Actually, it’s not the words that fail, it’s the writer. Solution: More images, fewer words.
Wait, what?
Time Markers:
- One year marker for daily posts on Tomorrow Is Already Yesterday: 22 May 2013
- Last real-time post: 12 May 2013 – short of one year by 10 days.
- Last draft not yet posted: 14 June 2013 – more than one year.
Note: I will clean up the drafts between today and May 12. I will post them when I have a free moment. In the meantime, too many projects that demand attention – some of which I’ll post.
Ben Edwards of Switchback Magazine interviewed me for a Seven Cycles article. We just received the magazine. I am at a loss for words. Ben was so flattering. Here’s the intro:
“Boston was home to the most famous metal worker in American history, a silversmith named Paul Revere. Fittingly, it’s also the home of a man who could be the most famous metal worker in cycling, Rob Vandermark. We say “could” because his name will not appear on the down tube of your frame.”
Dang, that’s a packed three sentences. First, it describes one of the most important aspects of Seven: we are thirty-five people that all make Seven what it is. Second, the paragraph gets at one of the primary reasons we chose the Boston area for Seven’s factory: manufacturing history, capability, and lots of smart people. Third, Ben refers to me as a man.
The most important passage, to me, is:
“[Seven] is a collective that starts with the original founders: Vandermark, Jennifer Miller, Matt O’Keefe, and Lisa Rodier. They came from Merlin together and have all helped create what Seven Cycles is today. Many of the production staff are Merlin veterans and have been building frames for a lifetime. Together they create highly engineered bicycles with a deeply intuitive and thoughtful process. It requires dedication to not only craftsmanship, but communication and openness as well.”
Ben captured a lot of interesting thoughts about Seven; I’d like to recount some of them at some point – and expand upon them. Someday.
Thanks Ben for helping share Seven’s story – and making it so compelling. And thanks to John Lewis for making this interview happen.
This issue of Switchback is pretty amazing; a lot of interviews and articles – from all aspects of the cycling world – worth reading front to back. I’m about 10% through the issue. Awesome stuff!
Very memorable ride with Chip Baker and Roger Cadman. Cannot think of better co-riders. They waited at the top of every climb. So patient.
Three Honey Bikes that rocked:
A great time. Some images to prove it happened – after the jump.
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I’ve had this Honey Allroads bike on the production list since February of this year. Pamela Blalock’s was the first production Allroads; I new as soon as I saw the first weld on her frame, that I needed an Allroads. My intention was to get it built in time for D2R2. Roger Cadman talked me into doing the Deerfield ride this year. Hmmm. With a bit of a push over the edge by Chip Baker.
A Honey Allroads would do the trick on the graveliest of rides.
The frame was completed on Friday at about noon. Matt Roy completed a stellar PRO build by about 9pm. The ride started at 8am on Saturday morning.
A 70-foot test ride for a 70-mile dirt road ride. No kidding. No mechanicals, no flat tires, no problems at all. Perfect ride. Perfect bike for the ride.
More details about this unusual bike later.
More images after the jump.
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I really like this jersey project. We started with the best jersey: the Rapha Lightweight in fig. We embroidered with honey colored thread. It was a bit of a risky color choice but people tell me they came out well – and people have asked for them. Unfortunately, Rapha is sold out of the fig jersey and I’m guessing they won’t offer it again. I’m happy with it.
Why interesting to me?
- We had to do something different on the back of the jersey due to the Lightweight jersey design. the vertical “Honey Team” worked really well.
- This is the first time we used Honey Bee on fabric.
- One time project. A limited edition of three.
I’m working on the Honey Navigators project now; it’ll require a new set of jerseys. Stay tuned.
I’ve been working on the idea of an iced drink for the Ride Studio Cafe’s Sul Posto – portable cafe – that doesn’t require an espresso machine. The drink parameters are:
- A good compliment to the Studio’s bottled cold brew
- An iced summer drink
- Sweet
- Espresso based
- Portable, bottled
- Tastes good even after a week in a cooler
- Works well with iced milk, soy milk, or almond milk
Project Updates:
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For the Honey One Hundred we knew we wanted to offer a commemorative t-shirt; people have been asking about it already.
Here are a few photos of the process Kirk and I used to develop the t-shirt. First, I drafted a few concepts where I wanted the ‘one’ in ‘honey’ to be apparent – since this is a one hundred kilometer ride.
Kirk took my sketches; he and I played with some honeycomb graphic elements – that I ultimately ended up ditching.
More images after the fold.
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Just wrapped up a great photoshoot for Seven Cycles’ next Rouleur Magazine ad. This as will be different from any we’ve done before. Why?
Anything for the shot: down in the poison ivy
- We got the coveted inside back cover! So, we wanted to create a special ad for such a great page placement.
- Kirk shot his first action shots for Seven. They came out great; the most difficult part is choosing which image to use.
- We had to wait for a rainy day; and the day was perfect!
- It’s the first image in a new series on which we’re working.
- The impeccable John Bayley was our true rouleur/world-class cyclist/mountain goat/puddle-jumper/water-soaked trooper/model.
More images after the jump.
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Here’s the latest seat post battery mount design from Seven Cycles.
Update – 25 September 2013: We’ve integrated this as a standard production option now. The tooling is a bit more organized now.
Design features include:
- Battery is fully suspended in the housing – no rattling or vibration.
- Housing is permanently mounted inside the seat post; nothing to rattle loose or move around.
- Battery is easily removed by one circlip.
- Available only with Seven’s custom titanium post.
In celebration – or fear – of the fast approaching cyclocross season, the Ride Studio Cafe is hosting a big cross ride. I’m the lucky one that gets to put together the route.
These train tracks are totally rideable, even in the dark. Part of the Coffee Cross route.
A few details:
- When: August 17, 2013 – starting at 6am
- Where: Ride Studio Cafe
- Why: Riding cross bikes!
Food: We’re doing an awesome waffle breakfast including Belgian and vegan waffles. We’re also making a big fruit salad and oatmeal with all the fixings. Breakfast runs from 6-8 am.
The Route: It’s a 26-mile mixed terrain ride. Since I’m making the route, it’s likely to be a bit more technical than some might expect. But, I figure that’s okay because we’re doing cross training – it’ll be a good skills test ride.
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