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.

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.

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!

Remember to bundle up and ride safely! We know how to handle our two handled beasts quite well, but please keep an eye out for less in control four-wheeled contraptions.

We also wanted to take a moment and remind everyone that today and tomorrow are the last chances to order things online to guarantee delivery by December 24th (within the continental 48 states). The last two weeks of December are also going to be lightly staffed, so expect later orders to drift into January as we take some time off to enjoy a breather and family. Expect more snow posts as it lays down!

This put us quite a bit behind on Pinch orders, and a bit behind on Plank orders. As a result, we wanted to be clear with delivery times for those who are purchasing as gifts. All orders need to be placed by the 13th in order to be delivered by the 24th. (This applies to the U.S. only, international orders, please contact us) We may be able to expedite certain items near or past then, but please email us if you have any questions or doubts about timing. As always, these items are hand made, and interesting things can (and do) come up.

And now for some photo glory for all those fenders and stands:

We are currently expecting to ship new orders out with about a two week turn-around. Since each Pinch is hand crafted, there is a sufficient amount of labor required before we can ship, and needless to say we are currently out of any inventory. If you have any concerns about delivery times, please just email us.

We wanted to share some photos of the Pinch process as well. In this post you will see the holes being drilled, and initial cutting happening as well. Further trimming and shaping occurs to get Pinch into it’s final form. Similar to the fenders, each stand gets a thorough sanding process followed by two coats of penetrating oil. To make sure Pinch continues to look as good as your ride, we finish off each stand with a thin coat of shellac. Should any dirt or grime find it’s way onto the stand, simply take a damp cloth to it to clean off.

Head over to the Lawrenceville website to get more details, as well as the full map »

Fall Tweed Run

It will be an evening ride on Saturday the 16th of October. The finish will be back at the ClankWorks Studio for a soirée, including some local beer and music (and hopefully some foodstuffs too). The route is still being reviewed, and in light of the evening nature and afterparty, it will more than likely be shorter than the Seersucker Saunter.

Change in Hours

We love having the shop open during the week when we are cranking (and clanking!) away on new fenders, but we know plenty of friends and guests that have been asking for weekend hours. Good news everyone! Starting in a week or two, ClankWorks will be open on Sundays! Expect some reduction in open hours during the week, especially as Fall has now kicked in, full-steam ahead. Details and hours will be posted shortly, so please hang in there as we might have a few irregularities until then as we balance other parts of our lives. As always, we are around the shop a lot, so calling/emailing works well for off-hours visits.

Upcoming Products

There has been a teaser post up for a while that parodied our beloved technology company and future products. It is with great pleasure we can partially lift the veil on our upcoming stand, called Pinch. A display stand to allow your bicycle to grace the inside of your home, freestanding, Pinch is made from a bent plywood laminate, and utilizes natural properties of the bamboo to accentuate it’s function. The photo from the linked post is of the final prototype, and we have spent the summer finishing jigs necessary to provide an accurate, and reproducible,  manufacturing process. Pinch will be available shortly, in a price range of $80-90. Please email us if you are interested in pre-orders or more details.

Additionally, we are excited about a new variation on the Plank that started as a commission piece, but we loved too much to do just one time. We are going to give a small preview now, and again invite you to email us if interested, as we ramp up production on these unique striped fenders. An inverse, vanilla, variation will be produced as well too. More pictures to come.

One of these is not like the others.

We are pleased to announce our second leisurely, themed ride to be held in the glorious city of Pittsburgh. In following with the relaxed style of the Tweed Ride earlier this spring, but with apparel adjustments more in tune with a hot August afternoon, we present the Second Sunday Seersucker Saunter Spectacular.

The ride will be just short of 10 miles, and shall prevail at a slow enough pace so as to never break into a full sweat. The saunter will start in Schenley Park, at the top of the upper field near the turn around in Overlook Drive, and progress through the Park, Southside, Downtown and a brief stint in the Northside before retiring to the courtyard of the Priory Hotel, where light refreshments will be served. The entire experience will begin at 9:30 AM on Sunday the 8th of August, 2010, which coincides quite nicely with Bike-PGH‘s BikeFest celebration. There is a Facebook Event that you can join, if you would like as well.

Additionally, we have secured some bells from Velo-Orange which we will sell for only $5 at the beginning of the route. Drew and I will be there as early as 8:45-9 AM, so feel free to pick up some additional swag for your bike to help you alert those along the route!

Please joins us in our joy of riding and appreciating the bicycle’s heritage on the 8th. Whether head-to-toe garb, or simply in the mindset to enjoy a relaxed ride with good company, it should be a great time. Feel free to download either the Poster or Map by click on the image to retrieve a PDF format file.

]]> http://clankworks.com/news/second-sunday-seersucker-saunter-spectacular/feed/ 6 http://clankworks.com/news/clank-plank-reflect/ http://clankworks.com/news/clank-plank-reflect/#comments Wed, 16 Jun 2010 13:19:50 +0000 Benjamin http://clankworks.com/?p=463 Continue reading →]]>

Left to Right: Steel City Diamonds, Gears and Chevrons

A new option we  have been working on for the Plank Fender is finally complete. Using retroreflective vinyl, the same stuff that is used for road signs for high visibility at night, we have created a few custom decals for the Plank Fenders. The vinyl is added in between oiling steps, insuring it is equally protected against the elements as your beautiful fender (and rear end!). Available immediately in the gears, chevron and steel city diamonds for $39.00.