20140530

Takhion Headset Caps: Now Available!!

One year and four prototypes later, I can happily say that replacement Takhion headset caps are now available!  


Old cap on the left, new cap on the right.
So, because a lot of you have questions, here's a FAQ regarding ordering, pricing, shipping, design, and anything else that comes up.

How can I order one? 

The only requirement to order these is a photograph of your Takhion(s) and its/their serial number.  To order one of these, please contact me at aeyoqen <at> gmail <dot> com and include your shipping information - what I will do is calculate the shipping and then get back to you with a bill.  Once I receive payment I will put in the order and have them shipped to you directly.  

Edit: International orders seem to require a phone number for shipping verification.

Right, but how much are they?

Each cap is going to be $19, plus overall shipping. 

How much?!  Are you making money off of these?

No.  Originally I wanted to get a batch made to have them to give to people that needed them free of charge, but the fact is these prints are expensive.  I am charging the cost of the print plus shipping.  Truth be told, I've spent hours upon hours and a few hundred dollars on previous prototypes...this is a labor of love and not for monetary gain.  

What form of payment do you take?

Paypal is preferred.  Western Union can also be used if Paypal won't work.  

Why do I have to have a Takhion?   What if I want one just because?

I'd like to keep these with Takhion owners for a few reasons: I'd like to avoid counterfeiting (of the bikes, not the caps), and I'd like to see where in the world these caps are going and the bikes that will be associated with them.  

If you really want one and don't have a frame, send me an e-mail and we'll talk.  I'm usually pretty reasonable :]

Does my Takhion need to be missing a cap to order?

Nope.  If you just want an extra that's completely fine! 

Do these work on Textima or other frames?  

According to the Textima expert, they do not.  I would absolutely love to have a Textima version made though, so if you have a Textima cap and would be willing to help with such a project, please e-mail me!  I don't know about other frames though, sorry.  

Is there a limit to how many I can order?  

Due to turnaround time, right now the limit is two per frame - if you have two frames, you can get four, etc.  In the future that will probably change.  If for some reason you feel like you need more than two, send me an e-mail!

Are these a 100% accurate recreation?

As much as I'd like to say they're perfect, I'll go with they are about 95% accurate.  There were four prototypes made to test measurements and materials, and while the measurements are pretty spot on at least by using my original cap as a reference (and also using original schematics), I could not get the exact same material due to monetary constraints.  

What if I get one and find a mistake?

Then please let me know and I'll fix it!  I've had a few people look at these, and you can check out the photos before for comparison.  

How are they made?

They are 3D printed.  The original model was created in Blender, an open source software.  Some work was also done in Meshlab, another open source software.  

What are they made of?

The printing material is a smooth plastic with a bit of give that is capable of being printed at high resolution.  The original caps are PVC, so the material is *close,* but not exact.  

From Shapeways' site:

"Detail plastic is an acrylic-based photopolymer that comes in white, black and transparent. We recommend using this material for smaller, detailed products that don't face high stress or heat. The level of detail for these products is high, but individual layers are more visible than in Strong & Flexible plastics."


Will it scratch my frame or paint?


I've had no problems so far, and I've installed and removed them on a few frames. 


Does the material have any inherit problems? 

It cannot withstand temperatures over 118.4 degrees F/48 degrees C.  So don't put it in the dishwasher.  It also has a bit of a "wood grain" look if you look closely - this can be seen in the photo above.  
  
Why 3D printing over injection molding?

Though injection molding would be more historically accurate, I wanted to keep overall costs down, and every quote that I was given required a minimum order that was too high.  PVC injection molding is also dangerous due to chlorine gas, and that drove up the price as well.  3D printing allows me to keep the costs down and print in small orders on demand.  

Any chance there might be an injected molded version in the future?

If you're willing to pay for it, sure.  Unfortunately it's probably something that I won't be able to fund myself.  Really serious about this and want an injection molded version?  Send me an e-mail and we'll discuss it.  

Who is printing them?

Shapeways is printing these.  

Why not just have a Shapeways storefront?  

For verification purposes, as mentioned above, and also so that there wouldn't be markup on the caps for the storefront.  I would also have to make the model available for download, which I don't want to do.  

Didn't you say Shapeways didn't work for these the first time?

There were some problems with the first batch from Shapeways over a year ago, but they've improved quite a bit.  I've also changed the model and tested a few different materials, and this one is fine.  So we're all good!  

What if Shapeways doesn't ship to my country?

