This week my guest is frame builder Steve Rex. Back in 1997 I moved to Redondo Beach, Calif., and began doing the local group rides. There was a guy on that ride who wasn’t on a Trek, Specialized or any of the other big brands. He was on a Steve Rex and because he threw a draft like a Mac truck, I was fond of sitting on his wheel. It gave me ample time to study the contours of the frame and the more time I spent on his wheel, the more I came to appreciate that bike.Fast forward a year and he ordered another, this one with oversize tubing. I arranged to shoot that bike for Bicycle Guide’s Hot Tubes column. I interviewed Rex by phone and got an introduction to him and his work.At this point, Rex has been building for 32 years. He’s best known for his fillet brazing, but he has a command of lugged construction as well as TIG welding. And of the many builders I’ve met over the years, I doubt I have ever met anyone whose local presence is as strong as Rex’s is in his home of Sacramento, California.