44 Bikes

[fortyfour]

Thanks Rody and thanks to all for having me!

[fortyfour]

Thought those of you attending and those of you who can't make it would like to see some sneak peeks of the heat I'm bringing. Full build shots after the show. Till then, enjoy.

44 Bikes "Big Boy" Fat Bike (this bikes been out there on the interwebs for a while, so you get the full monty). Sporting the first production Paul Components 170mm Rhub to round out the Paul Comp wheelset (front is their 135 Whub). I9 Driver to boot. Sling, roll up dry bag and expanding seat pack sewed up by yours truly.



44 Bikes "Kid Dangerous" 29er mountain bike. My custom mountain bikes are dubbed "Kid Dangerous" and come in many flavors. This is just one of them. This one sports Titanium Nitrided head and seat tube badges. Let's get in nice and close.



44 Bikes "Huntsman CX". My 'skinny' tire bikes are all nicknamed The Huntsman. Road, Fixed, Cross, Gravel, Touring. Anything skinny this is your bike custom tuned and honed to your particulars. This one sports 135mm rear dropout spacing, internally routed top tube cables, disks, Retroshift does the shifting duties (dedicated 1x9) and sports 406.4mm chainstays with plenty of mud clearance thanks to a radius seat tube.



Hope to see all of you at the show. Stop on by and say hello! Details here.

[shirk]

You are mastering the fine art of the tease with these shots and the facebook shots.

Look forward to seeing full shots of the CX bike.

[fortyfour]

Good to hear I have done my job. Full shots as promised after the show. There are a few out there who will be posting shots of these bikes just before the show too so keep your eyes peeled.

[fortyfour]

Just arrived this evening. I'll have handfuls of these and others for those who want stickers at the show! See you there...

[dgaddis]

Just arrived this evening. I'll have handfuls of these and others for those who want stickers at the show! See you there...

I see what you did there!

Looking forward to the pics after the show.

[fortyfour]

Great to see so many wonderful people at the New England Builders ball. Awesome bikes by all. Here's what I had for those who were not there:

29er:









Cross:











FAT:

[firedfromthecircus]

Lovely looking bikes, and great back story. Thanks for taking the time to share so thoroughly.

I see the three show bikes all have very simple paintjobs. Is this a conscious decison? What are your thoughts on frame finish and it's place in the overall look of the complete bike?

[dgaddis]

None of the bike's have a FD, is this to keep things simple or more for tire clearance and short chainstays?

[fortyfour]

@Firedfromthecircus: Thanks for the kind words regarding the builds/work. The powder coats on all three bikes are indeed very simple and consciously done so. I was looking for cleanliness of line and balance of both positive/negative space. I do however love all the really intricate paint jobs and appreciate the work that goes into them on other builds. But for my first show, especially so, I wanted it to be about the bikes, their function and their overall form and how all the elements work together towards one end/purpose. Thoughtful lines, but purpose built. As I said, I appreciate the paint work of others and if a customer really wants something special for their build, that is their decision and I will help guide them through that process. Personally, I feel like that can distract from the elements and purpose of a bike. I place a lot of weight in functional aspects of builds but balance that with form and balance of line weight as i construct the bike. Everything must have a purpose. If it is something just for the sake of it, it is unnecessary.

[fortyfour]

@dgaddis: Indeed none of the bikes at the show were sporting front derailleurs. Simplicity is key for most of my personal builds. 2 of the bikes were 1x9's and another was a modified 1x7 actually (my personal trail bike). Again, these were purpose built and focused on simplicity. I've got a fat bike in the quo that will be doing 2x10 and 16.5" chainstays which will be a great challenge. Personally, I feel as though for trail / gravel type builds, there is more than enough gear range in a 1x setup (1x9, 1x10 etc). Some customers may feel differently and that is fine. If the customer wanted 2 or 3 up front, I'd have to check clearances and balance that with other requests for the chainstay length for what is feasible given the additional restraints. It's the old "Light, strong and cheap? Pick two..." scenario.

