Fixing small paint blemishes...

There is nothing worse than getting ready to show a bike to a customer, or in the case of Nahbs, the world, and find a small scratch or dust nib in the paint.  EEEK!  What to do?

Although the world of paint can be a scary place to trod, such small issues can be competently handled by even the most brutish builder with a little knowledge and patience.  So, to enlighten those that wish to learn, follow along below as we enter the magical world of "making small ugly blemishes in your fancy paint disappear with grace and ease".

Here's what you need to get going...

- freshly washed hands with no dirt or oily residue
- 1200 grit wet/dry sand paper
- Bounty paper towel (leaves little to no lint, dyes do not transfer...good stuff!)
- 3M Perfect It rubbing cream
- a little patience

We start off with an annoying dust nib, captured in the final layer of clear.  In this case, it is top dead center of the top tube.  While most would have a hard time seeing it on casual inspection, I know it's there and it bugs the crap out of me, so let's fix it.

 

We'll start off by washing our hands and then cutting a small square of 1200 grit paper...

 

Lightly sand the area, starting from the origin and gently working your way out in a circular motion.  For scratches or larger blemishes, I will apply more force at the origin and then decrease the pressure with the paper as it moves away to the periphery.

 

Once the area is sanded to a smooth uniform surface, it becomes our job to begin to make the area less noticeable.  We are basically using a smaller grit of abrasive and making the scratches smaller as we work the area until it is undetectable with the naked eye.  In this case, we will use 3M's Perfect It, a nice smooth rubbing compound made just for this application.

 

A little bit goes a long way.  Put a dab on a paper towel and mimic your previous motion...working out from the origin in a circular pattern.

 

I usually go through two or three applications, gently increasing the diameter of my working area, feathering the existing finish into the repaired area.  You can see below that the area is already blending together smoothly, yet still is a bit dull.

 

After my paper towel applications, I put a dab on my clean finger and rub it down again.  The area will glaze up.  Keep working the area over the entire length of your fingers area until it wets out again and goes to glass, leaving a smooth, glossy finish that matches the surrounding clear.

 

And Wah-lah, you have a perfectly repaired area, devoid of detectable blemishes.

A simple process that can save you a lot of stress before the big reveal.

cheers,

rody

Nahbs 2013 recap report

A whirlwind final day of prep and loading saw Kalten and I headed down the road to Nahbs 2013 in Denver.  I had hoped to have a low stress prep this year, bringing the resurrected X frame, the orphaned Candy road bike, Dave's classic Single Speed Cruiser, and the Zombie Road bike with the ceramic finish.  As always, it was down to the wire...you would think I'd learn that EVERYTHING always takes longer than you'd like.

In my focused perspective, I failed to pay attention to the weather which correctly identified a horrible storm sweepin through our route of travel.  Mikey had tried to warn me but his cautionary advise got lost in the shuffel of my short attention span. It wasn't until texting with Drew (Engin cycles) that I became aware we were headed into the maw of the storm.  Regardless, we were committed.

The storm just getting started...

We passed more than 12 cars on their roofs, countless vehicles spun out and mashed off the road, drove at 15 mph in whiteout conditions for hours, and had more than our share of exclaiming "holy crap, where is the road???" 

After battling our way through the "storm of the decade", as it's being called on the news, for more than 25 hours of driving, we have landed safely in Downtown Denver. 

Once here, the downtown capital area was closed by police for a standoff with shooter from a balcony.  All this as I walk around in my Birkenstocks, maybe shoulda brought some footwear that covers my toes. 

Thursday was set up day and it was interesting at best.  200 exhibitors and a limited load in area made it a day for patience and cooperation.  Fortunately, paying the price by arriving early placed us in prime position to get our stuff unloaded, set up, and allowed us to help some of our cherished friends during this hectic time.

Our empty space ready to be adorned with Groovy swag...

and the final product...

(Note that I move Kalten around periodically so as not to congest the same frame of the picture...that's professionalism!)

