Wow, nearly a year has gone by since my last post. In that time I have been building some prototypes, acquiring tools and refining processes as well as completing one of the most complex projects yet. Supply of parts has been difficult over the past year. Shimano and SRAM are backed up, tubing suppliers are constantly out of stock on key tubes and fittings. All this while my waitlist grows. Currently, I’m lending a personal bike to a customer until I can get to his order! This doesn’t mean I have a long wait list, just that my client count and my production rate are out of balance by a bit. This stresses me out. I hate to disappoint people.
When I build a bike, I spend a fair bit of time in the shop thinking about what the bike will be and how to exceed expectations of the rider. I think about the use that we’ve discussed and if I have a prototype that I’d like to introduce that suits your needs, I will call you to discuss this. Sometimes, the calls take a week or two to get through. A few extra weeks of planning hopefully will lead to a lifetime of happy cycling.
I recently had a discussion with an ex-pro BMX racer who is planning to race Nationals in Spokane later this summer. He was looking for something specific and I had some ideas and a collaboration seemed imminent. It took us 3 weeks to coordinate a phone call! He’s busy, I’m busy. It just takes time. The dude, whom I raced with 30+ years ago as Pros and hadn’t talked with in nearly as long, had some requirements that I couldn’t meet in the timeframe he needed. Expect to see him on a Draper BMX Series I in late summer around the Pacific NW. I’m determined.
The next few are:
- Upright commuter with IGH, dyno lighting and racks heading to Ventura CA. (compete in July 2021)
- Alley Cat racer for a super cool local Seattle messenger chick (July 2021)
- 24in BMX cruiser race bike including custom crankset (Aug 2021)
Renewed Commitments:
I think I have done this before but I’m committing to weekly updates on what i have been working on and progress made. You all know you can follow along (either in general or in your projects specific album) on my Flickr page.
Draper Cycles 