Shapeways might not ship everywhere, but I will.  I'll order the caps myself and ship them to you personally if that turns out to be the case.  

Why not just do that with every order instead? 

The turnaround time on 3D printing can be a while, and since people are ordering from all over the world I wanted everyone to get them as soon as possible.  Also, it's very difficult for me to get to the post office while it's open due to my work schedule, and it would take even longer to get your caps if I had to send all of them.

What shipping service is used?  

UPS standard shipping is used, and a tracking number is provided.  Expedited shipping is also available.  

What if I get a damaged/bad/broken/missing order?  

Take photos immediately and contact me.  I'll get in touch with Shapeways and have them replace your order.  

What if I receive them and decide I don't want them?

If you're on the fence about whether or not you want one, you can order a material sample from Shapeways for free to see what they're like.  If you do end up getting one and aren't thrilled, send me an e-mail and you can return it to me for a refund.  

Can I buy one for my friend?

Yes, but you have to get your friend's Takhion information!  

Will you send me the model?

Sorry, I won't be giving out the model.  

But I want to make my own and don't know how to model!  Please send me the model!

I too cannot model, so you get to experience the adventure much like I did and learn a lot along the way!  

Is only black available?

Nope...if you really want, you can get white.  Though from personal experience I have to recommend black.  

Are the handlebar plugs coming soon?

Yes.  

Can you show me some photos of the new one with the old one?

You bet I can.





Anymore questions or concerns, please e-mail me or comment here!  And please e-mail me if you're interested in ordering.  If you don't hear back from me within a day or two, comment here and e-mail again to make sure it didn't get caught in my spam filter!!

Aeyoqen <at> gmail <dot> com  

Happy er...capping?  

20140528

From Saturday in the Shop

Just some recent photos.  I've been trying to take shots and document my work here and there, but I get so wrapped up in what I'm doing it's hard to remember!  I did manage to snag a few, so here they are.

Paragon dropout on the dummy axle in the jig!  These dropouts are meant for low mount disc brakes and can take fenders and a rack.  Perfect.  

The hanger is slightly crooked in the jig, but this was just a test to see how they'd look.
I snapped this while adjusting the speed of the drill press.  Belt drives!

I was really worried about doing this and then it turned out to be super easy.
I tacked the main triangle in the jig before pulling it off the frame for internal brazing.  Before I started I was a little worried about accidentally burning the jig, but Anvil really makes their stuff well.  Here's the head tube all tacked up!

A little bit of char...still working on my temperature control.

My drill press, looking particularly epic.

LENS FLARE
With various safety goggles hanging off of it.
The main triangle all internally brazed.  After it cooled I soaked the flux off and then put it back in the jig...and it fit!  I managed to keep all of my measurements and angles intact.  Might seem like a little thing, but these tubes can really get pulled one way or another when they're brazed.  The tubes sang nicely as I was brazing them.  

Getting there!
Still no flux tank, so I took this home and did things in a slightly different way...

DINNER'S READY
Now that the flux is off, I get to start on external brazing while waiting for the crank to come in.  Once I get the crank, I can crimp and braze the super cool chainstays.  

Also, after meeting with a pretty awesome friend of mine I can say that some really cool things will be happening in the future regarding this little venture!  Stay tuned for what our bike powers combined will result in...

20140524

Bike Month: Bringing out the Bikeyness in Everyone

With May as Bike Month now being recognized in more and more places, I'm starting to see more companies and people doing little things here and there to celebrate it.  I have to admit, it's pretty awesome that all of the places that I frequently visit are now in bike mode, and even if it's only for a short while it at least gets people aware and might even get a few more out riding.  Here's some of what I've seen recently!

Mint, a fairly popular budgeting website, has finally caught on that biking can (surprise) save you money.  If you log in, you're given a financial tip about biking that will take you to an infographic, which you can check out here.  They talk about the cost of a bike vs. a car, and even though many of us still own vehicles, the cost of filling up multiple times a month compared to filling up every other month or so does add up.  And with all of the money you save using your bike instead of a car, you can spend it on more bike stuff!  

The health benefits of cycling are also mentioned, and with cyclists taking less sick days, getting exercise, and other benefits overall, it sure beats sitting in a gym on a spin bike!

