Longtail Bicycle Frame Build 14 - Braze Custom Front Rack

[@randomandough]

Dude youve been killin it! This build has been awesome to watch. Hope your son loves it!

[@PithyBikes]

+Eddie Krisinsky he does! We get lots of comments about the bike as people walk by!

[@randomandough]

Pithy Bikes. I bet! Its a looker! My head would pop off my sholders trying to figure it out lol. Keep building ill be sticking around to see what other cool things you plan on putting together. I dont have any engineering know how. Its really cool watching you work

[@MrToolean]

Great videos, keep em coming. One thing you may consider trying, at 2:43 get a small level, and use that on the workpiece to keep all of your bends in plane.

[@PithyBikes]

+MrToolean thats is a great idea! Wish i had thought of that. :)

[@justbrentbenson5419]

You are truly a Maestro! Bravo -- I have followed you from the start and you are a source of inspiration indeed. May I suggest for your next project you consider a recumbent of some kind -- tackling a recumbent (especially a trike) would open a whole new world of learning for you. Whatever you do, keep posting my friend!

[@PithyBikes]

+Brent Benson i would love to build a recumbent some day. Still too advanced for me right now though! :)

[@prancstaman]

Came out killer!! Nice brazing setup. You got to think of brazing as if you are gluing the part together since it is a form of soldering. Turn the torch down and use circles in the area you are soldering to control the heat, big circles for when it is too hot and to preheat in the direction you are brazing and small circles for adding heat to the area. When you lift you are creating stress areas from the heating and cooling of the area. Want to keep it a constant temp.

[@PithyBikes]

+prancstaman sounds good to me, ill try that. :)

[@blipco5]

Beautiful work. When bending tubing I find it quicker to, rather than trying to hit the bend exactly, overbend by two or three degrees, remove it from the bender, then take the bend back to 90 deg or whatever. Dealing with springback is a PITA.

[@PithyBikes]

+blipco5 yes i found myself having to bend it further because of deflection. The nice part is that this bender is forgiving of you need to load the tube back up again.

[@mikeflanigan4896]

I love the brazing clamp. Great to see this come together.

[@PithyBikes]

+Mike Flanigan thanks Mike! It means a lot to me that you've been following my videos. Your blog was my inspiration for building frames.

[@LuLu-sf5cg]

Awesome ideas, enjoying watch it.

[@BK42Cycles]

Excellent work!!!

[@gregknipe8772]

fun to discover your project. this inspires gumption!

[@cerberus1981]

It's fascinating to see this build take its final form-congratulations! The sight of the newly-mounted badge prompted me to think of the following Bad Idea: buy a lug-lining pen (which takes a small amount of paint) and use a dark-colored self-etching primer to outline the logo for a bit of decoration 🎨

[@PithyBikes]

+cerberus1981 good idea! I have since painted the bike already. Didnt outline it vut. I think youll lile the result when you see it!

[@seanlynchcycling8044]

I love this bike more and more every video I watch!!

[@PithyBikes]

+Progress Bee Athlete Sean Lynch 👍

[@pierdolio]

If you want thin stainless sheet metal, order "shim stock". You are doing an excellent job and I'm impressed by how quickly you seem to learn new techniques.

[@PithyBikes]

+Adam Pierce didnt consider that. I like it.

[@pierdolio]

Keep up the great work and soon you will become a renowned builder of custom bikes. That would be a nice additional cash flow.

[@nikelquint]

this channel is great. hopes theres more to come

[@PithyBikes]

+supa stan theres one last video for the long tail build. But after that i need to think about whats next. I would like to change my format to something that doesnt take so much time to produce since time has beem a factor for me. I was thinking of something more like vlogging.

[@nikelquint]

Pithy Bikes Perhaps even vlogs inbetween build videos, even if the build videos take a extra week or so to come out. There is still a lot of frame types to build. Do whatever makes you satisfied!

[@themindunset]

Really cool work. Thanks so much for posting. I have an idea for a bike rack and I'm wondering how hard it would be for me to DIY it. I have no welding experience. LOL.

[@russthibault8800]

The front rack looks awesome !

[@PithyBikes]

+Denis Thibault thanks!

[@HoldFastFilms]

Amazing series and bike looks great too.

[@PithyBikes]

+HOLD FAST thanks for watching! :)

[@BastHoen]

Hi Steve! First of all: I really like your videos and admire your work. I ride a cargobike myself for decades. What I do not understand in your design is that you connect the front rack to the front wheel instead of the frame. If the weight does not move you will have a stable ride. With weight you easily oversteer and start wobbling. A fixed rack is commonly seen on modern cargo bikes.

