versatile, and can be shaped, if desired, to blend with specific designs.

Frame option: CUSTOM CURVES

2007-10-03T23:48:00.001-07:00

Custom curves have become an incredibly popular option on many of my current bikes. I have been able to offer a fairly descent variety, with only a couple different mandrels for a couple of different radius' and tube diameters. However, I am always gradually collecting ways to form tubes of all different shapes and sizes. Because there are no real "hard rules" as far a what I can and can't do, it's difficult to put a definite price on this option. I have it listed as starting at $100 on the price page, but each build has the potential to be totally unique, so I really need to hear what the customer has in mind in order to give an accurate price quote. For most bikes with some kind of custom curves, the additional charge ends up being between $100 - $200 possibly slightly less for something REALLY simple. It is my goal to offer variety to stimulate the customer's imagination so that they in turn can stimulate mine.

The lines of the bare frame above were inspired by a Ritchey "Plexus". That truly was the first frame I saw that made me think about possible ways to manipulate certain ride characteristics by encouraging the frame to flex in specific places with curves.

Another tribute to the Plexus concept (below).

The fork pictured here is a Titanium Blacksheep number.

Frame option: Integrated seatpost clamp

2007-10-03T22:50:00.000-07:00

All of the integrated clamps shown here are accompanied by some sort of dropped toptube gusset, but you don't have to have one to get the other. This option is usually fabricated with a sleeve for double wall thickness, making it an excellent choice for added durability needs.
On the "strictly-bling" side of things, the sleeve becomes a canvas for some added expression with shapes, maybe even a hand-carved initial.

Frame option: Split Seattube

2007-09-27T22:36:00.001-07:00

The split seattube has become a "signature feature", of sorts for me.
It's a concept I came up with mainly to accommodate a short chainstay, such as 16.5", on a 29er. It allows me to produce virtually any effective seattube angle while giving clearance for the rear tire. This could, of course, be accomplished with a simple bend or notched and welded joint in the seattube. However, some advantages of the split seattube are:
-Greatly improved pedaling stiffness at the bottom bracket -- From the small handful of split seattube customers I have so far, all have made comment of a notable difference. I also have my own ongoing thrash test.
-Seatpost can be lowered ALL the way if desired. This is a huge plus for those seeking a compact cockpit, allowing infinite saddle heights, all appropriate to how ever you want to ride your bike that day, dropped to the rails if you please, or at full leg extension for an all day climb.
-Water cannot enter the frame via the seattube, one less place.
-The short chainstays that generally accompany this design create a 29" wheeled mountain bike that handles exceptionally well on tight switchbacks and riding conditions where the front wheel must be easy to pull up. The shorter, quicker handling wheelbase is "counter balanced" with big wheels and a slack headtube angle, while the improved lateral stiffness of the bottom bracket shell makes the bike more responsive when you're pedaling your hardest.
This is probably my most performance enhancing option.

Frame option: BOX GUSSETS

2007-09-27T21:39:00.000-07:00

This is a 3 piece gusset I frequently use to strengthen headtube junctions or for reinforcing seattubes for dropped toptube designs. I call it a box gusset because the inside is hollow, making a stiff structure. Some people have asked if it is just two side plates with the middle filled with brass -- not the case, doing it this way is significantly lighter and reduces the heat affected area.

Another version:

Some finished products:

Frame option: HEADTUBE RINGS

2007-09-27T21:28:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple examples of this option, they are simply reinforcements with a decorative touch. Particularly a good idea on mountain bikes that will be ridden hard, they also minimize distortion caused by welding. Both versions are the same price.

For Liz

2007-09-18T10:32:00.000-07:00

Here is another little project I just started.

Hanging a Wheel

2007-09-18T10:13:00.000-07:00

...on Hambone's Hound.

The prettiest Wolfhound

2007-09-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

Katie had an adventurous weekend of camping at the lake with us which left her looking nearly dread-locked. After about an hour of brushing and several handfuls of hair I had her in a rare moment of almost perfect hygiene so I took some quick pictures before she rolled around in the grass again. She's 2 now and starting to act a little bit grown up, she has been listening - sometimes.

Wolfhound Road Bikes

2007-09-04T23:05:00.000-07:00

I've had a few people inquire about Wolfhound road bikes lately. Some aren't even aware that I make road bikes because there currently aren't any shown in the gallery of the main site. So I thought it was high time to post a few "Road-hounds".
This is Vern Niehaus' bike. Vern is a local fellow who needed a large, stiff frame to replace a Ti set up that kept dropping the chain due to frame flex under hard pedaling.