Modcloth, a vintage themed clothing site, is also celebrating bike month with a whole section of cycling-inspired clothing and accessories.  Modcloth mostly caters to women (sorry guys), but looking at their featured bike gear shows a lot of fun stuff with even a few mens t-shirts included in the mix.  It might seem like a small thing, but I'm glad that Modcloth has chosen to promote cycling, especially in such a casual, welcoming way.  People don't need to be intimidated and think that you need a full kit and a bike that costs more than your soul to ride, and the more people feel comfortable riding casually on whatever bike they love, the better!  

Timbuk2 is also celebrating with some nifty new commuter bags, and they've started a Bikeshare program.  Plus they have a whole slew of bike related products all made in SF.  They're also having a Facebook giveaway - enter here!

And what better way to get people to ride by having them compete against each other?  Team Bike Challenege is a Bay Area competition where your company and your team can compete for points against others.  Points are based on miles and trips, with more rewarded for trips that would replace a car and frequency of riding.  There are some prizes from REI for the winners, though it looks like Apple is in the lead and is going to beat everyone...again.

REI of course is celebrating bike month with classes and events, depending on your area.  REI has always been a big advocate of cycling anyway, and also supports Bike to Work Day/Month in the Bay Area with incentives for those that pledge to ride (and do) for the first time.  Last year they sent me a $40 gift card just because I rode every day!  They have also expanded their commuter line quite a bit, so if you've been looking for good clothing to use on your rides to and from work, check them out.  

And, surprisingly, Walmart - yes, Walmart is having a Bike Month sale, with their bikes and bike accessories all marked down.  Now, I don't support box store bikes, but if it makes their customer base aware that Bike Month is a thing, and maybe gets a few more people out riding...then I might allow it.  

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great (and bike-full) Memorial Day Weekend!  Get out there and ride!

20140520

Takhion Headset Caps: IT'S GETTING REAL

I know it's been a while.  There was a period of about six months where I had to throw my hands up in the air in frustration and give up because the logistics of this project had become too crazy.  But I hadn't forgotten, and I had kept trying behind the scenes.

To make a long story short, I was stopped in my tracks due to three things: PVC injection molding is kind of really dangerous and lots of companies won't do it anymore, the file format required was being a pain in the butt, and the cost had skyrocketed to the point where I couldn't continue working on this and also afford groceries.

But then a few things happened.  A few good things.  Here's the old cap:


Sad.
 And here's the new prototype:


BAM
There are a few small edits that I need to make - the cap is just a millimeter shy of being wide enough, and the logo itself needs to be rescaled and made more circular.  

Here's the good news though - while this isn't PVC and therefore not 100% accurate, this is pretty close, and most importantly it's really affordable to make.  Meaning I can make them available to people that need them! 

Fingers crossed that the next iteration is the last and I'll be able to offer them for sale by the end of June!

And, this means that next will be Takhion Bar Plugs.  

20140517

The Bikes (And Bike People) of Maker Faire

Maker Faire has been described as many things, and it's tagline "The greatest show and tell on earth" is pretty accurate.  Today I also heard it as a "Burning Man for tech people," which is also spot on.  

What surprised me about Maker Faire was the prevalence of bicycles, bike powered objects, and bike related exhibits.  I tried to grab as many photos as I could, starting with the valet bike parking that was almost completely full when I arrived.  There were thousands of bikes!

Big thank you to the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition for organizing this!
This was organized and managed by the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, an excellent organization that I've worked with before.  The fair was located along a bike route and bike parking was free, so people of all ages were riding in.

Parked and ready for the fun!
Parking was a short walk away from the entrance to Maker Faire, where a fire breathing octopus greeted everyone, and many bicycle related contraptions were being demonstrated.  This guy below was using this machine to do really cool geometric chalk drawings.

Many contraptions and robots had bike parts.
Next I met the awesome folks of V-Lock, who showed me their prototype lock and bicycle storage device.  It's beautiful, efficient, really well made, and I'm excited to get in on their Kickstarter when it launches!  I also got to speak with one of the designers who also builds frames - check out how beautiful they are.  It wasn't until after that I realized I was so excited talking about the V Lock that I didn't manage to get any of my own photos, so here's one from their site!  

Bike lock and bike rack - how cool is this?!  Via VLock's site.
Another booth was displaying frames made locally and advertising a summer course to build your own.  Hopefully I can have my frames at a booth next year too! 

Student made frames.
Right then, I found the Whiskeydrome: a mini velodrome where you ride single speed cruiser type bikes.  What a blast!

Everyone was curious to either watch or ride.

Inside the drome!

Now that's a steep bank.

We're rooting for you, Larry.
There were a few bikes, races, and events being put on by the Fun Bike Unicorn Club.

