PDX Cross photo gallery

I'm sorry , but I'll never get sick of this. PDX Cross has a photo gallery up of the Constructor's Race here.

Beautiful pictures by Mike Davis chronicle the race from pre-start to finish line antics and podium celebrations. I had the pleasure of chatting with Mike on the chartered bus ride up to the start in Vernonia. He gets the credit for the photo above.

Enjoy the gallery.

Happenings, man

There's a lot going down here at Boxer Bicycles central command. Namely, there are more events coming up in the very near to near to not so distant future.

This coming Saturday, 10/17, I'll be attending/participating in the Counterbalance Bicycles Demo Day. There will be a few tents set up along the Burke Gilman trail, just north of the University Village with bikes and products available for demo/test ride. Being right there on the trail does have its advantages so come down, or up, to check out Boxer Bicycles in the flesh, as well as other swell bikes and stuff. The street address is 2943 Ne Blakely, Seattle 98105. The number there is 206 922 3555 and the hours on Saturday are 10a - 6p. I'll probably cut out a little early (say around 5-ish) for a dinner engagement.

The following Friday, 10/23, Boxer Bicycles will participate in the Shop for a Mission Showcase at the Vulcan headquarters in South Lake Union neighborhood. We will have a couple bikes set up in a booth during lunch hour for Vulcanites to peruse. This showcase is being presented by Washington CASH (Community Alliance for Self Help), the entrepreneur development and training non-profit organization. WA CASH was super helpful in getting Boxer Bicycles off the ground last Spring. Dig, Washington CASH. If you are a Vulcan employee come on by and check us out.

Lastly, the Oregon Bicycle Constructors Association (OBCA) is presenting the 2009 Handmade Bicycle Show in Portland (where else?) October 31st and November 1st. Check out OregonBCA.org for more info. I'm excited about this event because it's a great follow-up to the Oregon Manifest Design Challenge and Rapha Constructor's Race. In fact, the OBCA show is part of the month-long Oregon Manifest extravaganza. For more info about that, see Oregon Manifest.

Good times to come. See some of these bikes in person and take something for a ride, perhaps?

Oh yeah, there are more photos of my Oregon Manifest Design Challenge entry on flickr. I especially like these.

'nother pointer

Curtis Inglis caught this great picture of Josh Muir and I during the Constructor's Race here.
This is a decent photo of my bike as well. The lighting was pretty good, so it shows some of the details pretty well.

Curtis had a beautiful entry in the challenge, as did Josh. Each one was littered with refined details that came together as a whole so well and with so much class in a tasteful aesthetic.

Nice write up of the OM/Rapha Constructor's Race

Just a pointer to Mark Reber's story over on bikeportland.org
Check it here.

Well, that was fun

I'm back in Seattle. Drove up last night from Portland after a little time spent at the Oregon Manifest Design Constructor's Challenge Race finish line party.

It was a beautiful course with some challenging climbs and a healthy section of gravel climbing/descending. It would make a fantastic permanent or brevet course (hint, hint OR Randonneurs!).

Slogging along on the home stretch I passed the Skyline Tavern and was cheered by a couple guys on the terrace. I couldn't see who they were, so I just waved my bloody hand and kept riding. I worried that the next riders were close behind and gaining, as the last couple climbs were very slow for me and really took their toll.

Shortly after passing the Tavern, I see two riders were approaching (and the wind began to howl!) in my beerview mirror. One is on an unencumbered bike, the other clearly with a load over the front wheel and a dynamo powered light shining below the rack. That sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach descends, knowing that I only have so much gas left in the tank and I'm suffering on any small incline. I have a momentary freak-out, fearing that these two riders are racers and will work together to overtake me and duke it out for the finish.

I can not tell you how relieved and happy I was when they pulled up behind me and I realized one of them is Joshua Bryant, a fine Oregon Randonneur whom I've ridden with on a couple occasions. I hoot and holler and excitedly tell them that I thought all the effort and blood and hopes for any glory were lost, but now I still had a fighting chance! I quickly introduced myself to the other rider, none other than Phillipe Andre, another randonneur whose name has peppered SIR brevet results of years past. I recognized his name as one of the faster riders and am dually glad to meet him.

