Indeep/ Last Night a DJ Saved my Life

more of the same.........

Anita Ward/ Ring my Bell

Timeless disco classic.........

Models No.2 & No.3

While we digest and compost the lessons from Model No.1 and wait for technology issues to resolve Jeff and I have been busy discussing our next move. The most important decision we have made is to abandon the fork-less steering concept and stick with a conventional front fork & wheel as seen on No.1. The reasons for this are numerous but essentially they come down to aesthetics versus utility and time versus labor. The fork-less wheel is cool and all but adds nothing in terms of functionality. Aesthetically it differs from the rear wheel which will look incongruous (and, no, I won't put a disc wheel on the back) and I am not even sure we could incorporate a brake on the concept as it currently exists. Fork-less front wheel also means no dyno-hub unless we go with a retro bottle dynamo on the tire. Added to that is the mechanical complexity of the concept which will require a lot machining of metal, not our strong suite, and a good lead time to bring it to fruition. We only have five months and we may well blow our wad on this and have nothing left to complete the bike in time. Right now we have a working concept that we know we can repeat and improve upon. Better to finish the project than arrive with a half baked concept that doesn't work. Part of me hates this choice, the cautious nature of it, but I have crashed and burned on too many projects by over-reaching to repeat it with this one.
Instead Jeff & I have decided to build two bikes in parallel. (No.2 & No.3) Each one will share the same basic frame design but will be quite different in the details. This will allow us to experiment with things like cable versus rod steering, internal storage, colors, finishes and hardware. We are excited about the possibilities in customizing each version. I know Jeff really wants a Koala Kote covered deck (rubbery non-slip marine goop) while I favor blue AstroTurf (just kidding) or Pirrelli flooring and I really want to incorporate a sound system that runs from a iPod Nano or something.
Anyway........none of this is going to happen unless I get cracking in Solidworks and model the darn' thing and I can't do that until I get my sodding laptop back from those great, great guys at Happy Hamster.

best laid plans............

So after boldly proclaiming the imminent arrival of our Kickstarter pitch I duly got to work. People where corralled, shots planned, script written, equipment procured. Friday morning dutifully dawned clear and bright. We headed out with Jeff riding Model No.1 with Essie aboard while W hauled me & camera in the Bakfiets. We shot some footage in Brooklyn then looped over the Hawthorne and back home. The clips looked great, awesome light and plenty to choose from. I dove into editing, a process I enjoy very much, and slowly the form of the movie started to come together. By days end on Friday I was quietly confident that we had nailed it. All that was left was to film Jeff and I introducing ourselves to the camera and explaining our project. Sunday night's attempt was a bust. Dull lighting and poor acoustics at Jeff's house made me decide to put it of until morning. The camera had to be returned by 10.00am so we were at it first thing. We filmed on my porch due to the rain but the light and sound were good and in short order we were done. I downloaded the clips onto my computer then raced into town to make the return on time. Later back home I discovered that the longest and best take was corrupted and unplayable.........we will have to do it again. The icing on the cake to all this was the same day my computer got a virus (after clicking on an image of bamboo of all things) that blocked all my applications. Now I am without a computer until maybe Friday! Terribly grateful that Z at Happy Hamster loaned me a laptop, mortified that it's a cheesy plastic Dell Inspiron straight out of the 'Dude your getting a Dell' decade.

So.........Kickstarter pitch coming real soon.......probably.