Sunday Fun September 09 2012, 0 Comments
It was/is a great day to ride. I had the time and the need to roll multiple stops into a nice 30 or so mile loop of food gathering. Off to the Farmer's market and a couple of grocery stops. Summer is holding on nicely and the riding conditions continue to be superb. There were more people out on bikes than I have seen in a long time, and on top of that they were friendly, most waving before I could get a chance. Just a fantastic day to e outside.
I have been working on some modifications to my camera pole setup, and this was also the chance to work out some bugs, and grab a few stills and video from different light and road orientations. The pole worked fantastically, I was pumped to get home and see what I captured:
The only downside was that the lens fogged up at some point half way through he ride. On the plus side, I have learned a ton about what I need to do to get the angles I want. I also learned that I need to stop and check the lens before every series of shots. This is the first time I have had it fog up, most likely due to how hot the little camera gets shooting video. Live and learn, the next round will be better.
One of the many highlights was crossing paths with another guy (not on a beach cruiser) riding in sandals. There is something fantastically summer that happens when you can feel the sun and wind on the tops of your feet while you ride.
Today was a pack and ship day, and I saved the tough nut for last. I have gotten pretty good at shipping large boxes over the last few years. There is no way to get a traditional diamond frame bike in a tiny box, it just won't happen. Today I was stumped though. It has been a long time since I boxed up a surfboard. I did the smart thing, reached out for some help, and rode down the street to the FCD surf shop.
Cyrus and Ryland hooked me up with the right tools for the job, thanks for all the help.
With dimensions in hand, and the board boxed up it was time to work out the shipping quotes. Boxes like this, or bikes, fall into the dimensional weight category, big box of mostly air, and are not cheep. I ended up back at the shop. The xtracycle was the best tool for the job, in about 10 days Jon is going to be stoked with his new bonzer, and it will be the first time that board has been in the Atlantic.
Rain is not a common thing here, let alone in September. We are glad for it, and I was glad to have the fenders today. I made it out in the morning to ride just for kicks and catch up with a buddy, that is something that needs to happen a bit more often. On the last five miles or so we were caught. Fun stuff, a drizzle by most standards, but real rain. I thought it might pass, but the drizzle continues.
I dodged the drops to make a run to the post office.
I love that I can squeeze a medium flat rate box (or two) into the saddle bag. With the Rambler and bags I have, I can handle 80% of my local transportation needs. Of the remaining 10% I could probably get by with more trips to the store and smaller loads. The panniers are there for the days where there is just that little bit more. I love my Rambler No.1, it is the most versatile bike I have ever owned that was not a tank and still a blast to ride. I think everybody should have one, but I am biased ;-)
More Food September 04 2012, 0 Comments
It seems like my only escapes from the keyboard lately have been to get groceries. While not all that exciting, or long, it is way better than no ride at all.
Particularly when it is gorgeous outside and all the labor day crowds have gone home. Another fantastic lunch break / grocery ride in the bag.
Camera Angles August 30 2012, 0 Comments
I took the long way home after a quick run to the PO, thank you to all who buy the t-shirts, every sale helps. I took advantage of the nice day to experiment with a longer camera pole and some newish angles.
Making the jump from stills to video (for the Kickstarter project) is a bit of a learning curve. Up till this point I have shot 99% of my stills myself, and a large chunk of that was hand held or triggered. Coming up with new angles that showcase the bikes is a bit of a challenge. That and getting smooth footage while not looking like a complete dork as I ride along. And that is only composition, There are still a few technical hurdles to getting smooth usable clips. The learning is all part of the fun.
I made it a point to head out this morning on my old regular Wednesday morning loop. The weather is fantastic, kids are back to school and the summer crowds are starting to thin out. First stop was the swap meet. I had for the, first time, not just a complement on the blue Rambler but a request for back story. That made my day, hopefully he becomes a customer, at a minimum I am sure we will cross paths again. Not finding any great deals at the swap, it was off across town to grab some food to round out the week's menu:
The riding conditions are just incredible this week, temps n the low 70s, light breezes, clear skies. Enjoying it in little bits, mostly errands and escaping the workshop. The backlog of tasks is mounting. Still, I do my best to get out on the Rambler, it is hard not to when you see your dream bike from your workstation.
