In a message dated 1/27/01 8:33:51 PM Eastern Standard Time, jfbender@umich.edu writes:
<< Take a careful look at the lugs lines on the McLean. Each lug is filed perfectly perpendicular to the tube and there is only the smallest radius of silver at the tube. Does anyone know of another builder with this aesthetic and technique? >>
McLean's work was damn near perfect.
It is interesting to note that he mitered all tubes by hand... He had no machine shop tools at all (Actually he did have a drill press that he really didn't use for much of anything.) All hand files. I remember him spending much much time bending sets of fork blades and then eyeballing the curves on various pairs be sure that they exactly matched before he would use them. All his frames lugs and components, although they appear plain and simple, were meticulously reshaped and filed for smooth flowing lines and symmetry.
Nice close pics, Ken! (He he.. I took them!)
As far as other builders, I know there are perhaps others who are at that level, but I know that Brian Baylis and Richard Sachs are right up there. They bring more , shall we say, "flourish" to the lug shapes, but their joinery skills are at the very peak of the craft. I recently obtained a 25th Anniversary frame from Richard and I must say it is just superb. Really amazing.
Joe brings up the point that it takes an experienced eye to be able to recognize the finest execution of steel frame making !
Along those lines, I recently had the first opportunity to examine a Heron frame set. Steve Sitz just bought a used frame and brought it to me at CDO to install a headset and check it over for him. This Heron is interesting especially in the light of price increases, the Atlantis that resides on CDO counter top for sale at this moment and references to Mercians & other handmades.
Quick summary:
- Very nice aesthetic brought to lugs & graphics (kudos, Chuck Schmidt!) The lug shapes are unusual and pleasant. The Fork crown is just great. The decals and head badge are very tasty.
- The design geometry is one which is not generally available in any "off-the-peg" frames.. Those frames which are out there are more often racy.
- All the component parts are obviously designed for speed of assembly. The bottom bracket, seat lug and drop outs are made to receive straight cut tubes, no mitering.. The head lugs may be the same (and I suspect as much) but there is no way to tell without seeing the unassembled lugs. This is theoretically a cheap and less desirable way to make a bike. The steel used in the tubes are metallurgically stronger and more sophisticated alloys that that material used in the lugs and bb. If those steel tubes (531 in this case) do not meet and are not bonded by brazing compounds to one another, more of the structural load is shifted to the cast parts. Look in any quality bbkt shell and you can usually see that nice mitered together process. Not so in a Heron.
- a few short comings... 1. The seat stays plug into the cast seat lug (straight cut tube) and the angles don't match. In other words, the seat lug stay sockets look like they were designed for a 54 CM frame and in this 58 CM frame, so they don't match. It looks like a bend occurs there, aesthetically not too cool. Structurally it is fine, looks wise (in a $1000 frame) it looks not-so-good. 2. There is little no attempt to file away seams and lumpy bumpy portions in the castings. A nice thick paint job hides some of this, but the lack of detailing makes this look like a frame that comes in a $1000. bike, not a $1000. frame.
So, in the final overview, not a great frame but a nice one.. and one which there is not a ready alternative to in the marketplace. Gonna be a tough sell at $1,000 though!
Dale Brown