Order your hats HERE in time for Holiday delivery
We have wanted to do a hat project, or two, for well over a year now. The search for vendors, sample sourcing and all the fun that goes with is started a few months before last spring’s Seattle bike expo. In fact the embroidered patch project was, in part, a baby step towards trucker hats. The reality is, that I am really picky about hats, let alone ones that will represent out company. More samples than I can count came out of the box, went on for a few minutes, and were on their way to Good Will.
Then this package came in the mail a couple of months ago, THANK YOU Randi Jo Fabrication:
Right out of the box I knew this was the direction we were heading. These instantly became my first choice every day. We washed them, beat them up, crushed them, and soaked them in sweat.
They never let me down, the only catch, I liked the material on the orange and the cut of the blue. That was the only trouble picking a hat each day. The Blue hat, and final choice on cut, is slightly different from a traditional “cycling cap”. it is cut a bit full run the crown and the brim is slightly wider and deeper to give bit more protection from the elements, but not so big that it requires a stiffener. In plain english, a perfect cap.
The next step was working up the mock-up for custom embroidery
With final art resolved, it was time for material selection. I wanted to go with organic cotton for ease of care, long-term durability, environmental impact and sustainability of the material. I liked the hand (feel) of the material and how it was holding up to the abuse of repeated trips through the washer and dryer. Working with a relatively LEAN supply chain model we are able to offer color options with a decent lead time. The final choices:
The fifth choice while not organic, makes up for the footprint in terms of durability and fun. The NYCO ripstop multi cam fabric is produced in the USA and commonly used in Military uniforms. It has proven to be the most durable option for soldiers in the field while retaining the hand and feel of cotton…. And camo is fun.
All of the hats will have our logo embroidered on the front to the left of center in dark Yellow, similar to the mockup I made with a hacked patch above.
The third and final option for winterizing your hat is the option of a stretchy merino wool, flip up, flip down ear cover. Even as spoiled as we are here in SoCal with weather it still gets cold enough that I will be adding one of these to my rotation.
All of this adds of to what I consider to be a perfect hat. Priced at $32 ($35 with ear flaps) it is a screaming deal for a truly cottage industry, HandMade in the USA product produced with organic materials.
The initial order is going in this week. Projections for the quantities and size distributions are going to be strongly influenced by pre orders HERE. All hats in this order will be made and shipped in time for the holidays. If you want a hat or three in time for Christmas order now, really.
Order your hats HERE in time for Holiday delivery
Update: I have been asked where these fall relative to Randi’s standard sizing. Her medium is snug on my 23″ head with winter afro filling in. Our L fits me perfectly and stays on in a 20mph headwind, the small is similarly offset from the medium in the opposite direction.
If you have interest in a Child’s or New Born version, hit me with an email, there will be one of each heading towards our expanding team, and more can be added to the upcoming order
As I am typing this baby No.2 has yet to make her appearance, it could be any day now, and we are planning on bringing three Ramblers down to Orange this Sunday November 17, 2013 for a bit of show and tell.
“Plan A” is to be there a bit early, helps on our end with traffic, and be able to facilitate some test rides. If you have interest in meeting up send me an email and we can set something up. We intend to be there for the whole day. That said it is a full moon, and just such a full moon brought out our munchikin No1. If you are really hoping to see the Ramblers please plan on earlier than later, one never really knows with these sorts of things, but if I get the call I will be heading back north ASAP.
Also, the sponsors of the event will be having a raffle to offset the costs of the event. We will be donating a set of the new Terra Cotta Soma C-line Tires to help them along.
I know we will see some old friends, and will make lots of new ones, it is going to be a good day. We hope to see you there.
First I need to thank each and every person who has supported us through readership, spreading the word and purchases. Without all of you, Ocean Air Cycles would be a crazy guy making pictures and stockpiling esoteric bicycle widgets on the California coast.
This whole venture has been a process in learning and growing as a business offering products and services I believe in. Aside from customers I never could have made it this far without the love and support of my family and friends as well. Some aspects of the venture have exceeded hopes and expectations, while others like actual sales vs. projected are more of an element of stress. Stress can be a good thing, pushing for better solutions and systems, but it can also wear you down. The last three months have been a roller coaster and twice the stress outran my health. Once around the time that the first Ramblers of the Summer were heading to new homes, and again in the last three weeks. Having a three-year old in child care, fighting off germs is nothing new. Generally I just push through, and I did for the last two weeks, was getting on top of it Sunday, and then while processing pictures to promote the kerchiefs, I realized I looked about as good as I was feeling
That night the fever ramped up to 101 and today I am getting back to the computer.
