Are we nearly there yet?

Funny how those 'little details" at the end of a project come to bite you in the arse? Bite maybe too strong a term for it but certainly detained & inconvenienced. Just as our imaginations are about to take flight on the back of our success with Model No.1 we become bogged down with the minutiae of detail. Cable or rod? Clear coat or paint, the list goes on. I am definitely feeling the pressure....Oregon Manifest is four months away and we have a lot to do. Still, Monday night's session was not without success. We opted for rod steering because it works and is relatively simple compared to cable and despite our woeful metal working skills we got it done. Jeff just happened to have a pre-bent aluminum tube from an X-ray machine of all things. What it lacks in elegance is compensated by it's function and the fact that it is way better than our first bodge. We also had fun finding an appropriate ornament to stick in the top of the forward head tube. In the end we chose a beautiful brass door knob with a lustrous patina that somehow looks right at home. I like the idea that the detailing of the bike should somehow reference boats and cabinet making. Jeff and I have already discussed the possibility of incorporating boat operating lights and cleats to attached ropes and I was toying with the idea of attaching antique coat hooks to the main head tube mast as a way to secure shopping bags. There is definitely a fruitful area of expression here.