If you are reading this web page, there is a good chance that you appreciate fine bicycles and also appreciate quality.  I have spent most of the past year working on a project that I am now pleased to make public.

I am introducing a new line of frame-making materials, soon to be available to all builders, production shops, and to folks that just want to keep them on their mantelpiece.

To keep step with the times, to be able to employ the best of the steels currently available, and to be able to build bicycle frames in the fashion that I deem best—to do all this on my own terms and be able to share it with likeminded frame builders, enthusiasts, and aficionados—I have designed and produced a new set of frame lugs and fork crown that represent a high degree of style, precision, and elegance, sized for use with modern, lightweight, oversized steel tubing.

The design of the lugs is an evolved version of the detail work I did on various frames built in the 1970s and 1980s coupled with some shapes I have explored for the last 6-7 years.  In addition to being specíd for oversized tubes, the lower head lug has cast-in threaded bosses for modern gear systems.  The upper head lug has a built in 18 mm extension to better complement modern headset and stem dimensions. And the seat lug is just plain bitchin'!

The fork crown represents the first change to my flat crown shape since 1982.  I widened the centerlines by 8mm and increased the pocket height by 6mm.  The brake holes are pre-drilled and counter-bored, while a built-in lip exists to keep the steerer ëin placeí.  Newly added contours on the crownís shelf will help better position the headset race.  Each pocket has a precision cast ëwellí built in to receive decorative reinforcements—brazed in simultaneously with the fork blade— which will be supplied.  Because the crown is hollow, these additions & revisions will not affect the overall weight.

To borrow from the film Spinal Tap, "I hope you like my new direction".  The first pieces should be off the back of the truck within a week or two.  By that time I will have firm prices for all those interested in making a purchase.  If you have any questions about these new pieces, please contact me.

Please visit the link below to view additional pictures of the Richard Sachs lugs and fork crown: CLICK HERE (once there, please bookmark)

Lastly, a word of praise and attribution: Kirk Pacenti has been an enormous influence on me.  While my lug project was teetering along nicely in the seedling stages, it occurred to me that I should also do the complementary fork crown.  It was fairly easy for me to communicate my needs and desires to the casting house for the three lugs..  However, the fork crown presented a separate challenge.  I made a completed mock-up based on my existing crown and collaborated with Kirk to come up with a solution that would be rational and easy to manufacture.  Kirkís ability to interpret my aesthetic and translate it into engineering drawings made all the work involved that much easier.  He was my eyes and ears for this piece.  Thank you, Kirk, for a job well done!

That's it for now.  Thanks for reading.

Richard Sachs is a craftsman framebuilder who has been refining his skills for 30 years.  For more information, please contact: