So... Saturday this guy walks into the LBS (Cycles Gaansari in Springboro) with a polished aluminum 1983 "Burkett". "Where did you get that?" we asked. "I made it" was the guys answer.
Kevin Burkett is a Dayton-area machinist with well over 30 years experience. Back in the early 1980s his son was racing BMX, and Kevin decided to try his hand at building for him a few extra-light aluminum frames. Then Kevin decided to design and build a bike for himself, and this was the result.
I took some pictures, but my digital camera isn't very good at bike pics, plus my camera was still cold from the snowy ride to Springboro, so I apologize for the poor quality:
http://www.wooljersey.com/
Kevin machined the seat cluster, fork crown, and drop-outs from billet. Note the milling and engraving on the headtube. The main triangle is welded and polished - he didn't do the welding himself, but assembled everything in his own jig and took it to a friend who was good with aluminum welding.
The entire bike is brightly polished, all the tubing was turned and polished on a lathe. "Anytime it gets a scratch or gash, I just sand it out and polish it up again."
Aldo Ross
(Felt a little bit inadequate riding home on a bike I didn't build
myself!)
Middletown, Ohio