Even with all of the above mentioned support, OAC is primarily a one man show, and when the man is down things screech to a halt, no sick days or things stop. With the impending birth of our next daughter (any time in the next two weeks) I had to stop, lay down and focus on getting better, fast. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel on this one. My voice and throat are still shot, phone calls will have to wait until next week. But I am catching up on emails, direct apologies to those waiting for Ramblers, and all that. If you have been waiting for a reply, I may have missed something, please do not take it personally and do not hesitate to ask again, your patience is appreciated.
Things should be back to normal by next week. Projects like hats, shirts, neck buffs, kerchiefs, wallets, scarves and some other surprises will all get back under way so we have things in time for the holidays. Like wise, there are a few bought Ramblers that need to get to their new homes and another 35 or so that still are looking for their future owners.
One of the most heard questions around here is “how do I get a complete Rambler, as in ready to roll?”. There are a few ways to answer that….
The easiest way is to have your local Bike shop contact us, and you can buy the frame through them, or you can purchase the frame set directly through us, and have it drop shipped to your local bike shop. If they have any questions on assembly or specifying the component choices we are more than happy to help them out. Our stocking dealer in Seattle is Free Range Cycles, and Velo Cult in Portland has had at least two Ramblers pass through their work stands already. Likewise if you are, or know a local shop, that would like to become a dealer do not hesitate to contact us for a dealer agreement.
The other way to get a complete build is directly through us. We will work with you do get the perfect fit, for both you and your budget, to ensure that you are rolling on the Rambler of your dreams. Once we get through the size and color aspects, the component specification is next. Do you know if you would prefer the “Porteur” or “Rando” build? We can help. Likewise, many of the details like lighting systems, racks and bags will depend on how you most likely will be using the bike. Complete builds average between $4000-$5000 but can go higher or lower depending on what you need and want.
We are still working on the details of our house brand of luggage, but in the interim we can also facilitate custom luggage through Swift Industries, our fabrication partner and craft builder in Seattle.
Thanks for your continued interest in the Ramblers, and we look foreword to getting more people rolling soon.
One of the surprising challenges managing the online storefront has been keeping the shipping costs somehow fair for everyone. That is so that small purchases do not go out for free, stings on our end, or you having to pay $5 shipping to get some stickers in an envelope.
While there are tools in the storefront software, some part of their logic keeps alluding me, and there have been glitches, most I do my best to make right, i.e. we usually eat the shipping. As part of keeping this a business and not just a labor of love I need to get this part sorted out.
The only ways, without more complexity for us both, is to build the cost of shipping into the price of each item, or move towards flat rates. I have chosen flat rates.
Sales Under $75 will have a shipping and handling charge of $5
Sales over $75 have free shipping with the exception of large items like frames and wheel sets.
Rambler Frame Sets have a flat rate of $45 in the US
In the long run we are still picking up a chunk of the costs, but not all of them.
Today the first two Ramblers to be delivered internationally should be showing up at their new home in Japan. I owe a giant thank you hug to everybody who helped me connect the dots to make this happened to Wakako at Blue Lug for seeing the value in our offerings for their market.
I am so stoked to get this relationship going. Martina at Swift, Paul Components and Katty Geekhouse all helped me make this happen, thank you.
This also means that I have sorted out the basic issues for international sales. Over the last year I have had more than a bit of interest from other shores, and now I can get this part of the business going. In a nut shell Ramblers can be shipped overseas at retail, freight will generally be handled via fedex and runs about $200 give or take depending on where you are in the world. Import duties, taxes and fees are on the buyer. If you are a shop looking to bring in multiple Rambler frame sets, as in the above mentioned transaction, contact me for a dealer agreement and we can get the ball rolling. With regard to custom complete builds, I am still a bit buried, but can help get you there, it will just take a little more time.
Local Advocacy September 10 2013, 0 Comments
Our town is really lucky to have some passionate bicycle advocates. Aside from making a huge push for great, and ever improving, infrastructure, they have also formed the Ventura Bike HUB. The HUB is a pure community organization, mechanics and advocates that come together to help the community fix and learn to fix their bikes. The mission has been growing and their work is the fuel for our local transporational cycling scene. One of their bigger challenges has been finding a steady storage and working location. In the past few months they were able to secure a space with the City Housing Authority that will serve them and the community well. This past Sunday I was lucky to help them with their move from the temporary location to the new space.
A fully bike powered and volunteer driven event. There new space is awesome and will get them the exposure they need to grow.
