Bruce Gordon goes Carbon Fiber!!

Mike Lopez, Joe Bell, Bruce Gordon, & Chris Hayes

Here is the story about the Titanium Lugged – Carbon Tube 650B Bike

This is my first Carbon Tube Frame; it was made with the assistance of many great people.
I worked previously with Mike Lopez of Serotta Composites on a disc brake carbon fork for last year’s show bike. We talked about doing a complete carbon tube frame. I was intrigued, because I had never ridden a Carbon tube frame in my size.
We chose a 650B frame because I did not have one,
I fabricated the Titanium lugs, dropouts, etc., and Mike Lopez made the tubing required. We decided to try making a Titanium Crown with Carbon fork blades, along with Carbon Fenders.
Being the third bonded frame I have made, it was no longer a mystery, however, with Mike’s input I learned some of the finer points of carbon and bonding that has taken Mike 30 years + to master.
I machined the lug parts from solid Titanium bar stock. Mike machined the fork crown to a design I worked out with Ross Shafer. All the Titanium parts took about 15 pounds of solid titanium – so there was a lot of lathe and mill work and a bunch of titanium chips to be recycled.
I am very interested in making frames with Classic Aesthetics and Modern Materials, and it doesn’t get any more modern than Titanium and Carbon Fiber. Both Mike and I have spent 2 months to make this bike, so please don’t ask the price, I don’t have an answer.
For you History Fans – the frame was bonded on Mike’s Table which was the same table that the First Lugged Carbon tube frame that Mike and Mark Dinucci of Specialized Bicycles made about 22 years ago.
I would like to thank the many people who helped make this bicycle possible. First and foremost, Mike Lopez and his crew at Serotta Composites, Chris Hayes (Welder Extraordinaire), Ross Shafer (for CAD work), Jason Lilly (for laying up the fenders), Joe Bell (for Superbe Paint work on short notice), Sean Walling of Soulcraft, Mark Norstadt of Paragon Machine Works and Doug White of White Industries (for machining advice), David di Falco of di Falco Fabrications (for putting up with me and my mess).
I hope you enjoy our efforts – I can’t wait to go riding.
Regards,
Bruce Gordon

Here are some detail pictures - comments welcome.

There are more pictures on my Flicker Site at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/23259799@N05/sets/72157623747045659/