The Doors are in and the Place is Shaping Up

Posted by Charles Tue, 20 Dec 2005 08:02:00 GMT

I have driven in through the roll up door for the last time. Passion now has a new set of glass doors and windows, more in line with what we are trying to get away with here. Having a huge doorway for drive in deliveries was nice while it lasted, but now that the temperatures have dropped, I have had trouble deciding whether to keep the inside outside cool, or make a hard to find shop darned right impossible to notice. This make the decision easy, keeps the PG & E bill tolerable, and might help keep money trickling into the till.

Posted in Shop

The first two rules of Urban Riding

Posted by Charles Mon, 05 Dec 2005 07:34:00 GMT

I wouldn’t be one to know if they are the two most important rules, but they’re the first two I learned. I told Dave that Scott and I were on our way to Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont last Tuesday night for a little Urban expedition, and asked his advice. He replied “Start high up and work your way down, and keep moving so you’re less likely to get chased out”. When I relayed this to Scott, he said that wasn’t just a Notre Dame thing, but pretty much how it works best for every Urban ride.

Posted in Passion

Ladder Is Up, Clothing Is Next

Posted by Charles Mon, 21 Nov 2005 05:12:00 GMT

Shane was back at Passion today to mount the North Shore diorama on the office wall. The banked turn is still in the conceptual stage, and waiting for materials, divine inspiration, or both.

Posted in Shop

The Ladder and the Lounge

Posted by Charles Fri, 18 Nov 2005 07:30:00 GMT

Passion has two very high profile projects going on right now. The first is one of the Bike Dioramas, the North Shore ladder, and the second is the plumbing of the Lounge, which sounds pretty boring at first mention but is sure to become a social focal point.

Posted in Shop

And another thing...

Posted by Charles Sat, 05 Nov 2005 06:57:00 GMT

Or another great bike, anyway. Today Intense Cycles jumped on board. This rounds out the Passion family of full suspension designs. Intense adds their VPP suspension to Maverick’s Monolink and Giant’s Maestro. Turner represents both the Horst Link and TNT Four Bar Link rear ends, leaving no good rear suspension type unrepresented.

The Intense 6.6 frames will be available for the first time in a large in about a week, and Passion has them on order. Let me know what color you would like to see.

Posted in Bikes

What Passion has now

Posted by Charles Fri, 04 Nov 2005 07:41:00 GMT

I got good news by phone this afternoon – Passion just became a Giant Bicycle dealer. Their Maestro suspension caught my eye at last year’s Interbike trade show, passed the ride test, and has had me intrigued since. I was able to ride the Anthem, Reign, and Trance again this year, one a new model, the others with some subtle improvements, and began making room for them in the shop as soon as I got home.

Last week, I was approved by Turner Bikes as their newest dealer, and today picked up the phone to get a 5 Spot and a 6 Pack on the way. Their new TNT rear suspension offers the benefits of a Four Bar rear end, with hand craftsmanship construction. Add to that custom colors, and custom shock configurations, and you have one irresistible package.

Maverick American has been with me since the beginning, before I had a definite location. The support and enthusiasm I get from them is first rate, and surpassed only by the quality and ride of the frames that bear their name. For over a decade I had been in the habit of getting a new mountain bike every year or two, and never owning an old modern mountain bike (just a few classics, not modern by any means – we’re talking Roller Cams and Friction Shifters) but that has changed. My ML-7 has been in the bike barn for 4 years now. A bit long in the tooth, and still my favorite bike.

Posted in Bikes

Finishing the walls, now buying hardware

Posted by Charles Thu, 03 Nov 2005 06:58:00 GMT

It looks like we’ll have the office wall construction project wrapped up by Saturday. I ordered a new computer for the office, and am shopping for a copier/fax/scanner in anticipation of having a clean, dedicated work space, at Passion instead of just at my home.

Posted in Shop

The walls are going up

Posted by Charles Wed, 26 Oct 2005 06:42:00 GMT

We began putting up the office walls on Sunday. Materials were gathered in advance, to the best of our ability, to avoid trapping our crew in Home Depot Gridlock on construction day. We made two trips each with two pickups to get a days worth of lumber and fasteners, and some sheetrock and supplies for later. We moved benches and fixtures well out of the way so we could build the 15 foot high wall in sections on the ground, and then raise each section into place and attach it to the ceiling.

Posted in Shop

The work in progress

Posted by Charles Fri, 21 Oct 2005 07:51:00 GMT

Here is a series of three shots that demonstrate my progress, or lack thereof, so far. The last shot was taken last Wednesday, and I have come a little further since then, but writing orders and running around to hardware and lumber stores took its toll on my allotted time on the cement.

Posted in Shop

The Floor Is Done

Posted by Charles Sun, 09 Oct 2005 05:18:00 GMT

The epoxy is now dry enough to walk on. When my wife found this photo on my computer later, she said I should send it off the my landlord, with a made up story about how the building was flooded.

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