I would very much like to join this club.
These were some of the bikes that they had on display.  I'm not sure how functional these particular bikes were because they weren't being ridden, but there were many that were much more ridiculous that were being ridden.  



Wandering into a nearby building, I ran into the MonkeyLectric booth!  They were having a deal on one of their models and had many others on display, including an activity where you could draw something and transfer it to one of their wheels.  I really want to get one of these eventually.

Here's what they look like off the bike.

These thing are bright!  And they're becoming more affordable.
Impossible to miss this on the street at night.
And everyone knows that a VR exhibition wouldn't be complete without a bicycle simulator.  There was a demo of a bike controlled sim/video game that I watched for a bit.  It reminded me a lot of Mario Kart!

It was a single speed, but the brakes did interact with the game, which was pretty cool.

Riding the streets of Italy in your living room.
Bicycles were also *powering* some of the exhibits - there was a smoothie booth where you had to bicycle-blend your own drink, and of course the pedal powered stage, where the audience rides bikes to power the instruments!

Bikes of all kinds - even a cargo bike!
I wandered around a bit more looking at all of the bikes and contraptions.  There were so many, with bikes made of wood, electric bikes, burning man bikes, and sometimes things that were completely different, like this interesting take on a spokeless wheel:

Never seen anything like this before!
A close-up.
On my way out, I found a few of the electric bikes were grouped in the electric vehicle section, like these two!  I was really hoping to get a demo, but things were winding down and I had to leave.  

That wheelbase...
If you're in the Bay Area, Maker Fair is going on through this weekend, so I highly recommend you bike over and check it out!  There is way, way more than what I was able to feature here, and many interactive exhibits.  They have robots, 3D printing, mech battles, Game of Drones, and an agricultural exhibit where they were giving out baby plants.

Made it home in one piece!
Thanks to everyone who made Maker Faire possible - I'll update with any bike related Kickstarters as they launch in the next coming months.

20140516

Some Takhion related inspiration for your Friday...

This is just awesome to watch.  



I'm definitely inspired to ride this weekend!

20140514

The Long Way Home

It's hot.  

We're in the middle of a heat wave, and temperatures were in the nineties yesterday and today.  While the afternoons are pretty merciless, the evenings bring a bit of a breeze, and a nice reprieve can be found along the bay.

Very few other riders were out braving the heat.
So, despite the heat, I took the long way home along the bay trail.  I kept a slow pace, chugged a lot of water, and stopped to take photos and admire the view here and there.

One of the many sloughs.
I realized that I miss a lot when I'm speeding to work along this trail in the morning.  Maybe it's a combination of the lack of sleep and the rush to get to work, but there were a bunch of little surprises that I hadn't noticed before.  

Artichokes, for instance.

Wait, are those...
Right before the Bridge to Nowhere (that's actually its name) I found what had to be at least a hundred wild artichokes growing.  None of them had flowered yet, and they were smaller and slightly different than what you'd find in the supermarket.  Maybe they're not proper artichokes, but they're definitely in the same family. 

I wonder how they'd taste!
Leaving behind the little artichoke patch, I continued my jaunt.  Lots of other people were out walking, riding, roller blading, and it seemed like more than anything there were quite a few kids learning to ride.

Once I got a little ways past the crowds, I stopped by the San Mateo Bridge to enjoy the few and take some photos.  

If only it had a bike lane...
I continued home, slow and steady, just enjoying the ride.  Despite the heat, it was more than worth it!

Of course, now there's some sort of creaking noise that is either coming from my headset or my bottom bracket.  Looks like I know what I'm doing this weekend...

20140509

Exciting News in the Framebuilding World

This is probably old news, but I went to order some tubes the other day and noticed that Henry James has a killer new site!

Henry James offers everything you need to build a frame - great tubing, flux, brazing rod, fixtures, and now it's super easy to place an order.  They offer their own brand of high quality lugs, and they also sell True Temper tubing.  

If you're looking for anything from the Paterek Manual to some quality dropouts, check these guys out!

20140508

It's Upon Us Yet Again

Bike to Work day snuck up on me this year - I thought it was next Thursday, but as I learned yesterday next week is Bike to Work Week, but only in some places.  So Bike to Work Day technically falls outside of Bike to Work week, but the entire month of May is Bike to Work Month.  Got it? 

I had my usual planned: leave at the buttcrack of dawn to avoid the crowds and make sure I get a goody bag, and then stop at the Oracle Station which has the best food (as far as I've discovered).  

