Seagull Bags has been hard at work all month making some custom bags spec’d by the OPEN crew, featuring an embroidered shop logo in addition to the usual Seagull flag.  The shoulder bags and backpacks offer hand-picked features and colorways and were handmade for us in Columbus, Ohio, with all the love and care you would expect from a home-grown company.

“Our designs are completely original, and we work very hard to offer you something completely different from the other guys’. From our 3-ply construction to our original strap designs, we are trying to change the way that people think about messenger-style bags. Our cam buckle strap system is one of a kind, and despite a lot of companies now having strangely similar systems (and weirdly coincidental constructions), ours is the original; our designs are all time-tested and are constantly refined, because we want each bag to be the best bag we’ve ever made.” – seagullbags.com

The bags will be available for purchase from OPEN and we will also be serving as Seagull’s local custom bag retailer.  The company offers a dizzying number of colors, options and features; we can help you determine the right custom bag for your needs.  They take about 4 weeks to be made, a mere fraction of the many years these bags will last… come check them out next week, only at OPEN Bicycle.

Some of the feedback has been of a different color.  A famous blogger (the irony of that title isn’t lost on us) called us “hipster Ron Popiels,” I suppose in reference to the fact that our tool has a story behind it.  Maybe I’m mistaken, but I thought that all the commotion with the “local” movement had something to do with the idea that enlightened urban consumers were tired of purely transactional lives- they wanted to know the people that grew their chard and made their furniture and brazed their bike frames.

When we had moved through the prototyping process and started looking at manufacturing, we sat down and discussed the notion of overseas production.  Taiwan could have made the tool (with nameless underage laborer and cartel-run mill factories) for a fraction of the price our one-man operation in Cambridge did.  We could have used cheaper steel and large-scale finishing for a poorer-quality and less attractive product.  There were easy pathways to anyone being able to buy the tool from Nashbar for thirty bucks.

That shit’s been done, though.  We wanted this project to be an experiment in local production, from concept to completion.  The $80 pricetag relects the real costs of making something with people you know by name, in the city you live in.  Yeah, it’s expensive.  So are those awesome $5 lattes made by the endearing barrista at your favorite locally-owned coffeshop,  the $400 CSA share that brings healthy and beautiful heirloom veggies to your door, and the $2000 custom touring frame that you had built to fit you for life by the eccentric mustachioed framebuilder.  We could have made this tool in China and we probably would have made some money that way, as well.  But, as I was told long ago when I was still a young mechanic with a glimmer in my eye, if you’re in the bike world to make money, you’re doing it wrong.

The first run of the Rotafixer was 40 pieces, largely due to being cash-strapped young entrepreneurs.  There’s a few left-we’re considering a second run but there’s a million other projects to work on so this may be it.  Big thanks to all who helped and contributed.

PS If you’re looking for a less expensive bike tool, consider the BSNYC Wisecracker.  If there is anything the bike world needs, it’s another bottle opener.

On a balmy summer evening last year, my friend and crack-shot designer/engineer-at-large Aaron Panone and I were working through our second or third Perfect Manhattans at the Indo and bullshitting about bike tool design.  I recall (somewhat indistinctly) a “Aha!” moment occurring.  The next morning, we dug a few crumpled kitchen checks covered with scribbled drawings out of our pockets and got to work.  Three prototypes, thousands of dollars, and a year later, we’re very pleased to release the T0001 “Rotafixer” tool under the Union Foundry label.

Confused as to what this thing does? Stebs at Paper Fortress shot a very cool how-to video:

The result of passion-driven collaborative design and production, the T0001 was engineered, tested, machined and finished entirely in the Boston area.  Exclusively for sale through OPEN, online and in the shop.  Details here.

A number of months ago, in the midst of a prolonged build-out on the new shop, one of the crew (now forgotten whom and of little importance in the long run of time) mentioned a blog post seen somewhere; a new player on the scene; a something different take on the whole “let’s-make-track-bikes” circuit.  A phone call was made.  I wish I had a pic of Turk on the celly on this chilly February day in the not-so-distant past.  A stand-in image:

Went something like this… (translation by the author)

Turk:  “Yo Livery peeps! Boston here- we likes what you do.  Info on the double- hand it down & let us grok the get-go!”

Livery: “We do right-right!  Brainstorm tornado alley here in the O.C.  You see the brass!  Clearcoats go on top of metal and sparkle on top of other clearcoats!  Fire up the aerospace rocket-maker 5-axis shit!  Dial up Hong Kong!  Deadstock Prestige meets space-age moderno-tech- dig mad colorways and forward-thought meets neo-retro-fuck-it’s-cool…  holler!”

So we did.  I started chatting with Nate and Scott at Livery and a new relationship was born.  Today an enormous box arrived via UPS (thanks to our driver, Tony) and we excitedly dug in.  After unearthing the David Hasselhof-emblazoned thank-you card (that played the Baywatch theme when opened), we got into some serious frame action.  Behold.

LDG uses an assortment of Reynolds and Tange tubing built into some of the most classy and innovative frames we’ve seen.  Designed in Orange County and built to their exacting spec in Japan and Taiwan, Livery frames and components offer top-shelf craftsmanship, dialed geometries,  beautiful finishes, and subtle but definitive touches.

First order of business after cleaning up all the drool was getting the Toyo-built Livery Fillet-Brazed frame up in the stand for our friend Benny, owner of Savant Project.  Benny and I sat down a bit back and banged out a clean build kit for his new Livery and it came together like crunchy peanut butter and raspberry jam:

Dusted-off NOS Tange Prestige tubing fillet-brazed to Livery spec by Toyo.  Raw torched finish with dumb-clean wet clearcoat.

Perma-classy build includes San Marco suede Regal and Velo Orange sew-on elkhide barwrap.