The next steps in local advocacy have been a move up to organizing at a County level. The City of Ventura has been doing pretty darn good, as have some of the other 10 cities in our county. The trick will be learning from each other and developing tools that can be used to improve not just all 10 cities but the unincorporated portions of the county as well. There is no reason why Ventura County as a whole should not be setting the standard for human-powered transport. We have tight-knit communities, industry and year round awesome weather.
As a Coalition there has been one official meeting. We all came away inspired, and with a few questions to answer as we define our path. The first is if we should be Bicycle only or “Active Transportation”? After that comes the volunteer based efforts of setting up Web Pages, Mission statements, by-laws, organizational structures, and pushing on to things like County wide maps and governmental activism. All of this would never have made it this far if not for that hard work of Rachel at VCCool, Thank You.
I am reaching out to all of you that have ridden this path before. Any advice or experiences you would like to share are welcome. We will need lots of help, everything from the above mentioned web designers to fundraising, shops and people who work within the city and county infrastructure. The next meeting will be Thursday September 26 6:30 P.M. at the Fillmore High school. I hope to see some of you there.
Daddy Days August 30 2013, 0 Comments
Friday is still daddy day for the moment, there is plenty going on, and things have always been busy, but never like this. That said, we took some time this morning to squeeze in a ride before she gets too big for her current seat.
Say Cheese! Loaded with everything from the pocket kite, to the strider camera gear, supplies and her toy lap top in case she needed to do so work, we cut out across town to the favorite playground.
Met some friends, turns out there are more dads then you would think hanging out at the playgrounds these days. Just when I thought she was worn out, it was time to pull out the Strider and jam on the little hill.
Super stoked that she is rocking it with her feet up. That is a new development in the last week or two, and today was the first day covering significant distance. I am pretty sure she was showing off for Toby and Maverick over by the swings in the background. A perfect morning, and catching up while she is completely crashed out.
Coffee Gear August 27 2013, 0 Comments
The most frequent question I get regarding the coffee outside routine is “what gear are your using?”. While getting my kit ready for tomorrow I took a few minutes to make some pictures and prepare some notes.
The contents of the kit reflect my preference for pour over style of brewing. I have tried everything from cowboy coffee to a small french press, and for me, the best results have been pour over. My usual stove and cook pot for boiling water has been the Caldera Keg Kit. The kit is super light, compact and has everything I need to boil water quickly. I brew the coffee into a 600ml titanium mug that replaces one end of the keg kit’s container. I support the paper coffee filters with a William Bounds Sili coffee cone. after testing out a few options I find it hits a sweet spot for function, weight and portability. The kit is rounded out with a bandanna, lighter, grinder and occasional breakfast snack
The latest addition to my kit has been the Porlex portable grinder. It adds a bit of weight to the whole package, but the quality of the brew jumps way up with beans ground at the time of brew.
This was an awesome birthday gift this year from my wife and her parents, and has seen daily use for a few weeks now. The bur grinding mechanism is robust, easily adjustable, and provides an incredibly uniform grind. It holds the perfect amount of beans for my large mug. Thus the increase in brew quality and ability to carry the fresh beans justify the added load.
All spread out it looks like a bunch of gear
but most of the components nest into the stove caddy and it is travels quite compact in the handlebar bag. I was pleasantly suppressed to even fit the grinder on the inside of the kit.
Over all weight is still respectable as well considering how much utility is crammed into that little space.
It is that simple, under two pounds and you have all the tools needed to brew a better cup of coffee than most people will at home, and you can do it just about any where you would like. True coffee/bike nerd stuff.
Keeping all the plates spinning in a small business can be exhausting some times, all in a good way of course. Being creative, hands on and analytical often feels like a pack of trapped squirrels trapped in my head all fighting for time and space. This morning I took pen(s) to paper, dusted off an old creative project and restarted the art for T-shirts that need to happen soon.
And yes, it is amazing how much you can cram into a two car garage to get a business going. Time to pack some boxes and ship some of it off to other folks garages.
Right out of the box I knew this was the direction we were heading. These instantly became my first choice every day. We washed them, beat them up, crushed them, and soaked them in sweat.
With final art resolved, it was time for material selection. I wanted to go with organic cotton for ease of care, long-term durability, environmental impact and sustainability of the material. I liked the hand (feel) of the material and how it was holding up to the abuse of repeated trips through the washer and dryer. Working with a relatively LEAN supply chain model we are able to offer color options with a decent lead time. The final choices:
All of the hats will have our logo embroidered on the front to the left of center in dark Yellow, similar to the mockup I made with a hacked patch above.