Friday began with early admittance for the media.  The coverage this year tended to be leaner than in the past, with lots of folks attending virtually stating that outside the Nahbs site, they had to work to find good coverage.  Personally, I felt we had a good response from the majority of the press...Velonews, BikeRumor, DirtRag, UrbanVelo, and a few others spent quite a bit of time with us, to which we are very grateful.  No doubt that in the weeks to come more will filter out, as our media brethren need time to get their thoughts together as well.  

The show had a good turnout for a Friday, with lots of Media and Industry folks enjoying the first couple of hours before the doors broke open for the public, who proved to be enthusiastic and engaging. It was a pleasure to meet so many of you who I've only known through 1's and 0's.

Saturday, was pretty killer, as the vibe in town for the show was vibrant and folks are embracing the handbuilt craft. It was a constant stream of supporters throughout the day.  The Frankenstein bike and it's colorful story was of interest, as many asked me to bring it and see the reincarnation in person,

as was the Zombie bike, which had folks remarking that they were told they "had to come over and see the bike with the Zombie theme".

Saturday night saw a new addition to the schedule of events, as Josh brought his Velocipede Salon's Smoked out to Denver for a live streaming broadcast.  Set up as a panel discussion that took questions from the audience and web alike, it was an excellent effort to bring an inside look at our industry to both our peers and the masses.  I was fortunate enough to be asked to participate at the last minute, which allowed me to forward my agenda of spreading meaningless drivel and having fun.  If you missed the live broadcast, you can check it out below.  The panel discussion begins about 26 minutes in ...

Smoked Out LIVE

It was odd talking about the business while those with far more experience, those that I look to as mentors, sat in the audience.  It was my hope that I added to the overall conversation and helped move our small circle of craft forward.

Sunday, round two of the storm made it's way to the Rockies and beyond, slowing down the attendance.  It was a nice pace, but honestly, by mid afternoon, all the exhibitors are feeling the pain from talking and standing for three days and begin to get angsty to pack up and get moving, but alas, the award ceremony holds everyone's attention to the end.

The awards and their relevance to the show always sparks an emotional response.  Despite the efforts of Don and the group that regulates the categories and judging, there always tends to be hard feelings from those that participate and do not receive the affirmation they feel is deserved.  I conveyed to more than one fellow builder that they need to look no further than the smiles and accolades of those that spend time in their booths for the affirmation they seek...the customers are the true critics and judge.  Regardless, I've shared their frustration in the past and am empathetic.  Nuff said.

Definitely the best part of our annual gathering are the people.  The opportunity to hang with friends that I only get to see once a year and share a meal and adventure is one of my cherished activities while at the show.  We hung at some great restaurants while in the mile high city and had some stimulating conversations with old and new friends alike.

 

Monday morning brought the final packing and preparations to leave.  Before we could bust out of town and into the storm on it's way across the east, we made an obligatory stop for Kalten to check out Wax Trax records for some vinyl lovin.

90 minutes later, Kalten left with a number of great finds to spin on his next DJ venture.

So with the big show over, there was nothing left but to drive home.

The trip home was horrible, as we were enveloped in 24 inches of snow in Kansas, finally forcing us off the road just outside of Kansas City to wait it out. 

When we saw a break in the radar, we scooted out to the van to get moving...only to spend the next 45 minutes trying to get out of the parking lot.  Two guys, one shovel, and a pair of sandals do not a quick escape make.

We finally rolled into home Wednesday at 0745, glad to be in the safe confines of the shop again.  Thanks to all on Facebook for the positive thoughts and well wishes.

Next year...Charlotte, NC. 

Thank God I don't have to drive across the country again.

Final tidbits and odd thoughts that don't fit in the above story line...

In speaking with other exhibitors, most felt that the on site sales were down this year (tees, accessories, etc...).  Most thought Denver would be a slam dunk, as it is rich in cycling culture.  A product of the still recovering economy?  Our two best years were Indy and Richmond, all else have failed in comparison.  My thought is that areas that are already so bike crazy have customers that are well ingrained in the culture.  The Rocky Mnt. Bike show takes place here each year, drawing many of the same exhibitors.  Less new glitz/glamour/exposure response means less desire to spend money to obtain a part of it to take home.  This is the first year that the trip did not pay for it's self for me, despite that, I feel it is an investment well worth the effort.

