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.

Kickstarter update...........

Quite a few people have asked me about our Kickstarter pitch and wondering why it isn't up on their site. Well, it's because I'm a lazy ass.......well only partly. The weather has been shitty and Model No.1 looked kind of rough with our original steering bodge and only one brake. But the forecast for tomorrow is sunny & 62 degrees. W has signed up to lend a hand with filming and Jeff can spare an hour before work. I am hooking up the brakes and adding hardware this afternoon. Also writing up the pitch as we speak (well kind of) and the camera is reserved.

So there, now I've said it publicly I will just have to follow through and get it done or look like a wastrel............

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.

Gone........back to the shop.

Enough goofing around riding it all over town already. Last night we lashed No.1 to the roof of Jeff's 'toaster' and hauled it back to the shop to finish up. First we added a kickstand, nothing fancy, just something to negate having to lay the thing on the ground or lean precariously against a wall. Then we disassembled the front fork & rear head tube and prepped everything for more welding. We have to add an adequate length of threaded portion at the top so we can actually insert a stem to the required depth (whoops, my bad!). Also adding actuator arms to receive the cable steering on the rear head tube & front forks. We brainstormed how to route the cable steering through to the back and identified the parts we had and what we were missing. Initially Jeff wanted to route through the frame which would be awesome but I thought that we may be complicating things unnecessarily. Let's keep the cables outside for the proof of concept, I argued, and if it works design the frame with internal routing in mind to ease installation. Jeff agreed and that's how we will do it. It's still a project which I had not anticipated but seems obvious when you think about it for any length of time. Running brake cable from the front fork v-brake back to the handlebars is also not without challenges. Last night was not nearly as productive as previous sessions. The work seemed more burdensome, less focused which is hardly surprising as we have just come of two intense months of building culminating in a fair amount of euphoria over our success. Now we have the 'long tail' of finicky details and busy work which is not nearly as exciting. This is still valuable work as things like the cable steering will inform the next model. Hopefully one more session will corral all the final details and we can move on to No.2.....................

Holy molly......it's got wheels on it!

Last night, after a couple of hours of scraping & sanding, we hung components......bottom bracket, cranks, pedals, headset(s), fork & front wheel. It's really starting to look like a vehicle which is scary. Up till now the concept of riding this thing has been an abstraction, a distant idea clouded by our focus on the details of structure. Now, however, the reality of riding a wooden bicycle that we built from a sheet of plywood comes to the fore. Throughout the evening Jeff & I kept pausing just to look at the thing and although I had never considered this a beautiful form, just a stepping stone to something else, it has started to grow on me. I like it's rugged simplicity & seductive curves, the clean edges and expanses of smooth blond wood. Jeff & I had a divergence of opinion about edges. Being a died in the wool modernist I like crisp, clean edges. Jeff, being someone who deals with the reality of boats bobbing around in the water and crashing into things, likes nicely rounded corners.

We have a couple of issues, albeit minor, in that the bottom bracket is about 1/2" too low and the rear head tube (the one we attach the handlebars to) is a little low. We will have to be mindful not to pedal through sharp turns and a pair of BMX handlebars will be required to get that nice upright Dutch feel. I also think the cargo bed is too high. Everything else came together pretty easily. Currently the bikes weighs in at about 41lbs with probably another 6 to 10lbs more to add in components. This is well within our target range and gives us plenty of leeway in terms of adding material for strength & rigidity. My gut feeling is that the bike, while being ride-able, will fall short in terms of rigidity and load capacity. But I'm not worried....we have identified several areas where we can design in more strength going forward. The fact that we are even in the ball park bodes well for future iterations. And as we rush to complete the assembly and ride this bad boy our thoughts and discussions have already moved beyond to the next version.......