SF Bike Expo

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

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!

Thoughts About Work and Sourcing

This morning while working trough my coffee and web reading I came across a picture that stirred a few emotions, and led me down a path of some further googling, landing at this video that is a few years old:

I am at a juncture with OAC where I either need to sell a truck full of bikes this week, find another round of funding or get a day job.  As much as I would like the first option to happen, the later is the most likely scenario.  (note: A day job does not mean OAC is going away, just that I need to keep cash flowing to help support the household) That in turn has me thinking about the fact that I will be doing a “job” to meet and exceed somebody else’s  expectations.  This is part of life, and I happen to be pretty good at it, IMO.  While the model here at OAC is based on sourcing as much as possible here in the USA, then having fabrication and finish completed here, that is not the most profitable model most companies are using these days.  I hold no illusions as the cost differences of have things made here as opposed to abroad.  The labor cost difference is huge, there is a good reason the Rambler costs almost twice what a similar option does, and trust me, it is not a mountain of profits in my pocket.  The video above makes Maxport look like a pretty good place to work, nicer than many US factories of the past or present.  The thing is, that the word sustainable gets thrown out quite a bit, with an inference towards long term.  But what does that mean?  Not to poke Maxport in the eye, since I do not know them, but what keeps them or future employees from acting out much the way Giant did as an OEM bicycle builder?  What will sustainable mean for their employees in a few years when a similar factory opens up in a different part of the world where the labor costs result in a more profitable product?  Will the Vietnamese economists tell their “boomer” generation to suck it up  and adapt to the new world why their adapted younger generations struggle to find jobs?

As the making of things has been leaving our shores and cheaper labor draws the work in, economists have warned that we in the US need to re-tool and come up to speed with the knowledge economy, and figure out how to sell services.  I think there is a catch to that though.  What do we as a country do with the  millions of people, multiple living generations, who are by no fault of their own, predisposed to being content worker bees, makers of stuff on a production level?  There is a great deal of joy and pride to be found in the making of stuff, even at a production level.  There is still plenty of hope for our country IMO:

Quoddy Workshop – Lewiston, Maine from Oliver Wilkins on Vimeo.

What is the catch?  Stuff made her costs more, because things here cost more for people to live.  Thus the consume is still the one who has to be willing to change the game, make the choice of where and who they want making their stuff. Does made in the USA mean better?  Not always, and there are plenty of people and factories around the world who can make some things better, and as we know for a lower price.  I still think we need to keep the work at all levels in out own yard.  It is a complex economic mess at the moment, but I do know that the factories all over our country are shutting down faster and faster.  The river beds in our region are filling even faster with “campers” in search of the temperate climate and easily found foods.  Something has to give.  It is up to us to make the choices with our wallets that will bring on the change in our own playground.  I have no problem with people in other countries, or the fact that they make things.  I just like me, my neighbors and countrymen to have a fighting chance at long-term success.  Made in the USA does matter, it makes a difference in how many people are shopping in the grocery store as opposed to standing out front with “will work for food” signs

The picture sparking this morning’s rant from the FYIdesigndept blog?

I may have shot myself in the foot as I click on publish, or sparked the fire of change, time will tell.  Now back to work, so there will be time for a ride at lunch.

Overnight Tour on the Central Coast

Earlier this week I headed out with a couple of buddies on a two day tour on the central coast of California.  The trip was originally conceived by two different friends who ended up having to pass on the trip, and that is a shame, as it was a fantastic ride.  Mike, Jefe and I met up Monday Morning to take the Surfliner (Amtrak) up the coast to the small coastal station of Surf.  Day one was the ride to Buelton, camp overnight, and then over the mountains and down the coast home.  Pictures, as always will tell most of the story:

View of “The Ranch” from the train, this strech of open coast is all privately owned and off limits for most of us.  I dream often of being able to ride and surf there.  Beautiful open land, the way this stretch of coast has been for hundreds of years.

Surf Train Station, no Cell coverage, nothing but you, the beach and a road out.  Not a place you are likely to end up by accident.

Out of the coastal fog, through Lompoc and heading down Santa Rosa rd.  This is an incredible example of the hundreds of miles of country roads the California central coast has to offer.

Yes it was hot, and consensus was clear, it was time to stop and sample the local “grape juice”!

To help keep things light we ate in restaurants, Buelton is home to a few good ones, and we picked Firestone Brewery.  Sorry no Pics, hunger was over riding the creative side of the brain.  The Burger was fantastic, I could have had two, but logic prevailed.  The Flying Flags campground was pretty nice.  Although, next time we all agree that we would rather push a little further into the ride for the first stop.

The next morning started with a few miles to wake up and grab some breakfast in the next town of Solvang.  The whole town is Dutch themed, one of those places you have to visit to really understand.  Bellies full, we pushed off.

This was the start of the real climbing on Refugio Rd., 4 miles of sustained 10-14% grades.  The legs were willing, the heat was climbing, and I will admit, that I opted to hike-a-bike through plenty of sections.  I was carrying too much weight for this leg of the trip.  I had looked at the map and elevations, but did not really appreciate it until I was all the way immersed.  It was hard going up, I was focused on making the top, and the camera never came out for the next hour.

Over the top and well above the coastal fog.  At the break between the fog and horizon you can just make out the top of the channel islands.  The ride down was a blast, but Refugio Rd is in terrible condition, many potholes.  I elected to keep my hand on the bars and not fool around with the camera.

Heading into Santa Barbara.  As we worked our way South East along the coast, we were flirting with the edge of the fog bank the whole way.  The summer temperatures were cool and crisp, but the regular tailwind never made an appearance.

The last view back up the coast before the final 10 mile push home.

The trip was perfect, the company, weather, terrain etc.  This is sure to be a stepping stone for more local rides like this.  The whole thing was comfortably pulled off in just over 36 hours.  I could have brought less, we could have done a few things differently, but it all worked out.  My legs are the only part that is not in a state of recovery this week.  I am still processing my thoughts on the trip and will be sharing them over the coming weeks as I make some changes in my gear.  The Rambler continues to exceed my expectations for this type of riding, and we are all looking forward to getting back out there.

Thanks Mike and Jefe for helping to make it all happen.

 

Rambler No.3 Built Up

Rambler No.3 is now fit and built up to what it will most likely be for a while.  I still need to sort out the racks, but am stoked on how it turned out.

After riding the bike a bit with the Hetre tires, they just felt to big and cushy for the nature of the bike.  One lap around the block with the Pari-Motos and I knew it was a perfect match for such a little bike.  The hammered Honjo fenders are the 50mm offered by Velo Orange, and are a perfect fit for the 38mm tires.  The verdict is still out on how the HWY 1 handlebars will be for the long haul, but I thing the shorter reach is a good thing.  The pictures tell the story of the frame details, lighting wire provisions, rack and fender mounts, etc.

Having been in the business of designing and making things most of my post college career, I will never cease to be excited every time a project comes together.  Having this bike in front of me to make the pictures, for my wife to ride, and to make available for other people to find joy in cycling is incredible.  Thank you for the opportunity to deliver a product that works, and might even be a game changer for some people.  Finding small bikes that work and fit well, like the one above is not easy, and I plan on changing that.