Today Natalia Boltukhova spent the entire day with Seven Cycles taking great photos of all kinds of cycling. We started at 7am in the woods for a mountain bike photo shoot. She and Matt O’Keefe then did some commuter bike photos. Then onto a road bike shoot. Then some photos at Seven. A non-stop 12-hour marathon photo session spanning five towns and every kind of terrain imaginable.
Here are a few photos I took of the photo shoot that she took. Natalia’s images will start cropping up on Seven’s website, brochure, and a few other places all within the next couple weeks.
I felt like this once: dirty; moving fast and looking forward; I thought I was free. Sometimes I still want to be out there. | Photo: Mike Brodie
Project: Did an exploratory off-road jaunt for the Ride Studio Cafe’s new mountain bike ride series. We’re working on leading two rides each week: one weekeday evening and one weekend ride – through the fall. Why not swing for the fences? It was a great test ride with Marty H. and Neil M. They both kicked my butt. I really don’t have time to be riding right now but I’m glad I got out. And yes, I consider it work.
Graphic Design: Brochure 2013 for Seven Cycles: Skunk completed the first full layout of the brochure. Sixty-pages plus the cover. Still a lot of holes in text and images – all my fault. Skunk and John L. are trying to carry the ball down the field but I keep adding yardage – gosh I’m not a sports metaphor person; can’t you tell? However, for the first time I can get an overall feel for the piece – and see all the work left to do.
Some draft ideas for Mo Bruno Roy’s 2013 ‘cross race bikes
Wednesday location: Seven || 7:35 am – 8:50 pm
Graphic Design: Jordan L. and I are working on Mo Bruno Roy‘s 2013 bike graphics. First bike just about complete. As always, the bike graphics have to try to match the super-clean aesthetics of Matt Roy’s mechanical work on Mo’s bikes. She’s got a set of three Sevens and they’re all going to look Sharp. Can’t wait to see them all together. Matt’s building up the bikes next week. Cross season is here.
Recruiting: Making some progress on Ride Studio Cafe hires. I think we might have found a person or two. Still many hours to go. Patria is taking on a lot of the in person first round interviewing. Saving me a lot of time. Almost manageable for me at the moment. But not really.
Project: Website 2013 for Seven Cycles. Making concurrent progress on the website and brochure. Mostly Skunk is doing all the work at this moment. The new brochure system is informing some changes we’re making to the site. Hoping to have the site up on the first day of the Interbike tradeshow. Might be a bit tight.
Product Design: Stef’s working on a chainstay design. Design number 3,000 or so. This is a 50mm slick tire belt driver 29er with a too short chainstay. It’s a bit trickier than it should be. Bike shipping on Thursday. I feel like our system for stay design is getting faster and more formal. Years ago it was this way; entropy ensues. With Stef’s and Neil’s help we’re wrangling entropy for a moment.
Quote: From one of the pieces for the 2013 Seven brochure: “I quickly realized that what I loved most about racing was riding. I didn’t care about winning or watts. Freedom. That’s what is was all about. Two-wheeled independence, unfettered, anywhere, everywhere.” You’ll have to get the brochure to find out who wrote this and why. One of many great pieces worth reading.
Business Thinking: Working on a project offsite today. A long-term work. I feel a bit naked not being at Seven or the Studio. That’s okay; I’ll be clothed again tomorrow. It’s only a day. Mr. Sagan will get me through it.
Time Marker: I just realized that Anthony Burgess published A Clockwork Orange 50-years ago this year. Originally published in December, 1962; In my twisted world December will be Anthony Burgess month for me.
Working too: I know I’m working too fast when I can’t read my own notes – a lot of notes. Hand writing is soooo slow.
We were hunters and foragers. The frontier was everywhere.
We were bounded only by the earth, and the ocean, and the sky. The open road still softly calls. [click to continue…]
Rides: The Ride Studio Cafe had four rides today. Two Keep It Tight rides; one NER ride; one Team ride. Four rides in one morning is plenty to manage. Lots of people.
Event: Ride Studio Cafe hosted the NER ride today and their private party this evening. Both were a lot of fun and a touch of work. A bit tuckered.
Project: Brochure 2013 for Seven Cycles. I’m sure I sound like a broken record but we’re putting in lots of hours every day at this point. Today it was finalizing page size, working on interior design, color palette, cover design. We also worked on a second draft of the bike catalogue.
Product Design: 30.9mm diameter titanium seat post. Working on Seven Cycles’ latest seat post design and integration into Seven frame designs. Stef A. is doing the drawings. We currently offer three seat post diameters in titanium 27.2, 30.9, and 31.8. We’re making some refinements for the 2013 season. We’ll be showing details soon.
Tuesday location: Seven
