The second day of NAHBS exceeded all our expectations. After spending a grimy week of traveling along the beautiful roads of northern California, and rolling into the jewelry display of sweet bling bikes with our now well used machines, covered in road patina, we have felt a bit out of place. The last thing we expected was to win any awards. Our plan for this year was more about showing the experience of building and riding custom naked bikes, rather than really showing them off. This is why winning the award for best mountain bike as well as most innovative [...]

While madly trying to pack, finish off finishing touches, and leave in less than an hour, we thought a few sneak-peaks of the two bikes (currently being referred to as Bert and Ernie) was in order.  This is the LAST time they will be clean.

My adventure to NAHBS 2012 has taken a detour.  I must gracefully accept that I cannot join in the bike tour and bike show and all around good times that will be had a NAHBS. I’ve been living with some mystery health issues that are currently being analyzed,  generalized, revised, and hopefully summarized.    Seeing how I don’t know what’s wrong, and there is a chance that I may be affected by it during the ride and afterwords, I am opting to stay home and get healthy. This is tough for me.  My normal reaction would be to toughen up already, [...]

Building continues to the wee hours of the morning.  I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Someone please tell me it’s not a train (Cracker,  2009 Virgin Records America, Inc.)   We’ve been blabbing on for quite a few blog posts.  It’s time to let the pictures speak for themselves.  

Way back in the original name brainstorming session, that ended with our fledgling bike company becoming “Naked Bicycles” we hoped for a material that had the weight of aluminum, the feel of steel and the toughness and naked nature of Titanium. Well, such a material did not exist at the time, so we made do with the wonderful materials that where available. All have great features that make them very desirable to build with and ride but each has its shortcomings too. When asked by customers which material is best, I would offer the following descriptions of Aluminum, Steel, Titanium [...]

It’s late.  I look out the office window and I can see Sam still working.  I haven’t left the computer since the last time I got up to add wood to the fire.  It’s the time of night when you should be sleeping or at least hanging with friends at the pub. It is Friday night after all.  I’ve got my own personal party here with a little music and a little bit more of wine.  The stress level is mounting. Sam, Aran and I have been working on this project for many weeks now.  This is the point where [...]

The Naked workshop has been a flutter with flying bits of milled stainless, sketches drawn and crumpled. All is proceeding along nicely. A few new idea and ways of doing things but for the most part I am borrowing heavily from past experience. Putting bends in the super strong KVA tubing is proving a herculean task. How can a material be so strong and thin, and yet when it finally gives into persuasion from kind words, threats and some very long levers, it finally complies in the most elegant of fashions and leave me with some beautiful Art Nouveau swaggers? [...]

I realized two things today as I headed back to the “Yak-Shak” after 6 or so hours of riding with an unbelievably cool and motley crew of two wheel compatriots.   The first is this: We don’t fit the mold.   Let me explain. A few days ago as part of the lead up to the big show, we received a note from NAHBS organizers, asking us to fill out a form explaining what judging categories we wanted to enter our bikes in this year. This seemed very simple at first. The categories are pretty straight forward and understandable in [...]

      It is right about now, when the firewood is low and the flu season is high that I ask myself the annual question. WHY? Because it will be worth it right? My brain is overflowing with stress and ideas and not always sure where one begins and one ends. The romantic view of the suffering artist? A master craftsman in search of some higher calling? Ha! That’s me right now baby. It sucks. I’m sick as a dog, time ticks on and the money flows out the door like a Belgian ‘crosser going for the hole-shot. Should [...]

Hooray! On an island where ferries shut down and the power goes out frequently in the winter,  we are pretty damn lucky to have a such an efficient and helpful postal staff.   2 boxes came in today.  One from KVA – the tubing for the cargo/city bike. The other from Gates Carbon Drive – also for the cargo bike.  And so begins the rest of the design process.