The Griswalds head to the handmade bicycle show...

that's what the locals guys at the shop said it looked like once I had the trusty old Volvo wagon loaded up with show goodies heading for UPS yesterday :)

For those that may be unfamiliar, the Griswalds were a family in National Lampoons Vacation that traveled the bredth of the US in a heavily loaded station wagon. Unfortunately, Christi Brinkley did not flag me down like she did Chevy Chase in the film. Regarless, despite the critisism my poor old car takes, she still delivered the goods like a champ.

I had to chuckle once I got to UPS...the customer area of the local distribution center is so small, once I got all the bike boxes inside you could no longer open the door. It got pretty cold for the folks who got there after me and had to wait in the 12 degree weather until the clerk had processed enough of the boxes to start moving them. I did not make too many new friends that day ;^)

The actual loading was preceeded by a flurry of activity; bike building, disassembling, and packing.

When time is of the utmost importance is when small things always seem to go wrong. Who was it that said "adventure begins when circumstances no longer follow the plan"? I did not have much "adventure", but it is a bit frustrating when you think you've got it all figured out just to have reality smack you in the face.

Example...

finishing up Roy's build I realized that I had overlooked a small part spec...the US distributer of Rohloff hubs does not include an OEM axel plate with the hubs. Instead, they give you this awful looking torsion armiture that extends under the length of the chain stay and attaches in place with a hose clamp...ick! Usually, I have to order one directly from those gifted German engineers myself, somehow in the midst of activity of late, I forgot this small detail. Now that the shipping deadline for the show was critical, I had to act FAST! So, two hours on the mill, one minute on the TIG welder, and a quick trip to the paint booth and we were back in business. Silly me, I'll never forget that again (fingers crossed :) )

I did a quick build of the polka dot bike, less the Rohloff cables attached, and thought I would share a few pics as this will be the conclusion of this neat process.

Your standard side shot...ummm, where are the cranks you say? Bill has been busting his bum to get the new Hot Rods just where he wants them. I'll likely see them at the airport, just in time to put them on the bikes for the show. These first sets will truly be show pieces, as the heat treaters could not get us the tempered spindles back in time. If all goes well, the functional products will be waiting for us when we get back, then we'll be able to ship these out to all those who have been waiting sooooo patiently.

I really like how the stem/bar binder came out. So much cleaner than having those ugly pinch bolts protruding out the back of the stem.

Some headbadge lovin...

And a little "made by" credit...

I got a special delivery tonight. Know what it could be? Here's a little hint, a lot of people have been asking for the one off my back.

More info tomorrow morning.

cheers,

rody