Porteur Makeover

This last week I was able to get the 51 Rambler switched over from its original drop bar build:

There was nothing really wrong with the way the bike was built up, and it fit my wife well.  The thing is, it just was not how she wanted to use the bike.  She prefers to sit upright, be able to put our minpin in a front basket of sorts, but still have the bike preform at a high level.  I sourced some new parts, others were already on hand, and set to work on the conversion.

It came out fantastic.  Some details worth note.  The Wald bars work just fine with bar end shifters.  The newish Tektro city levers are stylish and work great with the Paul Racers.  The Pari Moto tires were swapped for a set of Soma B-lines to add a bit more durability as well as the look of the red tires.  The Porteur rack is a Soma Fab offering as well.  I modified it slightly so that it worked more gracefully with the front dropouts as well as having a couple of struts welded on for mounting the top end to the crown bosses.  The whole thing is rock solid.  The cherry on top is the new Crane mini hammer strike bell.

Only a few test ride miles in so far, but all smiles.  I still need to do a final wrap on the grips and work out a basket or box for the dog, but it is pretty close to her dream bike at this point.

Base for T-shirt Art

The process has started on the next round of t shirt art (read Kickstarter Reward).  It is going to be a silhouette of sorts of the Rambler size extremes, somewhere between the simple outline and a Rebour drawing, with a heavy tilt towards the silhouette side.  Updates as things progress, but the process is part of the fun.

Wednesday Around Town

I know I should be working on my Kickstarter project, but it was just too darn nice out, I had some errands to get done (family has to eat) and a call from a local vendor who had wrapped up one of my projects.  So, I made the obvious choice…..

A quick roll along the coast and then through the farm fields to the other side of town..

A quick stop into Silkworm, local printer, turns into an awesome chat about his giant pedal trike entry into the local kinetic sculpture contest, some vintage rides they have hanging in the back, and all the usual good stuff.  I got what I was there for, over to pick up some food and then back down to the coast.

You may have noticed the bags switching around a bit.  I had them all off for some pictures, then decided to throw the saddle bag up front.  It was an easy way to contain a larger load and push the boundaries of the bike.  Handling was generally good until I went past 15 lbs and added the sloshing jugs of juice, pushing the load up over 20 lbs.  Everything was manageable, but 20 pounds off-balance and sloshing was at the upper end of that I would want to do often.  In low-riders I have hauled twice as much with little if any effect on handling.  Lessons learned, it was still a respectable load for a handlebar bag.

The stack of stickers is taller than the half gallon of juice, yes stickers.

These have been one of the languishing projects that was supposed to follow right behind the t-shirts, now a reality.  I will have them ready to hand out at the SF expo in a couple of weeks.  They will also be part of the Kickstarter rewards, I will have it up in less than two weeks (promise), and then after that they will be up on the store front.

Now it is time to pay the price for slacking disguised as product testing and marketing.

Getting ready for SF

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.

Putting Things Off

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,