21 Dec 2010

So, failing the need for a rant, this is the last blog post for 2010!  I hope all my customers - past, present and future - all have a fantastic holiday season and that Santa brings you the Di2 you’ve always wanted. I’m pretty sure I’ll get absolutely nothing to do with cycling for Christmas due mostly to my terribly expensive tastes but I’m fine with that. I actually do need some new socks. As long as they’re wool and not black. Despite what Lance may try and espouse, black socks with shorts still scream “I’m a clueless and unfashionable white guy”.

So, what’s happening for 2011?

At the moment I haven’t put any new models up for 2011.  Originally there were plans to launch The Rift for 2011, but the contractor we were going to use to make them botched that project up so we were left with less than optimal conditions to make the launch.  So, The Rift will still be available in custom guise, but our plans to enter the dark world of albeit limited ‘production’ have been quashed.  It could’ve been worse - at least we’re not Giro and have 100,000 casual shoes we need to get rid of.  Live, learn, move on.

There are two new models that are currently in development that I will more than likely be introducing sometime in 2011. They’re progressed along enough that I guess theoretically I could release them now, but I’d like more time to make a few and refine the design and do some lightweight ‘prototyping’.

Tephra XS.

This frame is going to be very much a sprinters and clydesdale dream. Rendered in steel, it’s going to have massively oversized chainstays and downtube, and feature a few new design elements that I won’t go into at this stage. It will only be available in Ceraphim Ceramic coating and will have a very business-like industrial look, with no decals and only our new plaque-style headbadge. This will be a very unique frame for the road scene - not a bloated looking carbon aesthetic, but a quite tough, militaristic looking design we’re more used to seeing in the freeride/dirt-jumping world.

Tephra XK

This is going to be our first foray into the Cyclocross world. Being that this is custom, it will be able to be spec’d as a pure ‘Cross racer, or as a dirtroad speedster, lightweight tourer, or anything inbetween. Design-wise there’s nothing too out of the ordinary, except we’re going to be using the new Stainless Steel from KVA.

From the beginning I’ve always been yelling from the mountain tops that stainless should be for off-road use and that the current stainless obsession with the road scene - and especially the lug scene - is a bit misguided. Well KVA has enough of a tubing selection now as to at least make a Crosser viable, so that’s going to be the beginning of our stainless foray offroad. As an option, we might also be adding stainless steel chainstays to the Arete model next year, too.

So, that’s pretty much it for a 2011 preview. Being that I’m fickle and easily distracted, there could potentially be changes and deviations, but that’s the main game plan for next year. No changes to prices as I just modified then very recently, so failing the Aussie dollar falling into the toilet, they should stay the same for the foreseeable future.

Have fun!

Posted by warwick @ 7:32 am

06 Dec 2010

As I get more relaxed in my old age and let my morals and ethics slip in the name of massive profits, things are becoming more flexible in terms of how you can have your Thylacine look.  This has stemmed largely because my aesthetic has gone in divergent directions with a preference sometimes for the ‘traditional’ Thylacine look, the ‘Industrial’ practicality of Titanium and Ceramic coatings, and the poised and polished road frames.

Road.

Any currently queued road frames or orders placed from Dec 1st have the following finish options as no-cost options -

1. Wet paint, THYLACINE downtube decal, top tube panel decal
2. Wet paint, THYLACINE downtube painted graphic, no top tube panel
3. Pewter headbadge, or new ‘Machine Plaque’ badge.
4. Stainless steel seat and chainstays, extra fine media blasted finish, masked off paint. (Tephra SL only)

Off-Road.

Any currently queued mountain frames or orders placed from Dec 1st have the following finish options as no-cost options -

1. Powdercoat, THYLACINE downtube decal, top tube panel decal
2. Powdercoat, THYLACINE downtube painted graphic, no top tube panel
3. Pewter headbadge, or new ‘Machine Plaque’ badge.

There may be the option of stainless rear stays sometime in 2011, but it’s something I have to prototype to see if the stays can be bent nicely and whether they’re tough enough.

Aside from these options, naturally this is still the custom bike business, so whatever you can dream we can do (Providing of course it’s not ugly or silly).  I’m having a lot of fun with the road side at the moment as custom paint for the past few months has somehow become de rigeur, which is right up my alley.

Now I just have to hope that someone likes my 80’s inspired colour scheme enough to pony up the cool 1200 bucks to get it done….

Posted by warwick @ 9:11 pm