Popped in for a visit at SF MOMA at the beginning of 2017. It's been since 2008 since I was last here, and the new spaces are amazing.
A truely fantastic collection.
I've got no problem admitting i'm not a surfer, but that doesn't mean I don't love the sport and cherish the culture.
I personally prefer to be in a kayak above the waves, and interacting with the ocean is a spiritual thing for me. Having spent the beginning of my post-college adult life up and down the coast of California, it's culture and values are deeply engrained in my soul.
Ringing in 2017, after spending Christmas with family, I got back out home to Santa Cruz to say hello to good friends and goodbye to 2016.
Probably one of my favorite past-times is camping.
Spending time with good friends in nature, tuning out from the world's noise, and tuning into the every changing channels of flickering flame provided by a camp-fire.
This love has recently inspired me and a fellow friend and designer to look into the ever evolving and involving category of camp products.
Design through lifestyle and experiences.
Coffee Fuels me. I crave it. I love it. It completes me.
Out of all the gadgetry and methods i've collected over the years, (and i have many, and I still use them all depending on the bean and the mood) AeroPress and Pour Over are my fix.
Cycling Industry insider tip-
If you're at EuroBike, Thule always has the best Cappuccinos.
My most recent bargain finds... a Period correct Pre-76 Momo Concave, as well as a VERY rare 60's Stacked Logo Prototipo. Europe continues to be a continent of barn-find classic parts for great prices.
In what has become an almost yearly Pilgrimage, EuroBike remains a valuable means of gauging market trends and benchmarking year-to-year advances and progress of the cycling industry.
Stand outs from this year's show was the BMC Concept E-Bike, Argon 18 Road Concept, and Mavic's Sweet-Sweet Peugeot Team Car.
Dirty Fingernails are a part of life. Deal with it. Embrace it. Enjoy it.
And when you run into obstacles, look for the opportunities.
Something as simple as shaving a bolt face down to fit in an orientation it wasn't intended can give you unique functional and mounting opportunities, as with the Fuel Pressure regulator.
I wanted it mounted in a certain position, in a particular place that wasn't allowed by the mounting kit provided, so I made my own solution that worked brilliantly.
I can't lay claim to coming up with this Idea. I saw these at one of my favorite shops in SF.
I can however lay claim to making them for signifigantly less, as well putting a little spin on the concept, having them bump up together to make a scale representation of the US.
Which is Kinda cool.
These were made as a wedding present for a good friend from Santa Cruz. Artwork was created in Illustrator, and were cut out via laser cutter at California College of the Arts thanks to Pat the Pirate.
Sand, stain, polish. Repeat. Done.
Congrats and best wishes Tim&Kelli!
Getting dirty is half the fun of working.
I'm able to take the ball from Concept to CAD, to Final Presentation models.
I loved the look of the big, rectangular valve cover, and how solid it felt with the paint and detailing done to it.
I wanted to mirror that large rectangular top-graphic, but had to work around the factory brake booster. I created a 1:1 scale mockup to modify the original filter that was never intended to fit.
After stiffening the motor mounts with poly bushings, and some fabrication to the filter I was able to maintain both the look and function of a large-volume air filter.
These concepts were part of a fun project to design some ultra-steezy bench/furniture concepts.
I love Mechanical Jewelry.
And when I'm building anything, I like every aspect worth considering, considered.
When I started work on the intake side of rebuilding my Weber DCOEs, I painstakingly masked, painted, and machined all the mating surfaces to be precise with the smoothest transitions possible for best air-flow.
These are details that likely no-one else will see, but I know they're there. And when the next steward who takes this car apart will hopefully see the love, care and consideration that was put into it.
Weather (pun intended) it's muddy trails or soaked commuting. One must always be prepared.
Often the ones you don't see.
When it comes to the work I've done on my 2002, I've taken things to obccessive levels; applying the mentality that if i'm going to remove, or install something new, I'm going to spend the time to make that part or piece as perfect as possible.
Take, for example the simple water pipe shown. I went through the effort to file down all the casting marks, manufacturing sprews, and chamfer/bevel all the edges so that the form was as pure as possible.
Then, after it was painted I went to the next level of facing all the molded text details so the raw aluminum shone through the black wrinkle paint.
They're details probably no-one will notice, but I'm proud that they're there. And, when the next steward to Brunhilde takes her apart, maybe they'll see the love and care that was put into the little things.
2015 was my first year in attendance at EICMA, and what a show it is.
Focused on the Motocycle Industry, there's allot to be inspired by that can be translated into the cycling industry.
Standouts of the show by far was the KISKA/Husquvarna 701 Concept. Absolutely breath-taking in it's details.
I love Burritos. They're the anytime, anywhere, any-how food item. I love Pleasure Point Market's Breakfast Burritos the most. Sooo much yum.
I have a mild fetish for Kitchen Gadgets, and Joseph Joseph has always been a favorite brand of mine.
They consistently demonstrate innovative and thought provoking solutions to every-day items, with a design language and identity that maintains a minimalist functionality.
If I were a rich man, my kitchen would be stoked with their product line :)
Another Brunhilde adventure. I made some friends down in Cote d'Azur and went to visit the Prince's of Monaco's car collection.
Another extremely important show in the Outdoor Industry, ISPO is a great experience to benchmark color, fashion, and graphic trends that inform other industries, Cycling included.
These beautiful pieces were found in a small Gallery/Shop back home in Santa Cruz. They're hand made in Japan, and have a beautiful, honest minimal aesthetic.
I'm not a hunter, but I am an avid outdoorsman and lover of machined parts. This was a fun project that allowed me to freely explore different form-factors for breathing new life into an otherwise conservative product category.
Brunhilde gets some audio upgrades.
Cycling Apparel Circa 2010
Collaboration with Garrett Chow
Europe continues to be a wealth of rare vintage parts.
For example, the NOS (New, Old Stock) Abarth performance exhaust that had been sitting in an Italian warehouse since the 70's, just waiting for me to find it.
I'm in love with the vintage graphics!