My Road Machine

2007-09-04T23:00:00.000-07:00

Just a few basic shots of the early build

Jade's roadie

2007-09-04T22:40:00.000-07:00

Tison Englehardt's Catapillar 29er

2007-09-04T22:29:00.000-07:00

Tison wanted a compact geometry for his mad wheelie and trials skills, the bike will have a ton of stand-over clearance with an extra long Eriksen seat post.
The fork is titanium from Blacksheep

Blue Diamond for sale!

2007-08-11T21:08:00.000-07:00

This is one sweet build and it's on sale for way too low of a price, but it's time to find a home for this machine. It's FULLY loaded and never been ridden, everything is brand new and top of the line, just like a Wolfhound should be dressed. Please call or email for detailed specs, components, and pricing.

Currently In the Cooker

2007-06-27T18:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of a fork I am building for one of the frames below, it will feature 20mm axle drop-outs, the first "thru axle" fork I have made. So far it's gone well, and it's also the first fork w/curved legs from my shop. The other bike below will feature a titanium fork from Blacksheep, so I'm kind of excited about that one too.

Along with some tastey tidbits awaiting my next project. This bike will be similar in geometry but some of the details will be different, this bike will feature a fork from Tony Pereira.

TWINS?!

2007-06-27T17:43:00.000-07:00

Well, almost anyway. These bikes are for two people in different parts of the states, who have never met. It just happened this way, I didn't realize how similar they really were at first but the farther the second one came along the closer it got. I did an individual drawing for each so they both have their own soul.
There are a few options that aren't the same, mainly the wide BB shell and internal cable routing. The SS have slightly different curves, based on the customers preferences. I am very happy with the results, but would like to add for the sake of all owners of Wolfhounds w/custom seatstays , that these bends are all "free-hand" so to speak. Something I may not mention enough is that this is an artist interpretation feature, meaning there will never be two Wolfhounds with identical seatstays(don't hold me to that). I do promise, however, that the seatstays on each bike will be symetrical. My objective with curved seatstays, and every other custom feature for that matter, is to fuse the customers visual preferences with the size of the frame. This becomes very tricky if the customer likes the look of the seatstays on another Wolfhound of a different size. All of the angles are different, and can vary quite a bit, so it's impossible to make one bike look just like another,...BUT I still very much appreciate and need that input from the customer. All the customer needs to know a head of time is that they are basically letting me "sign" something based on their input, and believe me when I say that if I shipped it to them, it means that I made the custom features of the frame combine my eye with their vision and functionality to the absolute best of my ability. If I don't feel like a feature is the best it can be, I do it over. To be honest I'm no stranger to doing something twice(sometimes three,,,,...It's been four before, fiv....... Well, you get the point).

I am NOT writing this as a result of any negative experiences with customers, most have been exceptional so far, and it has been an honor to make their bikes. I am only trying to add a little commentary to the site regarding some Wolfhound philosophy.

I hope you like the pictures, this post will be the first time either of the owners will have seen their bikes, I don't think I need to say who's is who's!

The GREEN GALAKTICA!!

2007-06-09T22:24:00.000-07:00

These are some more pictures from Sean Bagshaw of Outdoor Exposure. I scheduled a photo shoot with Sean and it had to be on a day with good weather in the evening. The backgrounds are real!

What's new at Wolfhound

2007-05-17T14:07:00.000-07:00

I don't have much to talk about right now due to extreme busyness. This is a great thing, and I actually have many things I could talk about but have been focusing on work in the shop. I just finished the bare frame w/double top tube so there's a few more things to it now, including a killer paint job, I'll get some killer pics of it soon too. This frame was the grand raffle prize after last years Super D. A high school kid won it and he apparently rides quite a bit, he also did his research for the build and he had a pretty cool idea so I went for it. The design was inspired by an Evil Imperial frame, he brought in a picture of it and a couple other bikes with features he liked, anyway, this is what came of it all.
Along with a photo of Wolfhound rider Jason Becker and his geared All mountain number. This is the 2nd of two Wolfhounds for Jason, he also has a single speed.