[@PithyBikes]

+Bas 't Hoen yes its true! I noticed that cycle trucks has an integrated front rack design for that reason. I dont really have a reason for not doing that too. I suppose nothing too heavy will be on that rack but you never know.

[@bullwhipjohnson8247]

This bike is beautiful. It turned out really great. I hope we get to see it through to completion.😉

[@PithyBikes]

+bullwhip johnson you will! Next week :)

[@stepcorngrumbleteats7683]

Great work, Smart design. Thanx for the share.

[@PithyBikes]

+StepCorn Grumbleteats NP!

[@adikt00]

Hey! I've been enjoying your videos. Please consider adding either another attachment point on the front rack (such as to the brake bosses), or a strap between the rack's loop (the one in front of the headtube) and the handlebars. That plate you have attached to the fork crown could easily break when the rack is loaded, resulting in the rack rotating forwards underneath the front wheel and a nasty crash. It happens!

[@PithyBikes]

+Guy Noble ok ill look into it. Thanks for the heads up.

[@insertgoodname4809]

Next make a whole bike with *brazed lugs* !!! Those gold joints look amazing!

[@PithyBikes]

+insert cool name i might some day when i get the time and patience! 😂

[@braulioborges8477]

Si para La parte trasera

[@hughchapman5319]

Love your tube bending setup! Tube bender fixed to bench, bench braced to wall with 2"x4", but how is is the wall braced..?

[@DanielIshigaki]

awesome! really wanted to ride this bike!!

[@PithyBikes]

+Daniel Ishigaki drop by, you can take it for a spin.

[@DanielIshigaki]

Pithy Bikes really appreciate, who knows some day! For now i'll just admire tour.work from distance. I'm from Brazil, a little far away!

[@Jazzmarcel]

Wow!..........I want to build a cycletruck caddie rear bike to carry out of 6060 alu but I think it would be very difficult to bend the tubes. My question is, does your tube bender work on the same diameter aluminum???

[@Mr_RichardH]

Fantastic. I really love this bike; it’s got personality already. Can’t wait to see it in paint. If you don’t mind me saying, there’s *one* thing I might have done differently: the placement of this cable guides at the 7 o’clock position on the tube... slightly risky? I’m sure there was a reason why you put them there...

[@PithyBikes]

+Richard Hayter no worries! I love feedback! I didnt really have a reason other than it seemed like the best place for the least cable resistance. Should i have tucked it under more?

[@Mr_RichardH]

Pithy Bikes If they’re run along the top or along the bottom, they can’t snag trousers when you’re riding - or if you crash.

[@PithyBikes]

+Richard Hayter ah that makes a lot od sense.

[@JeffCowan]

It looks on camera like you had a carburizing flame. Lot of soot. You might want to try a more neutral to slightly oxidizing flame. Just a single small blue clear cone.

[@PithyBikes]

+Jeff Cowan there wasnt any soot but the flame was indeed big. Ill try for that small blue cone. Thanks for the tips!

[@AB-jc3gd]

it is very beautifully build!

[@nelumbonucifera7537]

Maybe you already know, but McMaster-Carr is great for ordering odds and ends (like thin sheet steel). Fast delivery too.

[@PithyBikes]

+Nelumbo Nucifera i cant remember if i tried looking there. Sounds good.

[@jimgourgoutis]

You didn't opt to drill any vent holes for your brazed joints? I've found that leads to porosities in the brass.

[@kevinhornbuckle]

Expanding air pushes the brass out or holes in it.

[@jimgourgoutis]

Yup, exactly. It's especially bad if you then powdercoat the rack, because you'll get nasty bubbles and holes in the coating around the brass filler, when the part is heated to 400°F in the oven.

[@jimgourgoutis]

Should also add: no criticism intended -- you built a cool rack rack and bike, which is the important part! Just wondering if vent holes in the rack were omitted intentionally. I've seen builders do it both ways.

[@PithyBikes]

+Jim Gourgoutis i was wondering about vent holes. I looked for as many pics on the internet but couldnt find any that vented rack tubing so i assumed it wasn't needed. I suppose some small holes couldnt hurt.

[@boneal4942]

Very nice work!

[@PithyBikes]

+B ONeal :)

[@AB-jc3gd]

would it work easier with heat and would the pipe then be solid or rigid enough=

[@ricotrout13]

very nice! You need to adjust your flame, it looked like too much acetylene and not enough oxygen.

[@stefanospagnolini506]

May I ask what type and size are the tubes you used for the front rack?

[@timjrvine]

This is all good and well but when will you make me one? 😅 Love this series mate.

[@PithyBikes]

+Tim Vine haja thanks!

[@meatintaco2002]

awesome video !!!

[@papajoezs]

Hi, love the way you work, level of quality! how do you sand the tubes so shiny?

