[Elfstone]

As I've already mentioned in my earlier thread, I'm finally having a custom steel bike made with Steve Rex. Now I have to decide weather to get a lugged steel bike or super-smooth, perfect radius fillet-brazed joint steel bike.

Can someone chime in and lend me your thoughts on the benefits of a lugged frame or a fillet-brazed frame? I would think that a fillet-brazed frame might be lighter then a lugged frame.

If you have time to check out the link for Steve Rex. You may be of the same opinion that Steve Rex dose brilliantly with lugs and fillet-brazed steel frames alike. So ascetically, it's a toss up.

http://www.rexcycles.com/frames-parts/

Peace

 

[Elfstone]

Fillet brazed. Graceful simplicity. I'm going to make a statement out of abject ignorance but I think that lugs are a shortcut and require a lower skill level than fillet brazing. Look at David Kirk's fillet brazing and lugs will look clunky forever more. Amen.

If I had a bike brazed like this I'd clearcoat over bare metal.

Then way does it cost more to build a lugged frame than a fillet brazed frame? But, I do agree, a fillet brazed done right is a beautiful sight to behold. That's way I'm now debating with-in myself weather to do a fillet brazed instead of the lugged frame I originally intended to have built.

Peace

 

[Elfstone]

Here are two examples of a lugged frame and a fillet brazed frame from Steve Rex...

Peace

 

[Elfstone]

Cool, think you could post a photo of your fillet brazed Rex? I'm sure other folks would like to have a look too. I'm still leaning towards a two color lugged combo, but the jury is still out. I asked Steve to hold up on the build till at least Tues to let me think on it for couple of days.

Peace

 

[Elfstone]

Thank you all kindly for chiming in with your thoughts. Believe or not, it helped immensely to read all your comments during the weekend. Since this is my first time doing a custom build, I've decided to do lugs the first time around, in a couple of years I'll may do a fillet brazed build. Ive been wanting a custom lugged build for about the last four years, so I'm going for it.

I spent most of Sunday looking at the lug makers that Steve Rex uses and I've decided on a set by Rene Singer. It took me some time to chose this set of lugs. I didn't want the lugs to be too simple looking, but I also didn't want the lugs to be too busy looking either. I'm still not sure if I want to have the lugs polished yet as I'm still not sure of the color combo yet. I'm sure it will be two tone with the head tube and borders being the same color and the rest of the bike being another color.

Here are some photos of the lugs I've decided on;

 

[Elfstone]

I love the classic looks of a steel lugged frame and yet, the simple clean look of a fillet brazed frame looks sweet too. I hope to have a fillet brazed frame done in the future. For now I know what lugs I would like to have done on my up coming lugged frame.

I'm still in the air about colors, groupo, wheels, saddle (I'm looking at a Brooks Team Pro classic saddle with Brooks Leather bar tape) seat post, stem, seat collar and handle bars. I'm going to take a trip to Rex Cycles tomorrow and speak to Steve about the lug choice and then I guess Steve will inform me when he'll start to build my bike.

Then it'll be at least three months to build and another month or so for paint. So I'm looking at about four months or so before the frame is built and painted. Looks like I have some time to research the rest of what I can afford to build the frame with.

I'm very excited about this venture and hope to have the Rex before the end of the year just in time for the rainy season. Which means I won't really get a chance to ride it till spring depending on how the rainy season goes. I will try and keep up with the build and post some photos as Steve's building of the bike progresses.

Peace

 

[Elfstone]

SNAP !!! 2004 model, only just built up. :ihih:

The Cinelli Nuovo Supercorsa is a blend of fillet brazed and lugged (BB Shell is lugged), and I love it. I love the seat stay detail on this frame. Tubing is Columbus UltraFoco.

Having said that a fully lugged bike with the right lugs looks super schmick !!!

Hope you love your bike as much as I do.

That's a real nice looking bike, I love all things Chenlli. The brooks looks good too, how do you like your brooks saddle? And how dose the leather bar tape feel compared to cork tape?

Peace