But I ended up trying something a bit different this year...I took the train.  And while I was bracing for crowds at the train station, I somehow managed to get there early enough that I missed the first wave of cyclists entirely.  The lovely volunteers for the Caltrain Bike to Work Day Station were just setting up, and of the people that were already there on bikes half seemed like they had no idea why someone was offering them muffins.  

Leaving work was a bit of a different story, as I rode the whole way home and definitely saw some people who had no idea what they were doing, blatantly breaking laws and endangering themselves.  But on the other hand, there were ten times as many more riders being friendly, waving, smiling, and enjoying yet another day riding to work.

Plus, I got my goody bag.

The headlight is blue though, which I don't even think is legal
It contained a Cliff Bar, a headlight, and some local bike info.
If you were one of the volunteers who helped with Bike to Work Day, kudos to you for getting up early and putting on an awesome event!  Hopefully some of the riders that chose today as their first day will stick with it...as long as none of them almost slam into me because they're running a stop sign.  

To learn more about future Bike to Work Day events in the Bay Area, check out their site here!  May is Bike to Work Month nationwide, so many places might not have had their official day yet.  

20140504

One step closer to looking like a traffic cone

Since my old helmet has officially reached its expiration date (and might have been dropped one too many times), I decided to upgrade.  Whether or not helmets need to be changed every few years is definitely a discussion for a different post, as is the infamous helmet vs. no helmet debate.  

While trying to decide which of the many, many helmets on the market I should get, I had some interesting thoughts regarding the whole helmet...thing.  

The short version is that I decided on an adequately colored Giro Aeon, but not without a lot of research and quite a bit of back and forth. 

I did not get it because it was orange.  That's just a bonus.  
I took it out for a test ride today for the first time, and I'm super happy with it.  It's comfy and well ventilated, and the color helps with visibility for sure.  At many points I forgot I was wearing a helmet, such as when I got home and was digging around in the garden, which I'm sure has only added to the list of questions my neighbors have about me.  

My issue with the whole helmet thing, if you chose to wear one, is where does safety versus price reach a point of diminishing returns?  At what point do helmet companies start to focus on aesthetics and weight as added features on top of safety - does this point even exist?

This weighs almost nothing.  It just floats on your head, held down only by the straps.  
I don't count grams, which is probably evident by my stable of steel bikes and the fact my commuter has a chainguard.  But it did seem to me when I got down to my top few helmet choices that the biggest issue discussed in reviews was weight and aesthetics, as opposed to overall safety.  Certainly there were a few exceptions to this that were mostly along the lines of "I wore this and got hit and I'm still here!" but there were many less people than I would have thought asking about the safety of one helmet versus another.  There was one exception to this, which is the POC Octal, which specifically lists additional head coverage as a safety feature and uses it as one of its main marketing points.  

(Truthfully I really did like the Octal, but it's not compatible with my eyewear and it is POC's first road helmet, so maybe I'll try one next time when they've had a few years to improve).

I get that this is a hard thing to test, and for a number of reasons.  Most companies aren't strapping their helmets to crash test dummies and beating the hell out of them with SUVs, or simulating a crash at 60 mph on a steep descent because your front tire blew.  Sure, there are a few videos like this, but there's still a large chunk of data that's missing that I'd like to know.  There are things like the CPSC test that you can find if you dig around long enough, but if I walk into my LBS and ask if they can tell me the difference between helmet A and helmet B if my handlebars fail, well...

Would buying the lower end model or the higher end model make that much of a difference safety wise?  Does model X offer just as much protection as Y, but Y is just prettier and a bit lighter?  Or does it really boil down to you get what you pay for - in which case I feel for the people that don't want to spend more on their helmet than they did on their bike.

+10 visibility
The irony of it is that if you're lucky, you'll never have to find out at all.  You just get to go out and buy a goofy looking hat that you add to your wardrobe of cycling superhero clothes until it's time for a new goofy looking hat.  Or awesome looking hat, if you're a glass half full type of person.

The consensus among my fellow cycling friends seemed to be the get-what-you-pay-for conclusion, which is one of the reasons I opted for the Aeon.  Mostly the reviews and my positive experiences with previous Giro helmets and products pushed me in that direction, but if a few extra dollars turn out to be the difference between a concussion and a coma (is that even medically possible?) then I'll take it.  


And if I'm wrong?  It's still a pretty awesome hat. 
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