Paul Racer Mounting January 28 2013, 0 Comments
Almost there!
Ocean Air Cycles
Rambler Decals January 24 2013, 0 Comments
Working through the frame prep, decals and final touches before sending the first round or Rambler frame sets out to their riders
New Shipment January 17 2013, 0 Comments
The first round of production Ramblers were delivered to us this morning. They look pretty darn good, but I am biased. I had time to get them out of the box and take some quick measurements and other QC checks to confirm that these will be good to go. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640"]
All the colors in one shot[/caption]
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Orange Soda 63cm 700c[/caption]
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US Blue 57cm 650b[/caption]
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Custom Color Candle Orange - 57cm 650b[/caption]
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Sunflower 59cm 700c[/caption]
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Sunflower 57cm 650b[/caption]
It is going to be a busy weekend getting these cleaned up a little, brakes mounted, and decals on. They will be on their way to new homes by next week!
While this round was completely spoken for, it is not too late to get a Rambler of your very own in time for summer. Projected delivery for the next round is April! The web storefront is back up, and we are taking $800 deposits as well as pre-sales. By paying in full up front you can save $50 off of the final price, $1650 + tax and shipping. There will also be a couple of discounts in tomorrow's Rambler Newsletter. If you are not on the list yet, you can sign up with the form in the side bar.Sunday Market at the Harbor January 13 2013, 0 Comments
Another chilly, but pretty close to perfect day to go get the veggies.
Riding is fun, riding and getting you food for the week is rewarding and fun!
Cooking Outside January 12 2013, 0 Comments
I recently picked up a new stove to lighten my outdoor cooking load a bit. I have been wanting a Trail Designs Ti-Tri Caldera cone for years now, but prefer a wider pot, and it is primarily meant to work with mugs. In the last year or so, the TD guys came out with the sidewinder and a was back to dreaming. With a bit of extra cash I splurged and bought myself the Sidewinder kit.
The kit comes with the alcohol stove, windscreen / cone, tent stake / pot supports, fuel bottle, fuel measuring cup, pot lifter and a basic aluminum 2qt pot. The whole package fits neatly into the pot.
The cone acts as both a windscreen and pot support with the ventilation optimized to get the most from their stove. It is in credibly simple to use. load the measured amount of denatured alcohol into the stove, light with a match, set the cone over and then set the pot on top.
I headed out early this morning to start putting it to good use. I was able to bring about 1qt of water to boil with 35ml of alcohol in a little over 15 minutes. This was with the sea breeze just starting to pick up.
I brewed up a bottle of tea for the road and enough left over to enjoy while things cooled off. I am impressed with what is really their most basic stove kit designed to boil at least a quart of water. Simple to use, quiet, clean, light weight and efficient with the fuel. The stove will also work well with Esbit fuel tabs. For a bit of a bump in price their titanium kits can burn wood as well.
The only down side to this kit is the size. While quite clearly described on their website, it is bigger than I envisioned. That is not really a problem, just what it is. I am sure that this stove is going to see a ton of use.
Low Tide January 10 2013, 0 Comments
Yesterday was starting off pretty normal, the task list was more than a day could hold, but the plan as always was to bite off as much as possible. One thing I was not giving up was my regularly scheduled errands ride around own. With all the short stops I can usually get it all done in the same amount of time as the car, and the bike is just a hell of a lot more fun.
The skies went gray for the first time in few days and the fog was rolling in on the coast. With temps in the 50's it was crisp, but still pretty perfect to ride and barely break a sweat. Everything was going pretty close to routine, and I decided to swing by the beach on my way home.
The tide was super low and dropping fast. I knew this was going to happen, but not so early in the day. This was a perfect chance to seize the moment, do something not on the schedule and grab back 30 minutes of pure fun, and yes you can almost see the idea forming in my mind above.