Life after the Handmade Bicycle Show

2007-03-21T09:44:00.000-07:00

This post is a little delayed due to a long list of things that slowly been neglected as the show grew closer (mostly around the house stuff). I talked to several of the other builders at the show and it seemed that we all had gone through some form of caous before the show, seems the be the nature of trade shows. Also seems a little nuts to me how the shows can stress us out more than the actual work itself.
I may be able to post a few pics we took if I find the time to sort through them.
Anyway, the focus of this post is meant to be some illustrator generated drawings that I found pretty interesting. One of them was posted on the Internet and I was able to hunt down the gentleman's email address. He has asked that I don't post his contact info at this time because this is only a hobby to him, but he sent me a few and gave me permission to display them, he even worked up one of my bike for me!
I'm especially interested in the light green steroided cross bike, I would like to someday make myself a cross bike with similar lines.

Jade's bike

2007-02-10T03:06:00.000-08:00

Just a few more

2007-02-10T02:55:00.000-08:00

More pictures to look at

2007-02-10T02:26:00.000-08:00

Between recovering from a broken collar bone and preparing for NAHBS I really haven't been able to ride near enough. I think it's made my sit-and-stare-at-bike syndrome worse, which is something that my girlfriend says couldn't get much worse. I just can't help it, when you can't get out and ride a small fix of stare at bike and dream about ride might help you squeak by. What I'm really doing is giving myself more reasons to post more pictures of my bike, and maybe while I'm at it some of Jade's bike. Local photographer Sean Bagshaw of www.outdoorexposurephoto.com
took these for me.

My 29er is born again!!

2007-02-08T13:51:00.000-08:00

Just for fun here are some before and after pictures of my 29er. I wouldn't change a thing about the ride but there were always a few things on the R. triangle of this bike that bothered me because I had thought up ways to do it better. For example, the R. brake caliper mount, the bend in the seatstays, and many other subtleties that probably bothered only me but I guess I just couldn't get over it. the final prompting to cut my bike in half hit me when a customer expressed interest in having internal cable routing on his pending bike build.
This wasn't something I wanted to try for the first time on a customers bike so I thought I'd try it on mine when I rebuilt the rear end. Please note that this is not just two holes drilled into the frame. This is the real deal, it's 1/4" stainless tubing routing inside the top tube and seatstays to the drop-outs. The biggest challenge being getting from the head tube to the drop-outs with
out having to exit the frame to go around the seat tube. The curves in my seatstays just happen to connect to that junction at an ideal angle to weld them to the top tube instead of the back of the seat tube, this allowed me to route my cable conduit straight into the seatstay.
Anyway, it was fun being able to perform a few experiments on my own bike and I came away feeling pretty good about how it all came out.

Zach Morrow's bike

2007-01-30T21:23:00.000-08:00

Well, the handmade bicycle show is coming right up and I'm really hoping to finish a SS 29er I'm working on in time. It's going to have some really unique qualities including some custom machined drop-outs. It's going to have some other one of a kind features as well, but that is all I am at liberty to say at this time.
Anyway, between that bike and digging a trench for a power line to my shop and being out of town I have neglected my blog. Jason Van Horn has done a fantastic job of getting this thing set up for me, as well as his on going work on the rest of the site, so it's good to finally be doing some justice to his work. Thanks for your help and patience Jason!

Here are some pictures of Zach Morrows 29er from North Carolina. It was one of my favorites I have built for a while because he decided on some nice features, such as the box gusset between the HT and DT for fork crown clearance. This is the first one like that I have done and it made me wish I had done the HT gusset on my bike that way, it relieves the stress of getting enough crown clearance for any fork. It arguably may be a better reinforcement as well. I think these are some of the same pictures Zach posted on MTBR a few weeks ago.

Jason Van Horn's Wolfhound Single Speed

2006-12-25T21:21:00.000-08:00

Jason Van Horn sent us a few snap shots of his new Wolfhound single speed, taken at Baker Beach, a few miles from his home in San Francisco. Jason is the photographer that shot the portraits of me on WolfhoundCycles.com. He also designed and built the site. Check out his ezine if you have a chance- www.ihatebikes.net.

Jade's new 29er

2006-12-25T21:14:00.002-08:00

Some pics of Jade's bike getting built up:

Wolfhound Cycles News

2006-11-22T12:22:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Wolfhound Cycles blog. We hope you enjoy this look into the mind of Fred Cuthbert, creator of Wolfhound Bikes, and rider.