So Close April 11 2012, 0 Comments
Heading off for powder tomorrow...
Thank you all at Zen for making my ideas into a reality, looking forward to a good year.
Pictures hit my inbox this morning of the forks in progress, thank you David.
Things are starting to build speed and momentum as we move through the prototyping. The braze-ons and main frame fabrication should be through tack up this week. I will be in Portland towards the end of the week for inspection, and to help work out any bugs so that we can hit this with one pass on the samples.
I am looking forward to the trip in many ways. I will be meting many of the people face to face who have only been email and phone calls, I get to see "my" designs in progress and it will be my first of many trips to Portland in the coming years.
You may have also noted the not so subtle shift in the name from Masu to Rambler, there is a bit of final work on the issue, but it looks to be the way things are heading as we close in on the final product.
I am guessing is you have followed my story you may be looking to get a bike that bridges transportation and sport, i.e transportation does not have to be a mini van. You like bikes that have a traditional look and styling. Possibly a preference for traditional french styling from the 40's and 50's, with your daily load up front where you can keep an eye on it and get to it without climbing off the bike. Your previous attempts at this with the commonly available bikes may have left you with a less than optimal handling experience. Either a bike that was heavier than it needed to be, if it was a light weight had no provisions to carry the load on the bike or if it did the handling was compromised when loaded.
With years of personal research and design study I have addressed these issues with a bike steeped in the lineage of the traditional french touring bikes. Using modern production techniques and partnering with a U.S. fabrication team to deliver the look and function you are after with a few bells and whistles thrown in. The ride will be light and sporty, yet stable with loads for you commute, day rides or the occasional quick load of groceries up front. It goes without saying there will be provisions for full coverage fenders to keep you and the bike clean during year round riding. This is the bike you will want for rambles through the countryside, distance rides and randonees, and still able to be your daily steed. All of this at a price that is competitive in the current market.
The sport touring frame set project is moving along as planned. The Design spec and engineering is settled in at to 95% point and I am comfortable releasing my Geometry and Tubing Spec:
The line has a range of even sizes from 50 through 62 measures Center of bottom bracket to the center of the intersection with the top tube. When comparing this to traditional road frames or the size you may ride in your regular bike, consider that the size in the chart will be about 1 to 2 cm smaller due to the distance from the center of the top tube to the top and the generous bottom bracket drop. For example I ride a 63 or 64 on my Roadeo and Eisentraut, but the 62 above is designed around my needs.
Other things to consider with the spec:
- Clearance for42mm tires and fenders on all sizes
- These are designed with the provision for Paul Racer brakes mounted with Brazed on bosses. These provide ample clearance while retaining outstanding performance. The bridges and brake holes will be located such that a 68-70mm reach brake could be used if the brake bosses were omitted by customer choice.
- Frame construction will be Tig welded double butted 4130 steel.
- The fork will have an investment cast crown and braze-on provisions for small upper and low rider racks as well as lighting wires.
- Down tube shifter bosses
- Double water bottle with reenforcing star mounts on all sizes
- Columbine Quickchainger brazed on for clean and easy rear wheel changes.
- Brazed on fender mounting points placed such that installation will be easy and result in even fender line.
- 130mm rear spacing to work easily with modern road bike components.
- Color options of American flag blue and red. (and possibly a sunflower yellow or orange still up in the air).
Production samples will be complete in a few weeks, the pre-orders system will be available by the end of February and a final availability date projected for early Spring 2012. Pricing will be settled in the coming week as we move through our final production costing and design. As always I appreciate you continued readership and support. Project news will be updated here as soon as it is available.
Oh, and the name is still leaning towards "Rambler", although I like fish names
Wiring port for internal routing of lighting wires. Crown mounted rack bosses. Tons of room around the Jack Brown 33mm tires. The Paul Racer brakes are so freaking awesome.
On a side note, I went with the SRAM brake levers on this build. After years of wrestling with Shimano and Tektro levers, these things practically set up themselves. The cables just floated through the routing ports without even having to twist, fiddle and hold a flashlight in your teeth to find the little hole. I really like these.
I am really stoked after a couple of quick rides. It is everything I expected. There will be a bit of refinement on things like bridge and boss locations, but only a few mm, nothing that makes you scratch you head and go back to the drawing board. The colors are fantastic. Today number 3 and 4 are on their way. Next build is No.3, then number 2. It is going to be a crazy weekend.
Stay tuned, way more pictures to come.