Also, you may note just how fantastic the red OAC t-shirt is holding up. Believe it or not I still have these available, and trough the end of the week you can get your very own by clicking on the picture below:
I have been blowing out some of the stuff listed on the current e-store on
eBay, along with some vintage odds and ends from my stash. There are a bunch of auctions ending in the next few hours, some of the stuff at screaming deals. I need to get it out of here and make some room for the next round of projects. There will be more stuff going up this afternoon and over the next few weeks as well. A sampling of what is there, the button at the bottom will take you to the auctions:
[gallery order="DESC" columns="6" orderby="post_date"]
After setting up the e-commerce side of the site a couple of months back, the traffic has been high, but the sales were/are slow. Not high enough to justify the fees associated with the service. Later this week, the storefront will be coming down, and sales will be through paypal and or eBay as they were in the past.
We are still taking deposits on the Rambler. Batches are smaller, but it is working. I am getting the pieces in pace for a kickstarter project to move the first big batch into production over the winter, thus having bikes ready to go for the upcoming spring. If you have any ideas or feedback on this sort of a project I am all ears. I have good idea of the rewards I will be using, and an outline of the project. The next trick is getting it all done.
Hoooray!! Another one of my pictures in print, this time in Patagonia's 2012 Environmental Initiatives publication . A giant round of thank you's to my wife for initially helping get this image spread around campus for bike to work month, and then to the ladies in photo for liking it enough to buy and use a copy. Here is the cover (not my shot) so you know how to find it:
and my pic on page 20:
This is so awesome. I hope that it inspires people to follow suit, and ride their bikes to work, opting out of the car. Likewise employers rewarding the employees for making good transportation choices. In the past these annuals were OK, but often read like a catalog. This year is well laid out, reads well, is short and to the point. Great job to all who worked on it, and hopefully it inspires other companies to step up to the plate with their social and environmental initiatives.
SF Bike Expo August 27 2012, 0 Comments
In the last couple of weeks I had to make some tough decisions about attending bike expos this year. The original plan was to head out to Philly in October. This would help me to get some face time for the brand on the east coast. The fringe benefit being that 99% of my extended family(over 150 people at the last reunion), are all living either in Philly or pretty darn close. Unfortunately we are having to push that trip off until next year. The travel costs were just too much at this point in the business.
On the upside, we will have a booth at the
San Francisco Bike Expo November 10 & 11. I am really looking forward to this. Based on my site analytics, and the general number of inquiries about Ramblers, a good many you out there are in the Bay area. This will be a great chance for me to meet you all face to face, and for you to see, touch and maybe ride a Rambler in person. Our travel dates are not set, but we may be in town a couple of extra days one side or the other of the weekend. Drop me a line if you would like to see Rambler before, during or after the show.
This will be our first Expo, there is lots to get done between now and November, and we are stoked to be getting out there in front of the crowds.
Catching Up August 25 2012, 0 Comments
The blog has been quiet, I am sorry for that to all of you who tell me how much you like the pictures. The lack of posting is far from a sign of inactivity. There are a few irons in the fire, and I will be making a couple of announcements in the next week. The first round of Ramblers is scheduled to come into existence in October. This is later than I hoped, initial interest remains high while initial orders remain lower than projected. This slowed things down, but not to a stop. Plan B will be coming out in the next week or so, we press on and the start may be slow, but it is a start.
To all of you who placed orders, THANK YOU, do not lose faith, your bikes will be real, beautiful and yours in a couple of months. Your support is keeping the wheels turning.
While not getting out to ride as much as I would like, we are still getting out. Today was the early morning jammy ride with my girls, Happy Birthday to my lovely bride, and the little one is fancying herself the photo assistant these days.
Back to getting ready for the birthday stuff, I hope your weekend is perfect, play outside!
The only downside was that the lens fogged up at some point half way through he ride. On the plus side, I have learned a ton about what I need to do to get the angles I want. I also learned that I need to stop and check the lens before every series of shots. This is the first time I have had it fog up, most likely due to how hot the little camera gets shooting video. Live and learn, the next round will be better.
One of the many highlights was crossing paths with another guy (not on a beach cruiser) riding in sandals. There is something fantastically summer that happens when you can feel the sun and wind on the tops of your feet while you ride.