[fortyfour]

Just an FYI to all that I updated the 44 Bikes website to reflect new images, content and the new layouts/info for both the Huntsman and the Big Boy. The Huntsman pictured is geared towards gravel and CX. However, this custom build option is all things skinny so road, cross, touring, fixed, etc. The Big Boy is all things FAT TIRE. Lots of options on all the bikes and the sky is the limit. Kid Dangerous is my mountain bike with different seat/chainstay configurations, options for massive standover or a more traditional style build. The Snake Driver is more of a point to point build for long adventures, bike packing etc. I'll be updating those images / content for the Snake Driver once it decides to STOP RAINING up here in NH...

Here's some additional XXX...

DSC_5435.jpg

44_huntsman_big6.jpg

DSC_5583.jpg

[Toby Gallagher]

Wow, I just lost 3 hours reading through your smoked out thread and your metal shop link in the 2nd post too. Well I say lost, but actually they were educational and inspirational, so a worth while use of the time I think. Really great stuff.
I am in the process of 'sorting' out my workshop; though not actually doing anything productive thanks to my broken wrist. I think next week it will all kick off, and I have a level to aspire to now after reading this.

And then after all that, the bikes look great too. I have never been a fan of the 29er, mainly because even though I am 6'2" they look out of proportion. I think your low stand over design gives the frame a good balance, and it all of a sudden looks right. In fact probably the best looking 29er I have seen. I might have to try a 29er once my wrist is up to it, then try to build one if I like it (emphasis on might, I have lots of other things to sort out first)

I look forward to seeing more.

[fortyfour]

Thanks for the kind words Toby. Balance and proportion are something that I strive for through the build process. Everything is considered and everything has a reason for being. Best of luck with your own shop and get well soon!

Little taste of today's effort towards completing this hardtail 29er with Paragon adjustable drops. Pretty stoked on those seat stays turned out.

[Too Tall]

You are killing it son. Speaking for myself the drop tube designs are the answer for someone like me. Because I'm so tall, having the option to drop my weight below the virtual level top tube will make sketchy riding much more fun and controllable. I'm a reverse pendulum!!!!

Great great great bikes dewd.

[fortyfour]

Thanks for the kind words Too Tall. I'm trying to put my best foot forward with this! Only a maximum effort will do.

In other news: This is where this beast prefers to roam...

[devlin]

I friggin' love that Kris. The only change I would make is a slightly thinner looking fork to balance the lines even more but can't argue the performance of the one chosen.

My must have list has grown buy one.

[fortyfour]

Thanks Devlin. I've been getting a lot of inquiries about this build so perhaps we'll see more of these puppies coming out of the shop. Since moving here to NH in 2006, I sold my road bike and fixed gear and have been primarily riding a 29er with dropbars on dirt roads as my "road" bike. There's so much dirt here with so little traffic (I might bump into one car on a 50 mile ride) there was just no reason to own a skinny. Don't get me wrong, I love road bikes and fixies, but a bike with knobbies is where it's at for my sensibilities. If the tires are on dirt, that's when the ride speaks to me most. Here's an early proto of a more monster version of the above:









You can see the progression here between the two builds and I'd like to revisit this bike at some point perhaps next spring to update it. This is technically a "Snake Driver". Run it with dirt drops, riser bars, fat tires, racks, packs. It's the do all bike.

[Will Neide]

Thanks for the kind words Too Tall. I'm trying to put my best foot forward with this! Only a maximum effort will do.

In other news: This is where this beast prefers to roam...

Good stuff! I love this bike! I saw this on Retroshifts facebook page and was in awe.

[fortyfour]

Today I tried my hand at Titanium for the first time. No back purging so I can separate that from just working with it and getting the feel. Also no sense in wasting gas when I'm just practicing. I'll take the time to set up a solid back purge setup in the next 1-2 weeks. Not too bad for my first go - I'm happy. This stuff welds like butter though - I was not expecting just how smooth it welds.