Falling Leaves :: Random Musings

Hey there folks.  My apologies for the infrequent content here over the past few months.  Suffice it to say that we have been busy settling into our new home and singularly focused on digging out from under the back log that we created during our move.

This past week has been an interesting one in that several experiences have caused me to pause and reflect a bit on why all of the hard work and challenges associated with this move have been worth it.

Riding to the shop on Monday morning, I had one of those moments that you just know at the time is going to be burned into that scarce permanent storage space that we all have in our brains.  You know, those few memories that you have that are still lucid years later.  Riding through the falling leaves in that morning light that is so unique to New England in the Fall, I just smiled.

Later in the day, walking to the Post Office with two frame-sets heading off to Taiwan, I just smiled again.  I thought to myself, how cool is it to be walking down the main street of a proud old mill town, bringing something that we made here to be shipped to Taiwan?  Even better that Thelma, the lady behind the counter, knows your name, and Tony, the Postmaster, comes out to say hello and thank us again for coming to town.

Little things.  Small things.  But it is the human scale that we've lost so much of, and the things that make all the difficult stuff worthwhile.

So, what about those bikes?  Well, we've been putting out some incredibly nice ones, if I do say so myself.  Unfortunately, in our efforts to get them out the door to customers that have been more than patiently waiting for them, we've been remiss in documenting and sharing them.

To try and make up for that, Chris Milliman will be in the house next week to lend his keen eye and sharp lens to the cause.  He'll be shooting bikes, people and place, so stay tuned.  If you haven't heard of Chris, then you haven't been paying attention to the photo credits in just about any cycling magazine out there.  He's a fellow Granite State resident, so we are psyched to have him ply his craft with us.

In the meantime, here's some random stuff that has been collecting on my iPhone.

Chris, placing the first Newmarket mill tower decal on a frame:

Filigreed fenders, to match each end of a fade:

Shawn inside the custom green and yellow welding fun house:

Torch-rific...

Tuesday night burger ride. Do the miles, earn the meal:

Everyone should have their own custom bar stools.  Ours were made by Jonathan Rummel at Hand Forged Iron Works:

A comfy place to sit and watch TV, or read a magazine.  I'll be there watching la classica delle foglie morte (Giro di Lombardia) today.

What a difference...

Stop by and say hello:

Happy falling leaves, and smiles with your miles,

G.

Meet The Neighbors: Part 3

We've been putting all of our energy into your bicycles, and they look better than ever. The new facility and equipment are truly helping us make a good thing great.

One place in particular that is fueling the IndyFab crew is The Big Bean Cafe. "The Bean", as it's called around here, has a warm, comforting atmosphere, with a counter to pull up to, as well as both indoor and outdoor tables. The Bean provides three great things: breakfast, lunch, and fantastic service. You can also blindly order anything on the menu and be completely happy with not only the taste, but also how quickly it's prepared and served.

Neighbor: The Big Bean Cafe & Bakery - 118 Main Street

Type of business: Breakfast/Lunch cafe

Years Running: 5 years with us (co-owners Jack O'Sullivan and Sarah Howard), and 17 years total

Name: Jack O'Sullivan

How did you get into this line of work? My partner and I have always worked in restaurants. We saw The Bean for sale in 2006, and jumped at the chance to buy it!

Something special your business does (weekly/monthly events, community service, etc.): At The Bean, we love creating inspiring new dishes, and trying new and different food items in our recipes. We also take pride in composting, and above all else, hard work.

What's your favorite thing about Newmarket? The size. It's small, but not too small. There's always something going on here, and the size really creates a sense of community.

If you could add any type of business to Main Street, what would you choose? Well, the Lamprey River runs directly through Newmarket, right behind the Mills. It would be cool to have water recreation rentals.

You find a genie's lamp and he grants you 1 wish. What do you wish for? C'mon, that's silly. I'd wish to not have any wishes.

Do you own a bicycle? If so, what kind? Currently, no. I live in town and it's easy to walk most places.

Fair enough, but wouldn't it be nice to get there faster?

Doing Well and Doing Good :: D2R2 Raffle Frame

It's a pretty simple thing, society is better off when we help each other out.

Good folks like Sandy Whittlesey and the entire crew at the Franklin Land Trust set a standard for us all to follow. They work hard every day to preserve the land and rich heritage of Franklin County in Northwestern Massachusetts.

That Sandy is an avid cyclist and decided to marry his love of cycling with FLT's mission by creating the Deerfield to Deerfield Dirt Road Randonnee is a gift to all of us. D2R2 as it is called, is a benefit bike ride through some of the most scenic and rugged back roads in New England.

I struck up a conversation with Sandy after the ride last year about what constitutes the perfect bike for a ride like D2R2. I also suggested that if we could come up with a frame design that we were satisfied with, that we should raffle off a custom build to help raise money and awareness for the Franklin Land Trust.

Here's what Sandy has to say about the frame that we jointly developed and displayed earlier this year at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show:

"The raffle frame is designed specifically for the bumpy back roads and dirt roads of Franklin County. It looks like a racing bike, but there is clearance for slightly larger tires and fenders, and the design is lower to the ground for stability. The rear of the frame is designed to flex over bumps in the road. This is not a superlight racing bike any more than it is a heavy touring bike - it is, literally, the best conceivable design for a ride on the very roads we have here. And, the best part, it comes with FLT artwork! This is just the second frame ever built like this, a collector's item."