[@menbocabizares433]

What a clean brazed joint. I'm new to your channel by the way. May I ask, can I possibly use lpg in brazing? Thanks!

[@stoparret]

I've read that brazing isn't very good for butt joints because of the small surface area. I'm curious to see how well that weld at 5:50 holds up over time. ...and that PB logo plate is awesome, even if the radius didn't come out well. The next one will be great.

[@PithyBikes]

+stoparret thanks! Yeah, that but jpint i feel will break at some point.. When it does ill be ready with my TIG ;)

[@jesscneal]

That's a slick little bender. Whats the brand? Really nice job on the rack and brazing.

[@PithyBikes]

+Jess Neal its a Rigid brand bender. Works really well!

[@Lanesplittergarage]

Awesome build. Do you know which model bender you used. You've inspired me to make something similar.

[@davegillett4036]

Great work as always! Makes me want to try brazing! I was hoping there may have been one or two super cool welding or maching videos set to music in this like your last series but ive loved it all the same. Whats going to be your next build? Bike for your wife maybe?

[@PithyBikes]

+David Gillett i would have liked that too. But there's always so much trouble with song licenses. But not to worry, ill make some with music in the future because theyre so much fun.

[@ascoria980]

why do you braze and when do you do it? why not just weld?

[@joell439]

I had the same exact question. Maybe he just wanted it to look different? Or maybe he wasn't sure how to back purge it? Hopefully he'll respond and let us know. I love the video series!

[@benturner190]

Brazing, especially with silver makes more sense for the smaller jobs such as the cable guides because it is very easy to create a low profile joint that requires minimal clean up to look good. I am a frame builder too - although i braze everything (with brass and silver)

[@johnpossum556]

Not sure exactly why he picked brazing but usually it is a matter of strength and convenience. Brazing is between soldering and welding both in convenience and strength. IE: Brazing is weaker than weld but stronger than soldering. It also takes less heat & less time. It's really a lot like soldering on steroids while welding takes a LOT of heat.

[@benturner190]

Brazing is not weaker than welding, in fact you are more likely to weaken a frame by tig welding due to the higher heat from the welding changing the properties of the steel.

[@xGshikamaru]

Ben Turner indeed some manufacturers actually braze their frames for this exact reason. Not really convinced one is better over the other though

[@kbendle1556]

What can you build without the fancy equipment?? Might be an interesting vid.

[@PithyBikes]

+KAL B. You know i had considered a build like that. Because most folks dont have all these tools. Would be a challenge!

[@TecniJoe]

You need weld with silver 40% or more, the bronze is yellow, sorry for my english, regards from Uruguay

[@PithyBikes]

Thanks for the tip! :)

[@carlosesilva22]

Products are available clear rust inhibitors with a clear coat epoxy finish, high gloss. Do you serial number your frames?

[@PithyBikes]

+Carlos Silva no serials because i havent done more than 1 style of frame so far. Some day tho!

[@Mad-Duk_Machine_Werkes]

@6:00..... Flame looks too yellow? Dunno why? also, it's really long, you might want to go with a "0" or "00" tip for that type of braze job, I have better luck and nicer results gas welding with a smaller tip than one too big...... Maybe it's the pressure on your regulators?

[@Mad-Duk_Machine_Werkes]

also Braze isn't suited for butt joints where you file and sand away all the brass.... it's stronger as a fillet material with a bead like joining pipes 90* to other pipes - Also WAYYY too much flux you're using, esp. since your steel is starting out so clean and new anyways- you're making too much work for yourself cleaning all that afterwards

[@kevinhornbuckle]

When he gets the right flame he will have much more control over the heat.

[@PithyBikes]

+Eclidean it very well could be all of those things! :) ill look into a smaller tip.. It did feel like i was pushing too much gas.

[@PithyBikes]

+Eclidean yes i agree. I had just come off silver and assumed same amount of flux lol

[@liamofthornhill]

Hey you can mount the bender in the vice man

[@PithyBikes]

+Liam small yes! But my vise is tiny and already mounted on a small stand. And the screw that holds ot from rotating is whimpy. :)

[@dakotacallahan545]

What kind of tubing are you using? Steel?

[@Mekhanic1]

Please come back!

[@MrHifonics]

can you mount front and rear fenders? nice vids

[@PithyBikes]

+MrHifonics i didnt set it ep for that because my son doesn't ride in the rain. But i imagine it wouldnt be too hard to do.

[@fotociclist9662]

Золотые руки!

[@donyprabowo4952]

Next make minivelo freme, yes?

[@HomeDistiller]

I think your badge problem might have been reduced if you let the die and form relax during the press.. Press a few millimeters then back of and let it settle and go again

[@PithyBikes]

+HomeDistiller ah thats a good one. Yes!

