Silver Case

Last time I was in Tokyo, I went to Mannen-ya, a clothing store forTobi, Japanese construction workers. I bought several pairs of Tobi pants and a two Tekkou shirts. I already had a Japanese designer’s shirt (agribeaspo) that was based on Tekkou-styling, so I figured I should go authentic and get a real Tekkou shirt. They’re great for welding in.

がいじん 鳶

Today I wore my most modestly-sillhouetted Tobi while doing some brazing practice. Ling loves these pants too, but I bought them loose for me (95 waist) and so they’re impossible for her. I’ll be back in Tokyo this weekend, so I’ll find other Tobi shops.

I love wearing the stuff. I can’t wait to be in cool weather so I can wear my tobi-style mint green jacket, something I’ve had my eye on for six years, before I even knew these stores existed.

Straits Dispatch held its annual Bring Your Child to the Sweatshop day today. It was a comparatively cool day, I only sweated through three tee-shirts. If I ever can do this permanently full time, I must move into a fully-airconditioned workshop.

But Luke enjoyed himself. He kept wanting to do things around the floor. He was quite keen to do sanding of the bike frame I’m working on. I was pleased to let him, as I had spent the previous three hours polishing the brazes.

Small change due to gardening leave

Ryan’s Mini-Velo main triangle

I finished mitering the main triangle of Mini-Velo #1 today. I’ll braise it tomorrow morning. Using laminated mitre templates printed from BikeCadPro makes this go way faster. I’ve got four to build in total, so I need to work quickly.
In a stretch, tomorrow I’ll also do the chainstays. I measured out tire clearance today to ensure the frame will work on some large Schwalbe Marathons that are roughly 45mm.

Lots of teeth

I’m hoping these guys will want to use these sexy CNC’d single-speed aluminum big chain rings. I think they should be perfect for gearing and look great.