Friday location: Seven | Studio || 8:35 am – 9:20 pm
- Fitting: I’ve performed north of 25,000 bike fits in my life. I still get great pleasure when the cyclist’s riding experience improves. Sometimes it’s life-changing.
- Psychology: I’ve noticed that when a retailer is looking for trouble, they’ll find it, whether it exists or not. Seven recently had a retailer find three issues in a row on the last three frames that we sent. Ironically, all three of them were not errors; the retailer was having trouble measuring. But, sometimes, when someone gets the idea that there’s a problem, problems arise. Of course, thankfully, the opposite is also true. Those that see sun find sun.
- Time Marker: Coming up one one year for the Tomorrow Is Already Yesterday Project. Working on a way to post more projects in a less time consuming way. We’ll see.
Post title: Me
Thursday location: Seven | Studio | Off-sight || 7:55 am – 9:40 pm
- Note: On a bicycle, who is responsible for a chainline not working? The framebuilder or component manufacturer – or the rider for choosing parts that are not compatible. Apparently it’s always the framebuilder. Always. Even though the framebuilder has no control over the chainline, assuming the frame is in alignment.
- Product Development: Lots happening with the Ride Studio Cafe Endurance Team. Three bikes in process for the team. All three frames are prototypes. And each frame is completely different from the others.
- Time Marker: The past two weeks have been particularly overwhelming. I can tell because I don’t even have time to keep track of the work I’m doing. More going on than ever equals less time to keep track of it all.
Post title: Lawrence of Arabia
Image: Tai Chi.
Only one minute left in the day. This often feels like the time, to me.
Wednesday Location: Seven | 7:55 am – 9:35 pm
- Learning: For me, everything is a process. I’m sure people get tired of hearing me say that. At the same time, I’m learning that every step is arrival. It is a challenge for me to hold both concepts at once. But, most situations are both: process and outcome. Proutcome.
- Project Ride: The Diverged Ride for Honey Bikes is coming together well. I think it might actually happen. It’s a bit too much at the moment.
- Emergency: Ran out of Post-Its today.
Post title: me
Image: Paul Tebbott
Tuesday Location: Seven | Studio || 7:55 am – 9:15 pm
- Fitting: On one hand, fitting is simple; the tools are a bike, a rider, and fitting experience. On the other hand fitting is extremely complicated; for example, any single joint within the body has dozens, and sometimes well over 100, influencers. And that’s joints. Always learning and often forgetting.
- Consulting: Working on a suspension project that’s challenging. The team working on the system are from outside the industry. Their design is definitely revolutionary. That’s a really difficult combination – outsiders + revolutionary – to find acceptance within an industry. So far they’re getting mixed results from the people with which I’m connecting them.
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Monday location: Seven | 9:05 am – 8:35 pm
- Hiring: Full on recruiting right now. Eight searches at once – for multiple businesses. Some more pressing than others. All important. Seven did hire one person recently. Yeah!
- Rocking: Ride Studio Cafe has had an amazing first quarter. The Studio’s customers are the best!
- Note: How is it that I have an ability to turn a “good thing” into “negative thing?” I’m always so concerned about what’s wrong that nothing is actually great. If something is great I must be missing something. That’s not very helpful, is it.
Post title: John Wayne
Words from a Lovely Bicycle Tweet.
Sunday location: Studio | 720 am – 5:50 pm
Workspace.
Saturday location: Studio | 8:05 am – 6:10 pm
Seat Stay Sweep.
Friday location: Seven | 7:45 am – 7:20 pm
- Education: Seven Cycles had visitors from Assabet Vocational School today. The subject, “Education” means my education, not the students.
- Words: Steven Lim of Ride Studio Cafe was interviewed today in the Wicked Local. Great thoughts.
- Event: Honey’s first organized ride is happening next weekend – April 6. It’s going to be a blast. A ride unlike any organized ride in which I’ve participated before. I’m looking forard to it – rain, snow, or shine. There’s going to be a good pre-ride breakfast, too. Sign up for the ride here.
- Hiring Time Marker: Seven Cycles just hired a bookkeeper today. I can’t wait until she starts – next week.
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Neil Mansfield – a very longtime friend of Seven’s – teaches at Assabet Valley Technical School Each year he brings his students to Seven Cycles to learn a bit about what we do. Neil has done this with Seven for more than a decade. It’s always fun.
I find that, for the tour, Neil focuses on helping the kids see that you can learn a hands-on trade – like metalworking – and put it to good use in a career; the kind of career where you can buy a house, raise a family, and not live paycheck to paycheck.
I commented to someone after the tour that I’m fascinated that each class has a very different personality. This group was really engaged and ended up being at Seven for hours; maybe the longest time of any of the Assabet groups. And maybe the loudest, in a good way.
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Friday location: Seven | Studio || 8:35 am – 9:20 pm