[@flowerchild496]

Light materials but works very well

[@handcandyrocks]

Why don’t you use the TIg to braze?

[@MrJack-yx6nm]

Was there a special reason for brazing instead of welding or was it just that you wanted to get better at brazing? Btw, the bronze brazing looks very pretty :) I don't know how steep the hills are where you live but as a BMX Racer I would recommend a bigger front chainring for more speed ;) I don't what you're currently running on there but I have 44 to 16 on my bmx and you can ride that pretty much up every hill, but that's something you will have to decide ;)

[@PithyBikes]

+Mr. Jack yup for practice. :) yes i will take your recommendation for a larger chain ring. 👍

[@bradcomis1066]

Where did you get the saw for cutting the head tube badge? What are those types of saws called?

[@PithyBikes]

+Bradley Comis its a jewelers saw i bought off amazon of all places!

[@harveyboy45]

Sorry but can you explain why you braze instead of welding the rack?

[@PithyBikes]

+harveyboy45 it was just for practice. Believe me i had to fight the urge to not TIG weld it the whole time!

[@foroloca6148]

Emblem needs to go on the front headset vertical PB ⬇️

[@ronaldobotelho2284]

Acabei de me escrever aqui fera!

[@noldifritspangerapan702]

Awesome👍

[@warrenzausa3145]

How ya'all there?

[@hsgsgshhshshjs3277]

NICE TIRES, WHAT IS THE BRAND?

[@hsgsgshhshshjs3277]

DO THEY HAVE SIZE 16"?

[@PithyBikes]

I don't think they do. They're bmx tires. "odyssey" tires. Are you f'n with me? They say the name on the tire. ;)

[@ArchangelLightTech]

Wery good pb! =)

[@PithyBikes]

+ArchangelLightTech 👍

[@BikeLifePinas]

I saw that you disassembled the whole frame. did you weigh it? heheheheh :) also why braze this time and not weld?

[@PithyBikes]

+Bike Life Pinas ah the footage was shot months ago. :) so didnt weigh it. Brazing instead of TIG was for practice

[@BikeLifePinas]

oh I see. can't wait to see the fully painted version. try a quadracycle as your next project :D would be fun to see your engineering skills :D

[@andyvoytko]

Have you tried tig brazing?

[@kevinhornbuckle]

As with silicon bronze?

[@andyvoytko]

or aluminum bronze. I've used it at work with good results.

[@PithyBikes]

+andyvoytko i tig brazed with silicon bronze on my first build. Its how i attached the badge. Requires a lot of heat control.

[@donyprabowo4952]

Make Freme minivelo?

[@warrenzausa3145]

Long time no vid ☺

[@honorharrington4546]

Your lower form being wood was the problem in shaping your badge. You should have put the butt joint at the rear of the rack where your flat metal bracket could have reinforced it. Next time you butt join tubing use an internal sleeve for strength. Remember, the first 10 to 20 frames are practice.

[@PithyBikes]

+honor harrington yes totally agree. Will do that on racks for the future!

[@jimgourgoutis]

1/2" is huge. 3/8" would've been more than enough. I build racks using 5/16".

[@PithyBikes]

+Jim Gourgoutis yes it is! It was mostly an aesthetic choice :)

[@ronaldobotelho2284]

Very bom!

[@PithyBikes]

+Ronaldo Botelho :)

[@ryanpeterson1664]

Shouldn't the rack tubes have vent holes when you are brazing them?

[@PithyBikes]

+Ryan Peterson ive seen with and without. Next time ill prob do small holes. Cant hurt!

[@EvendimataE]

stainless bikes would be nice...titaniums are more beautiful, but they are so expensive

[@bullwhipjohnson8247]

I'm looking for a 54cm CroMo Touring frameset for less than $100US. Just in case anyone has any leads, please let me know. Thanks.

[@tomalcolm]

Yaaaassssss!!!

[@PithyBikes]

+tomalcolm :)

[@-joo3033]

Add gears and its my dream bike

[@tiradentes.alferes6807]

I prefer tig process

[@Metal-Possum]

...disc brakes are good.

[@PithyBikes]

+Alex Paulsen i agree. 😢

[@chiefofficer9331]

As for me, much easy to use TIG welding, or MIG/MAG

[@briangessler1046]

FORK not forks. Nice build though :)

[@PithyBikes]

+Brian Gessler haha thanks for correction! :)

[@meszarosp.daniel2087]

Mmmmmm!!!

[@PithyBikes]

+Mészáros P. Dániel 👍

[@romabrew99]

50000$ in tools later you got a bike....

[@smadjaone]

Put some mask when you soldering pls, think your health.