Weekly blog posts. They can't be that hard. It's just a few words, some pictures and BLAMMO. Done! And yet what do we do? We leave a couple of weeks and then have way too much to talk about and it all feels like a giant chore. So then...we almost leave it THREE WEEKS. Jesus wept and then he tried to wash the stupid off us with his tears. Anyway, here we are, so let's talk all things August. Oh, and the blog may look a little different. Sooooomeone (Mrs. A, SHOCK) has done some fancy SEO training.
Noah's new school custom klunker
Let's start with Noah's cheeky little brown wonder. This project was special from start to finish. Noah is one of the top bods at Temple Cycles. They're all great guys but Noah has become a really good friend. Even after dealing with a stroppy Mrs. A once or twice when he was still at BLB. Ahhh. The good old days of calling him to order rims. We chat with Noah most days, so when he sent us an eBay link to a cool but overpriced frame he was planning to buy, we said: "NOPE. We can build you a custom for that". And so...we did.
It's a 26" wheel, dropper-post, internal routing, coaster brake hybrid of fun. Honestly, it is the most enjoyment I've had building a bike for a while, just because the brief didn't exist and I knew that the weirder the details, the more Noah would love them. We added a "cheeky flex" in the form of a BBS split-rim bolt and a bottle opener, then chucked it in for a brown powdercoat job. Does it remind us of an Auston Allegro? Of course it does, but it works. It was also a nice reminder that my unfiled fillets are pretty good. I'll never think they're as good as they can be (thanks OCD), but they certainly aren't hammered dogshit and we don't need to qualify them with a sonnet about respecting materials etc. They are functional, came out nice and let us build a bike for a lot less money, because that's the entire point of unfiled fillets. Rant over.
Thanks for the trust dude. Growing our friendship this year has meant a lot to both Amy and myself dude.
Mark's diddy custom stem
Next up...the other way around...a customer that became a good friend. Mark was the most patient man in the world when I built him an MTB in 2020. Some mental health blips and general frustrations made the build drag more than it should have but the end result was a classy French navy stunner that I didn't really want to part with. But Mark is a great chap. He bought our daughter a book that became the bane of our lives, always enjoys a good natter and he sends fun dog videos on Instagram. So when he wanted a stem to match his bike...oh hells yes! Especially after we saw the GROSS collection of spacers he had installed.
Colour-coded to match his bike and with a Chris King headset cover integrated, it's a neat little thing!
Jim's mythical mini velo
It feels like a lifetime ago, but we made Jim a mini velo. No, we know you didn't see much about it, but it was a scream to build. Anyway, we were thinking about it the other day and asked Jim how it is. Turns out, getting it built up was a bit of a mission but she's rolling now and a whizzy hoot to ride.
It's a travel bike, breaks down in half and is just a lot of fun. Some of you were a little obsessed (looking at you Lugs Not Drugs!), so here is a sneaky little look at her, out in the wild.
The Scott Black GoFundMe
There's been a lot of goodwill and generosity floating about this week and we wanted to take a second to thank you all. When we launched the fundraiser, it was in the vague hope that we might be able to raise half a month's rent to take the pressure off. Little did we know that we would reel in more than £2k.
There's been a lot of really sweet messages, some out-of-this-world huge donations and just a lot of amazing humaning. Thank you all. You've not only reminded us of the inherently pure nature of most people, you made someone concede to actually taking it easy and healing himself properly. You also reminded him that he is part of a community that values him.
An extra special thank you goes out to Alex Meade. You won the random draw and instead of asking for something, you simply wanted us to donate the proceeds to the cause. Done and Done. Thank you for being extra classy Alex.
August Cable Carats
You remember those tiny little diamond-shaped cable ends that I made a while back? Well. A few nagging emails later and we made a batch. We've only got two left, with the rest disappearing in under two hours. We're thinking of making an aluminium batch and having them anodised, so let us know if that feels like a plan. Until then, the two little lonely Carats remain in the shop. *Ahem. STOCKING FILLERS PEOPLE. Ahem.*
New shop additions
We've had some barrel nut adapters laser cut after a few of you let us know that you wanted to run a B&M µ light. Nice and simple and will be in the webshop from Monday. Don't ever say we don't listen!
A spiffing musette from lovely people
Ooooooh. The post was good to us this week. I'm not sure why we were half snoozing on Dyed In The Wool. Perhaps because we're vegan and assumed everything was made from wool? Either way, it was our loss and now, we are BIG FANS. First off, the guys behind the brands are fucking lovely. Secondly. The bags though!
Mrs. A received a fantastic padded musette and the first thing I heard, after she squealed with glee about vegan sausages (side note: can we all keep sharing vegan snacks from around the world please??) was: "Ooooooh, it's sooooo nice. DIBS." If you've been thinking about a nice bag, we can highly recommend these and have no doubt that one our Bullitts will be getting a big cargo bag next year.
Seriously though...anyone fancy joining in with a worldwide vegan snack exchange?
August Billet Christmas trees
And now for something silly and indulgent. Our billet Christmas trees were a little bit of very limited-release fun. We've been meaning to make something for December release for a couple of years but we actually got around to it.
All the trees sold in under an hour and are on their way to their new homes. Thank you all so much. We're really sorry to everyone that has emailed asking for another batch or started tagging fellow machinists in with a winky hint face, but these are done. And we will lose all of our Christmas spirit if we start seeing rip-offs! Be original everyone...it's more fun and the kudos is all yours.
Guess we better start thinking about next year's idea... And no, you filthy-brained degenerates, we are not going to make butt plugs. Good grief. Well... maybe as a special commission.
Dolly Parton T-shirts
Talking of things that sold out...have you all received your Dolly tees We'd love to see you all in them, so shoot us some pictures and we can create a gallery of all your lovely faces. Poor Konstantin over at Drust is the only person that sent us a fashion model shot, so let's add some more of you!
August Festive Album 2021
Festive 500? Probably not, seeing as we are old parents that appreciate a warm sofa these days. BUT. We thought it might be a giggle to launch a little thing of our own, so it's the Festive Fuckabout 2021. The rules are simple: if you have anything at all from us, go on a ride with it and take the most original picture you can. Send it to us and we will create a gallery of all your pictures. Got a bike? Ride it! A coffee tamper? Find a way to include that bastard! A badge? Great, let's see it in the wild! There's no spend threshold at all.*
Pics can be silly, clever, beautifully posed a la Rapha, we don't care. Fancy photoshopping? Go right ahead John. Your interpretation of this brief is going be what makes it something that's good for a laugh. And we will pick a couple of winners and send you something out. There's no taste in nowt is there? Tag us on Instagram and us #augustfestivefuckabout2021.
*previous timewasters and knob heads need not participate. This is for nice people with good senses of humour only. Fa la laaaa!
Right. This feels like an absolute mammoth of a post, so that'll do pig.
Rad peeps of the week
All of our Buy Me A Coffee supporters from throughout the year. We didn't know if it would be worth doing, but that little bit of random support has been incredibly touching. Thanks guys!
Amy's boss for not accepting a shitty resignation (don't ask!).
Our laser cutters for being amazing at always. Cheers guys!
Anyone else surviving life with a toddler. Because fucking hell.
Loo, for being the only person in the world that didn't know Noel Edmunds wears a rug. The gif is for you.
All our fellow small indies that help each other out. There's a nice little underground movement of brilliant people pitching in and helping out.
See you next week!