Well, here it is. The first, of hopefully many frames made with my two hands. This one with a little help from some knowledgeable sources. One in particular deserves some thanks: Tim Sanner of Sanner Cycles. Back in the Fall of last year Tim started offering frame building classes for two lucky folks at a time.
The class was a week long and I left with a nearly complete lugged steel road frame. A little more prep work when I got home, and it was off to a local paint shop for a fresh coat of black powdercoat.
For being so special to me, the bike really is nothing more than a pile of steel tubes and some parts. Standard 4130 tubeset, standard lugs, standard black gloss powdercoat. But for some reason it's a lot more than that, more exciting than any new bike I have ever had.
The parts are pretty straightforward as well, though I am proud to announce that there is not a single carbon fiber bit on this bike. Not that carbon fiber is a bad thing, it certianly has its place on a bike (and in my garage). But it's not really built to last, and doesn't really have a place on a 'forever bike'. The bike is built with Ultegra 10 speed components with bar end shifters, new Paul Racer Brakes with bake levers from the olden days, Bontrager Classics wheels (32 spoke) and a shiny new Nitto Moustache bar round it out into a real bike. Something to ride for years to come, or at least until I build the next one. 
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