And so the diversion started, I figured it would just be a quick toodle on the sand. It turned out I had over a mile of beach for an out and back. Even with 20lbs in the panniers the 38mm tires did just fine on the hard packed sand. I found a few small pieces of green beach glass, crossed paths with dogs and their owners reveling in the extra playground space, and had a fantastic time
As always, getting there by bike is highly recommended, and always make a little time for the detours, you will never regret it!
XtraHills January 08 2013, 0 Comments
Yesterday I had a couple of quick stops to make, with Grant Park in the middle. If there is time I try to make it a point to go over the hill instead of around. I was on the xtracycle, dropped it into low and set to spinning along at a comfortable pace.
Even the pitches steeper than 10% should not be that big of a deal with the low gearing on my heavy hauler
About half way up and at the top of the steepest stretch I could still crack a smile.
The next couple hundred yards had me wondering if this was such a good idea in jeans and a fleece. Not terrible, but thinking I should probably stop, but that would break any sort of rhythm I had managed to get going. Then cresting the top, the fun begins.
It is just a matter of picking a route down.
Eureka Moment January 07 2013, 0 Comments
On yesterday's ride I was looking down at the rear brake when I had a giant light bulb go on over my head.
A simple M6 coupler replacing the nut on the brake shoe stud. Then I drilled out the PB Superflash mounting bracket to 6mm and bolted it on. Yes, that simple.
Why not just use the rack mount just out of view at the top of the picture? On many bikes as with this Rambler, the light interferes with the chain stay and can not be properly aligned without a spacer. Often in my experience the spacer will end up letting the bolt come loose. This coupler solution solves both the mounting of the brake pad and the light with a single commonly available piece of hardware. I have had the Superflash down at the rear drop out for a few months now, but find that I am more likely to turn it on if it is up higher.
Hooray for the corner hardware store that stocks plenty of bike friendly Metric nuts and bolts!
Unstable Weather January 07 2013, 0 Comments
Yesterday was one of those days where it was sort of hard to get out, but you are so glad you did afterwards. the morning weather has been in the 40's, and while I should not complain, it is still chilly. The plan was to ride out to farmer's market as usual, but I was stalling, the weather was unpredictable to say the least, heavy winds and fast cold rain showers. I only ended up catching the edge of one squall on the way home.
The ride was well worth the effort. Even though I stalled, I still completed what may be one of my top winter projects. After two years of deliberation, my favorite knickers just got better
with the diaper now in the scrap bin they are infinitely more comfortable, knees and legs are warmer and I will thus be getting back out on more cold mornings. Now to start looking for a good set of knickers that do not have the pad from the start. Any reccomendations?
Clean Slate January 02 2013, 0 Comments
Yesterday I made it out for a quick surf check and rode through a quick errand or two. The weather was chilly, but beautiful. The last few weeks were on the quiet side here at the blog. We were working through the loss of my wife's grandmother as well as a good solid round of the flu, never a dull moment. With those issues, the associated travel and the holiday madness moving into the rear view mirror I am looking forward to charging into the next year.
Our first round of Ramblers should finally be making it out of paint in the next couple of weeks. I can not wait to get this batch of five out under their patiently waiting riders. The next round will be much larger, and the volume will help with the scheduling issues this round had during fabrication, as our team learns how to grow out of being a small fish in a big pond.
Speaking of this next round, the pre-sale is on, there is a significant deal for newsletter subscribers. Shipping is free for those who can make local pickup here in Ventura. I am also working on a pick up solution for out Portland customers, either through a scheduled delivery date or with a partnered LBS. If you fall into either category you can choose the "Free Local Pickup" option at the checkout.
I will be improving the look and feel of the site and storefront incrementally over the next couple of months. Feedback at each step of the way is welcome, as it helps to know if I am heading in the right direction.
2012 was a good year, 2013 is going to be a big year. One certain trend last was that milestones consistently came through on the 13th, so I am thinking 2013 is going to be one big milestone in its own right, and I plan working my butt off, but still can not make it happen without your help. Lets make this year a big one at OAC.