I hand-built the wheelset- Miche lows to Velocity bight silver Aeros, DT comps.  Radial up front for some sexy, 2x in the back.  Low flange is the new high flange, kids.

Livery pursuit bars in the Rb-021 style.

The rest of the kit was sensible-yet-turbo: Miche, EAI, Izumi, and VO bits.

Benny looks happy.  This is the reason we do what we do.

We are Livery’s new exclusive Boston area dealer.  We are extremely proud to offer this well-designed, carefully built, and reasonably-priced finery to the East Coat. Come by and let us talk your ear off about how much we like this stuff!

Yesterday’s I Love My Bike Book Ride was a smashing success- the Square was packed with kind folk and their beloved bikes and Finkle led everyone around on a scenic tour/photoshoot of the Somerville/Cambridge/Boston area.  Thanks to all who came out and hung out.  FYI’s: we’ve got a good stock of the Chris Piascik- designed tees, printed on American Apparel, in stock now at OPEN.

For a week or two we’ll be open shorter hours to allow us to finish some details- 12p-6p every day.  A Grand Opening is scheduled for the 26th-27th of June with a slew of events for all to enjoy- details TBA.  Pop by the new shop and see what we’ve been up to!

We’ve been running all over the Northeast arranging the final touches for the new shop.  Our socially-conscious design vision (and our long-since-over-budget build-out allowance) compel us to recycle and reuse as much as possible in our transformation a 40-year old barbershop to a clean and functional shop.  We found dozens of recycled steel shelves (from a now-defunct RAD Fabrications) up in New Hampshire to organize our stockroom and make room for all the new product coming.  A blisteringly fast shot down to south Connecticut scored us a few made-in-NYC vintage oak library ladders for our roomy upstairs (cool story on the Putnam Ladder Company last year in the NY Times) and a rush hour crawl back.

We dropped by Sean Milnes’ lovely house in New Haven to relax a bit and pick-up Sean’s wheels for repair.  Turns out doing this:

Leads to this:

(Photos via Ride Tyrant’s Flickr)

Sean’s off on a East Coast trip with Shop Cultur on what may be one of the first FGFS “pro” tours this June, and we spoke a bit about what the scene is shaping up to be.  Manufacturers are making new product to meet the evolving demands of riders like Sean and enterprises like Shop Cultur signal the rise of FGFS in the ‘burbs and smaller cities that don’t have shops like OPEN to cater to their needs.  Inevitable schlocky bandwagoning aside, it’s a win for everybody when a small group of committed pioneers create something that gains mass appeal and support, and we at OPEN are constantly looking in to new product, events, and education to encourage this growth.  Sean is a genuine, kind, and focused person and is exactly the kind of individual who personifies our philosophies and attitude.  We’re super happy to have him as part of the family.  Be sure to check him out on the tour (details TBD) and at the BFF 2010 in NYC this year (OPEN will be there for the films, races, comps, and street party, as well).

Last note / shameless plug:

Chorus Gallery, formerly adjacent to the old OPEN shop, is getting ready to occupy new (and larger) space down the street and is holding a pop-up gallery and live-painting fundraiser at  Trina’s Starlight Lounge, May 12th, 2010. Drink specials, good art, and fine people will be in abundance. Come out and support Chorus Collective as we move towards reopening in Union Square.

All that being said, keep an eye peeled on this site / RSS / word on the street as we rapidly approach our re-opening.  The shop is looking good, the weather is getting consistently clement, and we’re becoming terribly excited.

All is quiet on the OPEN blog as of recent, and for good reason.  The last few months have seen us demo-ing, planning, moving, remodeling, and redesigning the bike shop at our new location of 21A Union Square, right in the heart of the community and next door to our favorite hangout, Sherman Cafe.

Withing a few short weeks, OPEN will re-open with the same friendly and welcoming service, quality local and international frames, components, accessories, and apparel, and some new surprises and developments that we’re quite proud of.  Keep an eye on the blog… I promise to start paying attention to the world of the internets again and resuming the daily updates, photos, and rants as soon as possible.

Open Bicycle (in its current Hawkins St. incarnation) will be open by appointment only starting Monday the 15th of February.  We will be devoting our energies full-time to completing the build-out at our new space at 21A Union Square, next to Sherman Cafe.  In the interest of taking as little as possible with us, we’ll be having a ONE DAY ONLY SALE tomorrow, Saturday the 13th.  20% off ALL NEW PRODUCT.  Come get it.

Please contact us at: info AT openbicycle.com with any questions or to make an appointment.

Thanks!

Walking toward the shop from our ritualistic AM stop at Sherman Cafe with coffees in hand and laughing in the late morning light, we spotted a distinguished-looking gentleman wheeling what was obviously a classy track bike down the train bridge.  Waving the fellow down, we were introduced to Tim Dixon, bike-lover, furniture-builder, and Imron-sprayer extraordinaire.  Hailing from California and the heyday of West Coast craft builders, Tim was dropping in to show us this extremely elegant Sam Cotten track bike and chat a bit about his new wet-paint operation in Boston.

Sam Cotten, he explained, was a friend of his who had a part time framebuilding operation in Hollywood, as well as being an actor and amateur philosopher.  Tim cut some Cinelli lugs into delicate shapes and had Sam build him this frame, which Tim then painted.  The result, with the perfectly-matched C-Record kit and Cinelli bar/stem combo, is about as classy as they come.  Yes, that is an extremely rare semi-sloping Cinelli track fork crown.  Yes, those are Record Crono tubular rims.  No, we’re sorry, but you can’t ride it.

Tim is starting up his spray operation again here on the East Coast, and we’ll be offering his services through the shop.  Please do drop in to gawk at his ‘90 Cotten and start dreaming up your new paint scheme.