Monday May 14, 2012
The California framebuilders have been doing a good job of hosting events to bring us all together, look at each other’s shop, sell some schwag as well as bikes, and, if we’re lucky, go for a ride.
Sean Walling set up the Meet Your Maker Tour to make sure we keep doing and to help get the word out-
Time seems short in supply, and I am undecided about making the trip, although I would like to:
Ride with other builders!
See the Sycip shop!
Eat and drink good beer and food.
What’s not to love, and $20 pretty much just covers the costs.
Monday May 14, 2012
HOT DOG!
I am really looking forward to to this-
Darren Larkin is putting together a local bike race and party that is sure not to disappoint.
“Bike race, party, food, drinks, folks you know and like.”
JUNE 2ND, 12 NOON, AT THE BIKE CHURCH, DOWNTOWN SANTA CRUZ
The race is also a fundraiser for the Santa Cruz 11 (Occupy activists slapped with big and unreasonable charges and in need of support).
Wednesday May 2, 2012
Quentin got his bike back!
(I am slow on the blog, so this is nearly old news. I was putting it off thinking that I’d get some new photos, as usual.)
Jay Malena is our hero, and it’s not the first time. Some years back, Erin Danielson’s little blue track bike was stolen and Jay spotted “Nightrider” with it slung over his shoulder, riding around downtown. She took it back- He, of course, had just found it, and even told us which bushes to look in to find the wheels, of which we found one I think.
Here is Jay rolling into a Wildcat check point in 2008.
This time, Jay was driving in Capitola and saw someone described as a “home-bum” riding Quentin’s bike. I think the interaction was reasonable and Jay took the bike. the fellow apparently said something like “yeah, it seems like a nice bike, but it’s rusting. . .”
It is a potentially a pejorative endeavor, walking into other people’s spaces and asking about a stolen bike, and it is always fascinating. Quentin’s tactic was simply to offer a cash reward and hand out fliers.
We spent a bunch of time handing out fliers, checking in with all the corners of the levee, the flea market, the woods- wherever we figure many stolen bikes pass through or end up. Going though the camps and the shelter, we are known entities as we have helped many of the people at the bike church over the years.
So where did the bike go? So far the best clue is that the frame and bag were tagged with “dose”. This is funny because about 5 years back, dose tagged Quentin’s old bread truck with a huge “dose”. So now we wonder, who is this guy?
Saturday April 14, 2012
It’s Saturday afternoon and I’m headed out to look around town now, having just gotten off work from the west side Farmer’s Market. If you see this bike please get in touch!
Spread the word! Keep your Eyes peeled!
If you came to NAHBS, this is the unpainted Bike I had in the booth.
Thanks for the help!
josh
Wednesday March 14, 2012
Over the long weekend at the Sacramento Convention center, some 7000 spectators came to see what’s new from bicycle framebuilders today. Shows like this are a great motivator to bring out your best work and create machines that will stand out. there was plenty to look at and something for everyone. In my little backwater isle at the show, I was across from Dekerf which builds titanium race frames- super light, super clean and perfect- starting at $5,500.
A fully built bike in their booth was for sale for $11,000. (photo from flickr by Carlos)
Next to them was Guru Cycles from Canada. They make amazing carbon fiber work bikes and say they have a turn around of 3 weeks (!) from order finalization to delivery.
(Photo from flickr by Laverda)
This is a fine chianstay from Rolland Della Santa.
Josh and Michael Cleaver came from Oakland with cargo bikes. This is Josh’s Alcohauler. Photo by Blue Lug.
And Here is Joseph Ahearn’s cave man bike. Again, photo Blue Lug from Flickr.
So, you may imagine that amidst that scene, in a huge building nearly the furthest from the entrance, riding on the coat tails of the likes of Rick Hunter, Steve Potts, Paul Sadoff, Curtis Inglis, etc etc, I felt a bit intimidated with my cable-steered cargo bikes and artisan style.
We had a good reception and the Frances Machines were well- appreciated in the mix.
Photo by Box Dog.
I owe a big thanks to Quentin, Ann and Joshua Thayer for working the booth with me, and being enthusiastic about the bikes for hours and days on end.
Here is our pitch:
I, Josh Muir, build Frances bicycles in a small shop in Santa Cruz, CA. I use True Temper butted tubing to create performance oriented machines for cargo, touring, commuting and joy-riding. The cargo bikes in particular, are like no other: they are light, quick-riding, comfortable and efficient.
Photo by Naz Hamid- weightshift.
Standard diamond framesets start at $1500 and are custom designed and built to fit and use. (*8 months)
Smallhaul cargo frameset: $2600 (*10 months) (corrected!)
Mixtehaul cargo frameset: $2500 (*3 months)
Low-gravity Worksman style cargo frameset (Platypus): $1700 (I hope to have a few of these out later tis year!)
(*current wait from order placemement as of march 2012)
Call me up and place and order!
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