She's resplendent in British Racing Green and Vanilla Shake panels, although you could choose a different color combination if you are the winner. We all win when we have beautiful places to ride, so please take a moment to click through here and help out the Franklin Land Trust by entering the raffle.

Better yet, register for the ride itself, and purchase raffle tickets at the same time here.

Hope to see you in a few weeks out on the back roads of Franklin County doing well and doing good.

Cheers,

G.

55 Main Street :: Coming Together

We're getting settled into our new home, working out the kinks and building bikes again. It's been a long time coming, so here are a few pictures of the space.

First up is the showroom space. As I type, Jonathan Rummel of Hand Forged Iron Works is hanging his custom bike holders on the posts.


This is the "tree" that Jonathan built to hold bags and other merchandise.


From the showroom you can look through windows (actually the old windows that we replaced on the outside of the building) and see bikes being made on one side, and bags being made on the other side.



These are shots of the tacking and welding area. Its nice to have all of the big windows to let the light and breeze in, but it's not ideal for TIG welding, so we have some new custom curtains on order for the welding cells, kind of like what you'd find in a hospital room on tracks suspended from the ceiling. It'll let us open the area up when we want, and protect the welding when necessary.



Next up is our new paint booth. Chris just can't stop saying, "this thing is amazing". It is amazing; down draft, heated make up air, bake cycle, fully programmable logic controllers, integrated mixing room, and oh yeah, it's white and bright.

You couldn't make a painter any more happy.

Unless of course, you also add in an extremely well lit and clean prep area...

On the happiness note, it was extremely important to me that our new home reflect a real team spirit, so that meant adding employee amenities like a well equipped break room, lockers and clean showers.

We've got a ways to go to get everything dialed in and ready for a grand opening over Labor Day Weekend, so stay tuned. In the meantime, if you find yourself in 03857, stop in and check out the new place.

Cheers,

G.

Meet The Neighbors: Part 2

This week's neighbor is Panzanella's, a local (and very delicious) pizzeria. Almost directly across the street from our new location here in Newmarket, Panzanella's is the perfect spot to grab a quick afternoon slice (or 2. You'll definitely want another). Feel free to get creative; they'll add any topping(s) you want to a single slice.

 Neighbor: Panzanella's Italian Pizzeria and Restaurant - 72 Main Street

Type of business: Italian-American pizzeria

Years running: 10

Owner: Jared Ernest Woodman Sr.

How did you get into this line of work? I began working as a dishwasher at another pizzeria when I was 12 years old. Over the course of 8 years, I went from the bottom of the barrel to the top of the barrel. I knew I could do it myself, so I did!

Something special your business does (weekly/monthly events, community service, etc.): We sponsor local youth sports teams and donate to many local organizations, on top of providing top notch service to our many loyal customers.


What's your favorite thing about Newmarket? I'd have to say the restoration of the Newmarket Mills. I like what it's doing for business, and it's doing wonders for the downtown landscape.

If you could add any type of business to Main Street, what would you choose? Easy. I'd choose a single screen movie theater that plays classic movies like My Cousin Vinny.

You find a genie's lamp and he grants you 1 wish. What do you wish for? I would wish for my son to make it into the NBA.

Do you own a bicycle? If so, what kind? Yes, I do own a bicycle. It's a Schwinn. My wife and I love to go for rides together around our home town.

Meet The Neighbors: Part 1

Greetings! There's lots happening here in Newmarket, NH. We're still slightly under construction and getting settled into our new space (It's beautiful!). So far everything is exceeding our expectations.

We'd like to introduce you to a few of our new friends in town, through a short series called "Meet The Neighbors". Here we'll share with you the people and places that make Newmarket such a fantastic town to live and work in. Read on and stick with us – you'll feel like a local in no time.

Our first neighbor is Crackskull's, a local coffee and used book store. Delicious coffee, fresh baked pastries, and good music (masters of Pandora radio), all in a warm and friendly atmosphere.

Neighbor: Crackskull's Coffee & Books – 86 Main Street.

Type of business: Used books and coffee.

Years running: Almost 11.

Owner: Michelle Graves

How did you get into this line of work? I was working at a brokerage firm, and I saw the shop for sale online. It was always my teenage dream (it was the 90's) to own a coffee shop...so I went for it!

Something special your business does (weekly/monthly events, community service, etc.): Aside from free counseling? We host a monthly open mic night and a monthly game night. Currently looking to start a chess night...and later a movie night.

What's your favorite thing about Newmarket? Newmarket's sense of community is one that I've never experienced before. Neighbors helping neighbors, people supporting each other's causes...all that jazz. It's wonderful.

If you could add any type of business to Main Street, what would you choose? Definitely BURRITOS :) Newmarket has been waiting for a burrito shack for years...yummmm.

You find a genie's lamp and he grants you 1 wish. What do you wish for? Seriously? This is tough...probably to open a second Crackskull's...in Paris...with a tattoo shop in the back.

Do you own a bicycle? If so, what kind? Unfortunately no. I was born with the balance of a child on stilts. Do they make tricycles for adults?

Cycling Across America :: V2.0 18 Years Later

New York Times reporter Bruce Weber on his new custom IF that he will be riding across the country. His bike was fit and built up by Andrew Crooks and the team at NYC Velo.

Bruce first rode a bicycle across America 18 years ago and is setting out to do it all over again. Read his story here and follow his progress on the links inside the NYT article.

Godspeed Bruce!