Introducing the Clank Plank Light (beta). When ClankWorks first started, this was a kernel of an idea that we hoped to someday achieve. While other products have taken the forefront as of late, we slowly kept mulling over how to make a fender that also doubled as a rear light, minimizing the number of items on a bike, but still increasing visibility.

This fender takes our (now, after lots of learning and trial and error) extensive knowledge of laminated bamboo fibers and adds a flexible string of LEDs to the mix. We had grown tired of injection-molded lights, and strived to achieve something different. There was also a desire to keep this integration as minimal, in aesthetics, as possible. By keeping the light source a thin layer away from the surface, the fender maintains it’s beauty by day, but is now incredibly practical at night.

There are still lots of hurdles to overcome, and testing to be done, before this becomes a sold item. We also are looking for feedback to see if it is worth bringing to market. So if you like what you see here, and would want one within the next 6 months, please give us a shout. With this fully functional, weather-proof prototype, we can garner the information needed from the real world about how well this will work. Expect more photos as we work through that process.

The decision was made to streamline things a bit to reduce clutter, and to get the focus back on what we have wanted to do: make damned good things for bicycles. More on that in a bit! As for the website, images may not be sized correctly for the next few days in the blog. We are working on this, the automatic-resize feature didn’t go as planned, and we can only resize them once the new look is in place, so things will be wonky a bit.

If you find an area of the site is not functioning, looks weird, looks bad, or otherwise just needs some help, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Additionally, if you find any area lacking in information following this slim-fast diet, please let us know.

As to some production changes: Product life-spans are going to shorten, as we aim to create and evolve our works from here on out. Please let us know if there is something you’ve been dying to see, we would love some new challenges. Fear not, we also have a few ideas up our sleeves as well, this first and foremost of which is announced with this site launch.

We heard everyone asking for a vertical, wall based storage solution loud and clear! May we present…Perch!

Perch is designed to hold your bicycle vertically against your wall, as well as providing hooks and a small shelf space for storage of your accessories: locks, helmets, lights and keys to name a few that we use personally. We are excited to introduce what we consider one of the prettier vertical bikes racks, and are taking pre-orders immediately. We expect to ship the first 20 in October, and already have a small inventory built in the dark color.

Time for a rearrange

First and foremost, we have expanded our offices and workshop. This means we now have dedicated, separate space for forming, sanding and finishing. We also have a new expanded shipping and material storage room as well! While we don’t have a full video tour as there is some final painting and cleaning going on, check out this new/old bench for the finishing station:

Updated Hours

We are hoping to catch more visitors in the evening now that it will be light out even later over the summer. Our new hours starting this past week are as follows:
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday: 12–7
Sunday: 11–4
The shop will be open several other hours and days, please give us a call/email/twitter/facebook/smoke signal if you would like to stop by. We can always do appointments as well.

Website Update

We’ve update several sections of the website, including an overhaul on the Plank and Pinch description pages. Hopefully this will answer a few more questions about the products themselves, as well as installation and usage.

Expanding Production

As the frequent emails to us asking about stock levels have shown, we simply are having a hard time keeping up with demand. A great problem to have for us, but we really would like to let more people enjoy what ClankWorks has to offer. As a result, the expansions mentioned above have occurred, but we will be bringing on some extra help as well too. More details will come there in time. It won’t be an immediate change, but over the summer we will hopefully have more of our current offerings, and perhaps a new product or two, if things go exceptionally well.

The historic building has had two of it’s three vaults converted into bicycle storage facilities for it’s guests. The security is real beyond just the impressive, but non-functioning, doors, as both vaults are monitored via video camera as well, and users have access to lockers for personal belongings as well. What a great way to keep a historic element of the buildings, as well as invest in cycling infrastructure.

Check out the rest of the details, and more photos, at Bike Portland »

It is our first brand-new purchase, in terms of equipment, for the shop. The bandsaw, drill press, and countless tools had all been older used items. What a difference this guy has made! By no means are we automating fender production, but this greatly cuts back on the time, repetitive motion and countless splinters from sanding the Planks by hand. Progress!

As a result, I’ve been busy today cranking out our next big batch of fenders. A bigger batch than we could have ever done before. Take a look:

All said and done, this and the second basket held nearly fifty fenders that had been drilled and sanded in one morning. A tremendous increase over the previous average of 10-20. There are a few other tools, jigs, and process changes that have been implemented, are under planning, or are being though about as well. As these changes happen, we will be sure to blog some nifty pictures. We are evening planning a cool process movie or two… so stay tuned.

Any time we stumble across something that we find interesting, and think that you may not have already seen it on one thousand other blogs, we want to make sure we share. In this most recent case, it was both something and someone. I recently met Kate Showalter through an anonymous submission to her latest project, Yinzpiration.

Challenged with the goal of interviewing and talking to 100 Pittsburghers, Kate is documenting her steps along the way with a great blog that is definitely worth checking out. This should grow into a great resource to send to someone next time they ask “Why Pittsburgh?” (which we do get quite often). If you know of anyone in the city with a unique angle on why they are here, head to Yinzpiration and submit a nomination! Keep an eye on this one as it grows through the year, I know I am excited and honored to be a part of it.

It would be hard for us to not do something in support of our local football players. So we’ve been hanging a terrible towel every sunday for the season, especially today.

Remember, you can also show your support year-round on your bicycle too! We have special retro-reflective vinyl applied onto fenders in the shape of the classic steel mark. Visible day and night to get in your Steelers pride.

So, here’s hoping to jamming those Jets, and taking Pittsburgh to the Super Bowl.

Do check out the entire blog posting here. If you want some additional hand crafted delights, do check out the rest of his work on the website as well.

There are some more products that have been sketched out over the past few months that we hope to deliver this year. Additionally, some changes are going to happen in production to allow us to meet the growing demand we are seeing with faster turn around time. We appreciate everyone’s patience so far as we figure out how to grow hand-manufactured goods here in Pittsburgh.

I also want to take a moment and note that we will be simplifying the fender listings to light and dark bamboos with no selectable variation on grain. It has been a supplier nightmare trying to organize the right types and make sure production is right on all four varieties. If you are still dying to have one time or another, please email us, we will gladly oblige.

Additionally, in the same vain of discussion, we are currently out of dark veneer, and it is backordered with our supplier. We are hoping to obtain more (quite a bit more) once it comes back in, but we are still anxiously awaiting that. If you have any concerns, please email us!

Lastly, and the reason this post was delayed, we are finally back in the shop! Drew and I took some time off at the end of December to relax from the holiday season orders, and to see respective families. So stop by, drop us a line, we are back in full swing!