Category: rambler

Details

Last week was the start of what is about to be a busy month.  I went up to Portland to meet with Zen Fab and our new powder coater to make sure everything was where it should be on the Ramblers with regards to accuracy and quality.

The first meeting was with our new powder coating shop.  The last couple of rounds were not terrible, but not as good as I demand for these bikes.  I asked around, talked to a bunch of shops, explored wet paint, and settled on a local Portland vendor for powder.  Their work exceeded my expectations by a long shot, they have the work!

7.15 Choices WP-1140192 7.15 Choices WP-1140193 7.15 Choices WP-1140194 7.15 Choices WP-1140195 7.15 Choices WP-1140196Next up was a trip to Zen to inspect the next 50 Ramblers pre powder.  There were a few adjustments between the first two batches and these.  I wanted to make sure everything was in the right place before paint went on, much easier to fix that way, assuming you would need to.  Once again I was blown away.

7.15 Choices WP-1140179 7.15 Choices WP-1140176 7.15 Choices WP-1140166 7.15 Choices WP-1140165 7.15 Choices WP-1140164 7.15 Choices WP-1140163 7.15 Choices WP-1140162 Two things stick in my mind, the fact that everything is spot on, and that I was able to meet with many of the guys that made these bikes real from a pile of steel tubes and fittings.  It was late in the day, they stuck around to say hello, and for that I am thankful.  This Round of Ramblers is going to be awesome.  These are proof to me that things can be made here in the USA, by hand, at a high level of accuracy with a level of pride that had been rumored to have left our country for good.

What changed with this round of Ramblers?  The dropouts are now stainless for improved axle fit and reduced corrosion in an area that will be scuffed during normal use.  A few minor adjustments to the cable stops for improved cable routing.  The rear brake stop was switched to a Paragon model to ensure straight cable pull.  Adjustments in the position of the mid blade rack mounts in anticipation of the upcoming front rack system.

The Ramblers are headed to powder this week and delivery will begin in the first week of August.  The time to get one is now.  There are only 50 made this round, 10 are spoken for, and the rest are going to go fast.  The free shipping offer will last through 9AM saturday July 20.

Ramblers Getting Closer

The next round of Ramblers is getting closer to delivery!  Fifty is a lot of bikes, while I dream of batches way bigger than this, I am pretty happy to be cutting my teeth on 50.

So what does 50 bikes look like on a production rack?

6.13 50-1And that is not all of them or the 50 forks too.

So far there are about 20% of the bikes spoken for.  I need your help to get that number up.  The more of these I can get out the door the faster we can start the next round.  Even then it will be Fall or Winter before there are more in the works.  So if you have been considering a Rambler for Summer now is the time to claim yours.

As an incentive I will be updating the storefront to reflect free shipping on all Ramblers with deposits in place prior to the completion of the powder coating process.  Fulfillment will be throughout the month of July.

What makes a Rambler different from some of the other options out there?

  • Choices of color: US Blue, Sunflower and Orange Soda
  • Provisions for integrated dyno lights, front and rear
  • Paul Racer Brakes INCLUDED in the package price, with brazed on mounts
  • Double Butted steel with tubing spec optimized for the frame size
  • Made in the USA, coated in the USA with US made powder
  • Sized in 2cm increments over a range from 51 to 63, there will be one that fits for most riders
  • Rack and fender mounts, front and rear
  • Highest levels of quality control

As an expansion on that last note.  In general production frames are held to a slightly lower standard of tolerance than some of the highest end custom bikes.  Quite often the imports are far enough out of spec that the bike you get is delectably different from what you may have ordered from a spec sheet.

6.13 QC-1The Ramblers are made in Portland by guys that care, guys that ride and love bikes.  The spec and tolerances are much tighter than you will see elsewhere.  Many Ramblers will be rolling out in Portland, a good number of you may even know the guy confirming the alignment of the rear dropouts in this pic.  He, and all the team at Zen, want you to be as stoked with your Rambler as I do, and never hear a complaint.  This all matters so that your frame set builds up quickly and easily, then goes on to provide years of faithful service.

So what are you waiting for, claim your Rambler now, these are unique bikes in the market place, delivering most of what you would want in a custom Rando bike but at production prices and delivery.

 

Last Minute Changes

I am getting ready for a quick overnight tour this weekend, and got an itch that I might as well try out a new / old headset that has been sitting on my bench for a while now.  Having bounced around the globe, and up and down the west coast, I had the green light from the previous owner that it was mine (thank you).  Combining that with the Paul Comp Funky Monkey sitting around for months now too, it was time…the starting point

6.7 HS wp-1and the inspiration for change..

6.7 HS wp-2Having the proper tools for the job only makes things better.

6.7 HS wp-56.7 HS wp-4You may have noticed the faced head tube surface, and Yes the Ramblers will be like that in the box, it is the right way to do things.  Everything went together smooth as butter

6.7 HS wp-3Why change it all yo might be wondering?  After all it was working just fine, love the silky smooth King headset.  The NOS Stronglight headset has roller bearings that reputedly will have a beneficial effect on any shimmy that could occur with Low Trail bikes.  So far everything has been really good on mine as well as other Ramblers.  Shimmy has net been an issue unless pushing the limits of low tire pressure, loose headsets or floppy loads, all things you should be avoiding anyway.  Since I do get questions on the issue, it was time to try out a roller bearing headset on a Rambler for myself.  I have used them on other bikes, and honestly if things are all in balance, shimmy has not been an issue for me regardless of the headset type.  The second reason was to confirm the clearance of the Funky Monkey cable stop with the biggest headset I could find, not a problem at all, room to spare.  Having tried most cable stops currently available, this one is hands down the nicest.

Now to get all the work for the day done so I can head up into the back country tomorrow afternoon with some friends.  Happy Friday, and get out there and ride this weekend!

 

Rambler Welding

The next Round of Ramblers is in progress.  As are all Ramblers, these are hand-made in Portland.  This creates jobs, allows for, precision fabrication, strict quality control and a level of pride in workmanship and sourcing that you will be hard pressed to find in other production bikes.  Bikes built by guys that ride bikes.

5.24 Welding--25.24 Welding2-5.24 Welding--4 5.24 Welding--5 5.24 Welding--6 5.24 Welding-Now go ride your bike, pretty soon these will be ready to go and you will be wanting one, or maybe you are already in line?

First Three

The first three production Ramblers are on their way to their new homes

1.30 Rambler 2 Promo-1110208
Size 57 650b

1.30 Rambler 2 Promo-1110222 1.30 Rambler 2 Promo-1110224Unfortunately the Orange Soda size 63 is heading back for some color rework.  I have one more Rambler to decal and detail to get out, and this one should be fun, with a few custom details.