Today I shipped off the last Rambler for 2013, a huge thank you to all of you that have bought into the program so far. This red 55cm will be the first Rambler on the front range of CO as well as east of the continental divide. Pictures:
And the Stoke comment of the year goes to the new owner who saw yesterday's pic on instagram:
"The like button has become grossly inadequate. Where's the 9 year old me "I just got an AT-AT walker, run screaming through the house" button?"
Most of my customers are men, about 35-40, and we all know just how much an AT-AT walker really meant to us as a kids. Brad is going to be stoked in a few days, and we are stoked for him.
If any of you out there think the red is as awesome as I do, and would love to, I mean need to, have a Rambler in red, hit me up and I will check inventory. There were a few of these made in the last round and I still need to add then to the storefront.
This may also be the last post of the year, with two munchikins and a bit of travel on the immediate horizon things are going to slow down around OAC. I will do my best to keep up with email, and most orders from here on out will ship the first week of 2014. Thank you all for helping to keep 2013 awesome around here, safe travels ad Merry Christmas
Today munchikin No.1 and I took the scenic route to school, breakfast picnics will skew their perception of being grown up for ever.
With about 400 feet of climbing in half a mile I was glad for the low gears on the family xtracycle. About half way up we took a break for the photo op.
Once at the top she confirmed that it had been quite the climb up, much more work than in the car, and she too was feeling it in her legs
I think she was mostly feeling the lack of breakfast. We found the bench she wanted and set up fast.
With all the hard work behind us it was time to make time for some real playing, a bit of exploring.
Fully recharged it was time to get back down the hill and make sure her sister was ok before heading off to school and work. These are some of the best times, I hope she never forgets.
Since the coffee outside thing began we have bounced around the idea of a house branded blend of coffee. A few things have held us back a bit, making the time to develop a relationship with the right local roaster, projected volume to make it worth the venture and the basic fact that many of you doing the coffee outside in far away places have great local roasters of your own. Today I stopped in to visit
Centri Coffee, and Dillon and I hit it off right away. He has a good thing going doing a fair volume of organic beans at some of the local farmer's markets.
We chatted a bit about coffee and all sorts of other things. He was prepping for the holiday sales as well as tomorrow's market in Ojai. There happened to be a large amount of organic Sumatran beans running through the roaster. One of my favorite varieties, and what I had been stopping by for.
They also had all manner of other single source beans, and I can see that my coffee problem is about to step up a notch.
With some samples in the bag, literally, it was time to get back to work. I do know that I will be heading over to their space again once the chaos of the holidays settles down a bit. Dillon wants to boil some water outside, and the possibility of a collaboration in the coming year will work itself in time.
Thank you Dillon of your time today, it was definitely time well spent for me.
Still Here December 13 2013, 0 Comments
It has been a wild ride over the last eight weeks, things have been busy, both work and life. At the moment it seems things are almost back on track, I made it out for a ride this morning, brewed a cup in the 40'ish degree weather and then back to work.
Hats will be here soon, kerchiefs are in stock, wallets are being cat and on the sewing table and there is no better time to plonk down the $$ on the Rambler frame set you have been dreaming about.
I will be breathing a bit of life back into the Blog over the coming weeks - Rob
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 dealers are Free Range Cycles in Seattle, Blue Lug in Tokyo 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.
[caption id="attachment_4246" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
Photo by BlueLug on Flickr[/caption]
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.
And the Stoke comment of the year goes to the new owner who saw yesterday's pic on instagram:
"The like button has become grossly inadequate. Where's the 9 year old me "I just got an AT-AT walker, run screaming through the house" button?"
Most of my customers are men, about 35-40, and we all know just how much an AT-AT walker really meant to us as a kids. Brad is going to be stoked in a few days, and we are stoked for him.
If any of you out there think the red is as awesome as I do, and would love to, I mean need to, have a Rambler in red, hit me up and I will check inventory. There were a few of these made in the last round and I still need to add then to the storefront.
This may also be the last post of the year, with two munchikins and a bit of travel on the immediate horizon things are going to slow down around OAC. I will do my best to keep up with email, and most orders from here on out will ship the first week of 2014. Thank you all for helping to keep 2013 awesome around here, safe travels ad Merry Christmas