Josh pulls a couple car lengths ahead and Phillipe tucks in behind. I am still racing and they are not interested in helping/cheating, but they do wish to join me on the ride to the finish. With renewed vigor and hope in my heart, I gave it all I had. The very last bit is a ride through my old stomping grounds, the NW neighborhood of Portland. Each block has a stop sign or traffic light. Sometimes it's a four way stop sign. This is not a very quick way to get through a neighborhood, which is quite lovely for the inhabitants of this part of town, however to me the stops and waiting for pedestrians and traffic was interminably long. I've never won a race before, because I had never raced before this event, so I was very anxious.

Upon arrival at the finish, the organizer had set up a tent for the racers to change into proper party attire, which had to be carried the entire ride, along with a glass 6 pack of beers collected at the f1st checkpoint on Dixie Mountain Rd. and some party snacks picked up at Chris King's barn on NW Kaiser. It was unpleasant trying to stretch a tight fitting shirt over my road-rashed shoulder and left arm, but it was worth it to be presentable at the finish.

I had fun at the event and was proud to wear my SIR jersey, representing a club of strong and well-rounded riders. 77 miles is really a warm-up for most of us, but I rarely ride at such a hurried pace. It has it's attraction, however, and I might try to push the clock a little on the next brevet. And I learned to go a little easier in the sweeping gravel corners. There's some coverage of the event, as you may have discovered and a few pictures of the bike itself on flickr and whatnot. Here's a few from the second checkpoint and the finish line.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/philipwilliamson/3980993633/in/set-72157622510966654/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bikeportland/3979263966/in/set-72157622386445327/
This one shows the party attire and the bloodied brake lever pretty well.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bikeportland/3979264950/sizes/l/in/set-72157622386445327/

Once again, I want to thank my wonderful wife, Katie, whose support is what keeps me improving upon my best each day. I also wish to thank the organizers of the Oregon Manifest for the opportunity to showcase my craft with a larger audience and prove the validity of my design. I am not and will never be a very fast rider, but I do know how to make an effective, fun, efficient and high performance bicycle. That I was the 1st frame builder to cross the line on his own bike has to count for something, no?

Portland bound

We leave for Portland tonight. The Oregon Manifest Constructor's Design Challenge begins tomorrow. The bike is ready. I am prepared. The weather is changing (again).

I'm excited to go to Portland. We haven't been there since the NAHBS '08. We will get one night spent in the Ace Hotel, then Katie goes back to Seattle Friday night on the train. Then I spend a couple nights with a kind couple, Joel and Hannah, who are enthusiastic about bikes and frame builders. It all is exciting and I'm honored to participate.

It has been a great learning opportunity having such a hard deadline to meet with so many details and complications to the build. I was floored by the effort to get a project together in such a short amount of time and I couldn't have done it without the organizational help and support of my wonderful wife, Katie.

Our families have also been extremely supportive, especially during our wedding weekend event. Everyone pitched in to help out, organizing, cleaning, setting up and breaking down, and having an all around fun time. What a privilege to share our time with both families as they got to know one another. I hope that we all can find a time to do it again soon.




Thanks too, to the folks at Counterbalance Bicycles in Seattle for all their encouragement.

There isn't much else for me to add right now. I'll have more news upon my return.

Words cannot describe...

the feeling you get when something you've labored over for many months leaves you to go be with another person, forever. I think Robert touched on it on his blog. He wrote, "As I drove away with the bike, I noticed Dan in my rear view watching me roll down the hill with it. He had a huge grin on his face."

I felt like a parent watching his kid drive off for his first day at college.

Robert came by a few days ago to pick up his new Boxer randonneuring bicycle. He is one of the nicest fellows you will ever meet, and rides a lot with the Seattle International Randonneurs.

Robert and I began talking about a randonneuring bicycle for him last winter during the SIR winter training series. I remember, we were riding on Whidbey Island, cruising along, chatting about bikes and enjoying the buzz of the road. Robert expressed an interest in having a proper randonneuring bike for all his long-distance adventures and we promised to re-visit the notion when Boxer Bicycles was up and running. He was one of the first people I contacted when I opened for business in March '09.

It has been a pleasure working with Robert as he's so easy-going. I was also lucky enough to enlist Robert's services to work up a logo design from some chicken scratch drawings I did a while ago. So each Boxer Bicycle will be festooned with Robert's sharp artwork. You can learn more about Robert and his work, life, rando escapades at his blog and website here.

More photos of the entire build sequence are on my flickr pages. Nice stuff, sho' nuff.