The SF expo is only 20 days away, time is burning off fast and there is a ton left to do. The fork that has been mismatched on the 57 is off at the local powder coater to get a new red finish. At least a week of waiting, and that is the bike that will be wired with lights. The yellow 51 is getting the porteur treatment. There will be new tires all around, and a thorough cleaning. The bits and pieces needed have been trickling in.
Somewhere in the creative part of my mind I have a fantasy of making some new bags too, we will see how that goes. Not to mention the stickers, cards, posters and other fun things that you likely need for a show.
I am still pushing the kickstarter thing closer to completion. This is Key as I intend to use it as the vehicle for delivery on the next round of Ramblers, and part of the pitch at the expo. If you have been thinking about getting one, this will be the time to do it.
It always seems like the mechanics have the beat up rides with all manner of maintenance put off, and a mish mash of parts keeping the bike on the road. I will admit I am no exception. Even with the Rambler it ends up a test bed for parts and ideas. I have been using the Nitto Mark's rack for a while with the Velo Orange fenders, and the two have been making all manner of noise, until this week,
Finally taking a few extra minutes to make a bracket, the added support for the front of the fender is a really big deal.
The catch? Now I can hear all the other noises coming from the bike. Most will be an easy fix, nothing that big, but I will put it off, in a couple of weeks the bike will be getting a serious cleaning for the SF bike expo anyway. Until then I get to enjoy the sounds of a bike that sees every day duty,
There is something magical in the way a bicycle empowers you to take the long way home. While possible in a car, there is something about the inertia of the fastest way from A to B that keeps you on route and in your seat. With the bicycle I am always looking for an excuse to pick a new route, head by the beach or through the hills instead of around them. Today was hot and clear, the chance foe a clear view of the islands and the water called me up into the hills. With the errands done and a little extra time on the clock I was able to make the right choice.
It was good, I needed to get the heart pumping, and it paid off.
Take the long way home next time while the summer days are still hanging on!
I have been working on the kickstarter campaign and it has been a huge amount of work, fun but challenging. The video is a key step in success, and I am feeling a huge amount of pressure to have something good. The script I put together seemed pretty tight, the hardest part has been cutting it back, and squeezing it in to 3 minutes or so. Friday night and Saturday morning were spent converting the garage / workshop into the set for the shoot.
I am fortunate to have a friend and neighbor, Thank you George, who could be on the camera end of things, which was a huge help. The real shocker for me was how hard it was getting the words out once the camera went on. I have been in front of the camera before, this project is a dream come true and still I felt like my brain and tongue went to mush every time the camera was rolling. Everything is taking longer than planed, but the results are great, so I push on. I am pretty sure we have plenty of usable footage. The next step is the culling and edit. I know in my heart that this will work and the project will move forward. The experience I am gaining from this is incredible, it pushes my boundaries at every corner. The bicycle design and testing came very easy to me, the selling has been the challenge, and I am enjoying it immensely.
The View from behind the backdrop, and time to get things back in order.
Jammy Day October 12 2012, 0 Comments
The Friday routine is in full swing,
Rockin the stripes, slippers and shades all around town.
Happy Friday, and make sure you get to play outside this weekend!!
Two Years October 11 2012, 0 Comments
It is incredible how fast the time goes, two years now since I started OAC. Two years, lots of pictures, mostly of myself, crazy I know, a few bags, lots of ideas, and Ramblers moving from dream to reality. Today? Just a ride to hunt down some boxes, some crazy weather, possibly that stuff called rain later.
That is the point though, just get out and ride to get from place to place, and have fun. I hope I have inspired some of you to do just that.
Thanks for reading, and have fun playing outside!
Nothing New September 30 2012, 0 Comments
Two frame sets, almost 30 years apart in design and manifestation. There is little new in the world, but small tweaks and making things available that worked well is a good thing.
The sport touring bikes were pushed to the side by the race bikes, the mountain bikes and left in the history books. Time to dust off the relevant parts and breathe some life back into designs that not just work, but work outstandingly well.
Daddy Days September 28 2012, 0 Comments
With four-day a week child care, Fridays end up being daddy day, and most aspects of work have to take a back seat while the munchikin is awake. Today was awesome, and it is only half way through. We headed out on the bike to the post office, but she was scoping out the play ground.
After we dropped off the packages we headed straight for the slides, and then to a tangerine (otherwise known as baby oranges) break.
Yes, normal kids show up in strollers, we roll a little faster. Then we were off to get the 4 legged munchikin and check the beach before heading home
So far it was a perfect day, but wait there is more, it really does get better. After heading home for a snack, there is a knock at the door and brown truck santa had some surprises
Super stoked on the box of goodies from Vittoria, three new sets of tires, Randonnuuer Pro, Voyager Hyper and Voyager, to test out on the 700c Rambler. I have been getting my hands on as many wide performance tires as I can as part of the ongoing testing. I am looking forward to spinning out the mile son some new rubber. A huge thanks to the team at Vittoria for getting these out to me in a matter of days.
For now it is back to work while nap time is on. Happy Friday and make sure you get to play outside this weekend!!
A large part of our year is spent just under the edge of the coastal fog bank.
It makes for very tough mid day nature pics, as the entire sky blows out white. You can see the blue peaking out about a half a mile back from town, teasing throughout the day, but seldom making an appearance on the coast until late afternoon if we are lucky.
While looking at today's capture I could not help but notice what leaving the car parked and using the Rambler for the majority of local transportation has done for my legs. That is a screaming endorsement if I have ever seen one. Should there be any negotiation with the spouse on weather of not a Rambler fits into the budget, just use this for ammo. A little riding all the time, and it help if you are on a Rambler ;-) The tan lines are a completely unrelated challenge.
In upcoming news, the site is in desperate need of an overhaul. I will be chipping away at it as I can, it will be incremental, although if something crashes, don't be alarmed, leave the alarm up to me, I will get it back up and running in no time. I am still intending to take down the online storefront, moving sales of the t-shirts and such back to the main site. That is going to be a bit of a headache fixing old links, but I have a bit of a plan for that too. The Rambler program is still creeping along. I am working on raising capital for a full production run that will allow me to keep stock on hand. 99% certain that there will be a kickstarter project, with a couple of backup plans as well.
Wet Wednesday September 12 2012, 0 Comments
Another rainy, foggy and damp Wednesday. There seems to be a pattern setting in with the weather, October is usually the start for the weekly winter weather patterns, but the moisture side of things seems to be showing a bit early this year.
Still it was nice to get out and take a quick break, and as an Uncle from the NE has reminded me more than once, "you never have to shovel rain". So, taking a minute to relish the rain, and enjoy the fact that I have fenders.
Somewhere in the creative part of my mind I have a fantasy of making some new bags too, we will see how that goes. Not to mention the stickers, cards, posters and other fun things that you likely need for a show.
I am still pushing the kickstarter thing closer to completion. This is Key as I intend to use it as the vehicle for delivery on the next round of Ramblers, and part of the pitch at the expo. If you have been thinking about getting one, this will be the time to do it.
