We are kicking off the new year with the presale of the first batch of the Docena Demi-Porteur bags.  These are a collaborative project that we developed with Swift Industries last year, and you can read up on all of the design details HERE.  This has been my one and only bar bag for over a year now, and I am stoked that feedback on the first 24 that we sold last year are all finding love and use from their owners.

This round of bags will start production in about two weeks and we are projecting for a Late February delivery.  Pricing is still holding at 2014 levels, $250 gray with color trim, $260 for multi cam and $275 for the Harlequin (My Favorite)

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There will be four production runs of 12 bags each in 2015.  They are all made to order based on pre-sale quantities.  In general we sell through in about 3 days, although I expect that will get shorter as word gets out.  The faster we sell through 12, the faster they are ready.  Each presale will start approximately a month after the previous delivery.  These will be late winter, next will be spring, early summer and then the final round as Thanksgiving approaches.

This past Saturday we had a tent set up to shoe the Ramblers at a local cross race.  That combined with a couple of other factors had me under tight deadlines to get a new 61 cm Orange Soda Rambler built up for the demo fleet.

Friday night ran long, like 3 AM long with a 5:30 wake up call.  I was able to have the bike built and rolling, most of the details in place too.  I am really happy with how this one turned out.  It is the replacement for the 63 US Blue that I tore down and shipped to Australia last month.  Most of the components came from that build.  I will probably be rebuilding a bit, refining the cable runs, front rack gets here this week, fenders and tail light.  Even with all that left to do, it is a perfectly functional Rambler.  It actually is much lighter without all that other stuff, and still has me wishing I had ridden to farmers market today to stuff the panniers.

This build is also a good study in color.  You all probably know by now that we have a lot of fun around here with the colored details.  I have been studying up on color theory, much more planning of the builds, and less random combinations.  This build was intended to be an triadic analog, with the Orange as the driving color and the red and tan (tire sidewalls) framing that out.  There was a last minute switch to the green headset, that gives you an idea what a difference contrast can make as compared to analog.  Tiger Color has a really good page explaining much of the color theory stuff we should have learned back in grade school.  Now on to the pictures:

Bikes like this end up as riders for us, and demo rides for customers.  Some things end up locked in with my preferences, Barcons begin one of them.  I may swap the headset for a red one, may leave the green, still thinking that one through.

We are getting to an interesting turning point with the business as Rambler stock is getting lower. But before we bore you with the details, a couple pics to tantalize you with what your Rambler could be:

The current stock falls into a couple of categories summarized in the matrix below.  Nothing in the box means we have sold through that size/color combination in this run.  A number indicates stock on hand.  The letter “B” followed by a number indicated the number of blemish frame sets on hand in this combination.  Then there are the “X” frames.  These four have been caught in a combination of coating re-work and small business Purgatory.  The only thing setting them free will be cash flow from sales of a few more frame sets.  From there we can inspect them and determine if they are first quality, blemishes or worst case un sellable.  I can tell you, the line for the Sunflower 63 is about 5 customers deep right now.

What does this mean?  If you have been thinking of getting a Rambler, and we have your size on hand it is probably a good time to buy one.  Will there be more Ramblers?  It is quite likely.  How we will get there is still not quite certain.  The demand is growing rapidly, I wish I had about 10 size 63 and 10 more 57.  Our current builder has minimums that push our cash flow to the limits and beyond.  I dream of doing 75-100 more Ramblers for Spring, but not sure how to get there yet, pre-sales, Indegogo, bank loan, etc.  Sorting that out over the next couple of months.  Short of a massive pile of cash falling from the sky, it will most likely be the middle of 2015 before a new batch of Ramblers are ready to go.

There is the issue of healing our wounds from this past round, learning some lessons, and adjusting sourcing and coating.  Some colors just did not work, hence all the Blems.  Some colors may come back, there may be new ones.  There are some business aspects, supply chain, increased quality control, contracts with rework clauses clearly spelled out, insurance for stuff destroyed in re-work, and all the other less exciting details of the business.  This will all start to be sorted in the coming months.

What is certain?  If you see your size in the matrix above, and you want a Rambler it would be a good time to get one.  They are great bikes, customer feedback has been unanimous.  The only thing changing in the next round is possibly less color choices.  The design is solid.  Need more inspiration, everybody loves bike pics?

What else do we have in the works?  On the new front we have t-shirts, yes more than one design, custom printed bandannas, still searching for a leather contractor, possibly Rambler specific racks some new touring cap variants.  The standards are still her as well: Docena bags on a quarterly basis, Bandannas, Double Weave Kerchiefs, Farm and Field knives, Caldera Cone Stoves Silver Vice pedals, Tires etc.  We are constantly increasing the number of items on hand.

Thank you for helping us get this far.  Without your continued support we would not have made it this far.

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 Also, there are still two frames waiting to go at Blue Lug in Japan and Free Range in Seattle has two or three, one of which is built up and ready to ride

This is one of those things that used to be pretty standard on bikes that went away for a long time.  It has been a side burner project around here for years.  I have talked with CatEye, a few smaller makers and some third party importers from Japan.  Take note, there are some pretty cool options in the fender mounted gadget scene over in Japan.  It really came down to a numbers thing, the affordable options involved quantities too high for us, and the smaller runs could not be done a fair price to you.

Then Velo Orange went off and just got it done, and did a pretty darn good job.

It does everything a reflector is supposed to do, and looks good doing it.  The time change is coming on fast, tail lights are a must for night riding, but a bit of extra passive reflectance never hurts.

We have added these to the store front and will do our best to keep them in stock.

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Life has been happening at an astonishing speed this summer.  That is when I realized summer was over…I pulled the emergency chute this morning and headed to the beach for some coffee outside.  California did not disappoint with indian summer Santa Ana conditions in full swing