Why do I design and produce frame castings and parts for steel frame construction?
Why do I design and produce frame castings and parts for steel frame construction?
There is a fair quantity of frame fittings and lugs on the market for a frame builder to choose from, much of it is from the 80’s and early 90’s era when steel frame production was ubiquitous. It is a pile of toil and expense to design and produce new casting designs, so why do it?
During my normal daily work at the bench making frames I found those 80’s and 90’s frame parts and some more recent designs lacking in many ways, they:
- do not exist for particular frame geometry, thus restricting design considerations.
- do not allow the builder to modify them for aesthetic or design considerations.
- didn’t exist for larger tube sizes which are better suited for use in frames for the larger and or heavier rider.
- are missing important design features that belong in 21 st Century lugged steel frame construction.
- are time costly and difficult to use correctly or to modify for design considerations.
Right from the start and to this day I do not design and produce new parts to exploit a perceived demand in the frame builder’s market, but firstly only to fill a need I have in the Llewellyn workshop production. However the initial design, tooling and production costs for new frame fittings are considerable and my own in-house production volume would never recoup these costs. To recoup the considerable expenditure I sell these Llewellyn parts directly to other builders or via my agents in the USA and Europe.
I will start with an out-line of the investment casting process and then follow a chronological order discussion of the Llewellyn parts I have created and give a short rational of the “whys” of their creation and some of their features:
- “Llewellyn Stem lug set” – First stem lug set for 1” and 1 1/8” forks and 31.8 handlebars.
- “Crescendo” lug set – World’s first road frame specific sloping top tube lug set for XL (DOS) tubes.
- 30.60mm seat posts that fit directly into 0.50mm wall 31.7 seat tubes
- “Little fella” Gear boss – Stainless Steel investment cast threaded M5 DT gear cable boss, for 31.7 and 35mm down tubes.
- Manorina –A road frame specific sloping top tube lug set for OS tubes
- Track Dropouts – Track dropouts with enough material for placing on larger stays
- Dropouts – Investment cast dropouts with and without twin M5 threaded eyelets
- Limpets – Stainless gear and brake cable bosses
- Custodian – Level top tube lugset for OS tubes
- Cadenzia – Level top tube lugset for XL tubes in partnership with Dario Pegoretti.
- Rack bosses
- Nipper M5 seat tube binder boss. For lugless frame construction.
- XLH-4 Socket stay seat lug Cadenzia – Level top tube lugset for XL (DOS) size tubes.
- XLS-04 “Crescendo” Socket stay seat lug – sloping top tube lugset for XL (DOS) size tubes.
- Project underway, new process for casting, custom designs and a new frame set with lugs and fittings for mega tube size. Why, because I get asked for this.
- Projects in the wind, decent fork crowns that ease the builders toil and work well and look sweet
- Project in the wind, decent BB shell that ease the builders toil and work well and look sweet with correct angles.
- Socket seat lug for Custodian and Manorina lugs sets (OS tube size)Why do I design and produce frame castings and parts for steel frame construction?
There is a fair quantity of frame fittings and lugs on the market for a frame builder to choose from, much of it is from the 80’s and early 90’s era when steel frame production was ubiquitous. It is a pile of toil and expense to design and produce new casting designs, so why do it?
During my normal daily work at the bench making frames I found those 80’s and 90’s frame parts and some more recent designs lacking in many ways, they:
- do not exist for particular frame geometry, thus restricting design considerations.
- do not allow the builder to modify them for aesthetic or design considerations.
- didn’t exist for larger tube sizes which are better suited for use in frames for the larger and or heavier rider.
- are missing important design features that belong in 21 st Century lugged steel frame construction.
- are time costly and difficult to use correctly or to modify for design considerations.
Right from the start and to this day I do not design and produce new parts to exploit a perceived demand in the frame builder’s market, but firstly only to fill a need I have in the Llewellyn workshop production. However the initial design, tooling and production costs for new frame fittings are considerable and my own in-house production volume would never recoup these costs. To recoup the considerable expenditure I sell these Llewellyn parts directly to other builders or via my agents in the USA and Europe.
I will start with an out-line of the investment casting process and then follow a chronological order discussion of the Llewellyn parts I have created and give a short rational of the “whys” of their creation and some of their features:
- “Llewellyn Stem lug set” – First stem lug set for 1” and 1 1/8” forks and 31.8 handlebars.
- “Crescendo” lug set – World’s first road frame specific sloping top tube lug set for XL (DOS) tubes.
- 30.60mm seat posts that fit directly into 0.50mm wall 31.7 seat tubes
- “Little fella” Gear boss – Stainless Steel investment cast threaded M5 DT gear cable boss, for 31.7 and 35mm down tubes.
- Manorina –A road frame specific sloping top tube lug set for OS tubes
- Track Dropouts – Track dropouts with enough material for placing on larger stays
- Dropouts – Investment cast dropouts with and without twin M5 threaded eyelets
- Limpets – Stainless gear and brake cable bosses
- Custodian – Level top tube lugset for OS tubes
- Cadenzia – Level top tube lugset for XL tubes in partnership with Dario Pegoretti.
- Rack bosses
- Nipper M5 seat tube binder boss. For lugless frame construction.
- XLH-4 Socket stay seat lug Cadenzia – Level top tube lugset for XL (DOS) size tubes.
- XLS-04 “Crescendo” Socket stay seat lug – sloping top tube lugset for XL (DOS) size tubes.
- Project underway, new process for casting, custom designs and a new frame set with lugs and fittings for mega tube size. Why, because I get asked for this.
- Projects in the wind, decent fork crowns that ease the builders toil and work well and look sweet
- Project in the wind, decent BB shell that ease the builders toil and work well and look sweet with correct angles.
- Socket seat lug for Custodian and Manorina lugs sets (OS tube size)
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.