It has been a great pleasure to watch a few young builders mature and really find their own place in the market.  Two that I've really enjoyed watching mature and refine their craft are John Calleti of Caletti Cycles and Erik Rolf of Alliance Bicycles .  Both should be on your radar for a custom bike in the future.

Two young men who have made the leap from hobbyist to new builder that I've had a chance to watch through the forums are Chauncey Matthews and Eric Dozwell  ...great to see them going for it.

I brought the fixture along this year for a few builders who have seen it online and wanted to get some hands on time.  Yes, Bill and I are going to produce it.  It will be available beginning June 1, 2013.  More info forthcoming.

A big thanks to Don, Lesley, Paul, Robin and the Nahbs crew for making it all possible.

Looking forward to NC next year..gonna be the 10th iteration of the show and I'm planning on making Charlotte home with some fun and different ideas.  I'd really love to be surrounded by like minded friends, if y'all want to get together for a series of booths, please let me know asap.  Would like to rock it out with like minded folks.

Thanks all for supporting us, I'm glad Groovy can be part of your lives.

cheers,

rody

In the news...

Urban Velo review

Prolly is not Probably review

Cycling tips review

VeloNews pics

On the road to Denver...

Well folks, after battling our way through the "storm of the decade", as it's being called on the news, for more than 25 hours of driving, we have landed safely in Downtown Denver.

Passed more than 12 cars on their roofs, countless vehicle...s spun out and mashed off the road, drove at 15 mph in whiteout conditions for more than an hour, and had more than our share of exclaiming "holy crap, where is the road???" 

Once here, the downtown capital area was closed by police for a standoff with shooter from a balcony. All this as I walk around in my Birkenstocks, maybe shoulda brought some footwear that covers my toes. 

A bike show in the middle of February in Colorado? Don, next year, I vote for Hawaii.

 

cheers,

rody

Weight Weenies Unite!

A quick visual comparison of the weight savings of a one piece bar/stem combo.

On the left, a total bar/stem combo...on the right, a Thomson stem and bar center section only.

307grams to 305grams = 2 grams difference...it's like getting the grip sections for free!

Ti goodies for Nahbs 2013...

Knocked out some ti goodies for some of the bikes going to Nahbs in Denver this year, just a few more pieces to go  :)

On the elaborate display table is a unicrown disc fork, Disco Stick seatpost, and a custom stem for a road bike.

 The fabrication of the fork went really well; bent easily with good symmetry, mitered perfectly, and welded up like buttah!

 This fork gets standard 9mm axle dropouts and ISO disc tab which will mate up to silver White Industry hubs and Magura brakes...

 A 27.2 seat post will offer some cushy bum comfort on the trail.  I really like the inherent flex the ti offers to the rear cockpit without the fear of snapping a carbon post and having shards run through your arse...yikes!

 The road stem is for the Titanium road bike project, should be a nice fit balancing out the cockpit.

The days til Denver are counting down, hopefully all will be ready.  My biggest hurdle right now is the Ti Hot Rods.  The first subcontractor for the CNC work left me with 2500 dollars of scrap before giving up and the second contractor (a large National supply and processing center) has fallen silent for two weeks.  Getting a bit nervous that I'll get everything in time.

cheers,

rody

It's TAX time...

Ok, so boring post with an OMG moment.

Been working on office stuff with Christi for the last 4 days or so getting ready to file taxes today...not the stuff dreams are made of but unfortunately, a time consuming part of owning your own busy-ness.

Ran the final numbers and that's when it occurred.

There are a lot of folks who expound upon their desire to break from the corporate world and join the small niche of hand built fabricators.  Some move beyond dreams and take a shot at reality, only to flame out a year or two later.  Why?  Normally a lack of planning a solid business model and unrealistic expectations.  Consistency is key.

Groovy's total final annual net number has varied by less than a whisker each of the last three years.  For 2012, the difference from the previous was $18.00.

Either I'm not working hard enough, working at my capacity, or stuck in a lazy streak that lasts for years at a time.

Or, I could just have an AWESOME bunch of customers who support me consistently.  Yeah, probably that.

We'll see what 2013 brings us.

Thanks for all your support!

rody