rambler | Ocean Air Cycles

57 Sunflower Porteur

This past week I built up a 57cm Sunflower Rambler as a Portuer. What is commonly referred to as a “city bike” these days, the Porteur has deep roots as a French newspaper delivery bike. Optimized for getting stacks of newspapers out to the stands around Paris, the Porteur is optimized for speed and all day comfort in the urban environment, yet still able to handle well with exceptional front loads, i.e. a stack of newspapers. THis translates into an excellent bike for most people who carry a varying load throughout the day, have a stop and go radius under 10 miles and prefer the comfort and added visibility of an upright position, think commuter.

This build has been well received on our social media channels with requests for more info on some of the details. The build was a mix of price points, focused on a safe and transportational ride that will see daily use in Santa Clarita as well as longer weekend explorations. Pictures tell the rest of the story…

Why A Rambler

The Rambler is a true Cyclotouring bike, steeped in traditional French design, but brought forward to work with modern components and fittings. It is the kind of bike that once dominated the market, but went away as racing came to the forefront.

As we, the cycling tribe, move back to a cycling style that is more practical, able to function as transportation, take the load off our back, yet handle well and with a lively ride, the Rambler is there to fill that need.

The larger market is slower to move, has longer design cycles due to their economic scale, and may have generally different motivations. I decided it was time to take my dream bike, and bring it to the market as a fully developed product and the Rambler was born. In many ways it is unique in the market, the only production bike of its kind. All of the details are there to build out a functional sport bicycle, that also serves as practical every day transportation.

Rambler Specs:

TIG welded, double butted CroMo tubes, custom matched to the frame size for optimized performance.
Room for 42mm tires and fenders on all bicycle sizes
Designed with the provision for Paul Racer brakes, mounted with braze-on bosses. These provide unparalleled power and modulation in a rim brake.
Paul Racer brakes are included in the frame set package.
Double eyelets for rack and fender mounts at the front and rear dropouts.
The fork has an investment cast crown with cast and machined rack mounting bosses, with provisions for small upper and low rider racks, & fenders.
Lighting wire guides on the right fork leg. Reinforced entry and exit ports for internal routing of lighting wires, from front to rear of the frame.
Columbine Quickchainger braze-on, for easy rear wheel changes without having to touch the chain.
Braze-on fender mounting points placed so installation is simple and results in even fender line.
130mm rear spacing to work with modern road bike components.
Color options: American Blue , Orange Soda and Sunflower Yellow

Partnering with an US engineering and fabrication team, the Rambler delivers on all levels of build accuracy, quality, hand-built craftsmanship, as well as looks and performance. Unique in the marketplace, it serves as the backbone for the custom-built bike you have been dreaming of.

Ocean Air Cycles is the embodiment of my passion for cycling in a form that shares what I know to be a better alternative with you. It is my work, and my dream, to apply my skills as an engineer and an entrepreneur to deliver a bicycle that can change the way people see local transportation and recreation. Using the Rambler as a tool for travel, transport, running errands, getting to work, etc. Getting out and around under your own power will transform you, your family, and community. Having the best tools available will make the transformation more lasting. Adding to the function is color, function with flair, because color choices make thing more fun

Our first large production run of Ramblers is currently in the powder coating phase. They will be going final QC and prep over the next two weeks, then distribution begins. I need your help, spreading the word, or better yet buying a Rambler of your own. You can start with a frame set and build up your own, or we can facilitate custom builds for your ready to roll custom dream bike. You can click-through any of the Rambler links or photos in this post to place your deposit today, reserving you place in this batch. The next run will not be here until next Spring, and this is your chance to get rolling before Summer passes by.

Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, we will make sure you are getting exactly what you want.

We are in this for the long haul, but can not do it without your support, Thank you. We provide the tools, but you make the wheels go round and round.

Hill Repeats

I decided to put my new bag through the paces climbing and descending some steep hills behind town on my way back from the post office today. June gloom, fog and mist aside it was a great time.

I have had a handlebar bag design bouncing around in my head for years now. Never making the time to sew it up myself I approached Swift Industries (Martina) about the possibility of a collaboration while we were up in Seattle for the Expo. A few sketches, a meeting, time on the phone, material exchanges, a few speed bumps with the design, and then shazam! My dream bag showed up the other day. Martina did an amazing job translating sketches, pictures and videos into a 3d object. As I was searching for a contractor to partner with, Swift’s bags were the closest to what I envisioned, their business ethic was a good match and we hit it off pretty well, i.e the vibe is right on.

The bag is named the Docena, Spanish for a dozen or dozen eggs. My Rambler is primary transportation, we eat an average of 2 dozen eggs a week in the house, and I wanted a safe way to get them home from the farmers market. Most bags are not wide enough to hold the eggs, this one is. There are a bunch of other details going on, taking cues from traditional Sologne or French style bags for the form factor, material and elements from the light weight bikepacking world, a pinch of messenger bag and a twist of old school backpack all come together in this one. The bag is 11 inches tall and primarily a solution for larger/taller bikes. I do have a sketch for the Docenita, pulling many of the unique elements into a smaller bag, but that is in a holding pattern for the moment.

I will have a more detailed post in the coming week or so, explaining all of the key features, dimensions and clearances for given handlebars. Since it comes up first, my Nitto RM013 bars are 41.5cm C to C at the hoods and I have over 3cm of room for my thumbs on both sides. Second is that for over 17L of volume the bag weighs in at 1.5lbs with stiffeners, if that sort of thing matters to you, that is pretty light for a full sized bag like this.

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?

And 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.

The 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

and the inspiration for change..

Having the proper tools for the job only makes things better.

You 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

Why 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!