Thursday, July 25, 2013

Bike stuff to get done in 2013




It's been a busy year for me so far, with little time to get into bike projects. As many of you know, AZ is a spare time venture for us, so my garage time comes when yard work is done, when the weather is good, and when our day jobs are not running on overtime. Lately, free time has been sparse.

So, in order to utilize this scattered free time I have had lately, a new plan of attack has been laid out that will keep me in the garage hacking mode and add some new stuff to our site.

We have decided to start on an in-depth series of tutorials that will also become mastered into a DVD set for those who want to watch them on the big screen. We will cover welding, grinding and general bike hacking from beginning to end so that anyone can jump into this great hobby and learn everything needed to create a successful project.  All of the tutorials will be available for free on our Tutorials section, and the 3-part DVD will be offered for sale just like a plan.

I am also working on a bunch of online calculators geared towards the things we do, so you can just plug in your numbers and get the answers to common problems such as measurements, spoke length, gear ratios, tubing weight, wind resistance and other useful calculations. If you have any suggestions for an online calculator, then stop by our forum and make a suggestion. We would like to make AZ the ultimate place to be for creative bike builders!

Saskatoon berries calling to be picked



With all of the rain we have had lately, my favorite summer time berries have finally arrived. Saskatoons are a sweet berry that seem to fall between cherries and blueberries on the taste scale, and they so are abundant around here that a single tree out of the dozen in one field could fill a barrel. I like them so much that I often skip lunch and just head out to the trees to eat like a bear! The crab apples are also coming along, and they will be replacing the 'toons about a week after they all dry up. Oh, and don't forget the raspberries; they are soon to arrive as well. This is a tasty place to live.

Ok, I will keep it short this morning as I am going to start coding those online calculators and hope to have something to show this week. Wish me luck; I am about to dive deep into web coding again and do battle with a foe that makes Murphy's Law seem tame!

~ Brad