By blackmountaincycles,
Filed under: Uncategorized
Oof. When it rains, it pours. Just when we all are getting used to living with Covid-19, the Bay Area gets a massive punch to the gut in the form of lightning started fires. There are about a half-dozen incredibly destructive blazes on-going within about an 85 mile radius. One in particular, The Woodward Fire, is burning as close as 1/2 mile from my house. Due to terrain, wind direction, and the incredible work of fire crews, I’m confident I’m not in danger. There is an evacuation *warning* where I’m at, but only one small area on the windward side of the fire to the north has been evacuated. So far, no structures have burned. Needless to say, I did move bikes to the shop and have packed some stuff I might need in case the fire did cause an evacuation. It’s not, though.
The first week of the fire the wind was out of the north and the air at home and at the shop was clear. Then it shifted almost 180 degrees and is now out of the southwest pushing the smoke straight up the Olema Valley to Pt. Reyes Station. There’ an incredible amount of smoke in the air and visibility is a bit over 100 yards. Because of that the air attack formed by two Super Scooper planes and helicopters are limited in their use. When it does clear, they get after it full-force, scooper planes scooping up water from Tomales Bay and helicopters refilling from ranch ponds in the area. There’s a lot of back fire activity today as well that is contributing to the amount of smoke in the air.
While the Pt. Reyes/Inverness area likely dodged a bullet with the location of this fire being in the wilderness area where there aren’t any homes, most of the other area fires were much more devastating. Friends and acquaintances lost homes, everything, in those fires. I just can’t imagine.
Day 1 of the Woodward fire seen on my commute home.
Helicopter flying across smoke filtered sun with water.
Morning coffee at Sky Camp in the Pt. Reyes National Seashore overlooking Drake’s Bay. The Woodward Fire burned through Sky Camp, so this spot will not look the same.
Speaking of bikes – it has been one helluva summer with all the bike repairs. Seemed everyone needed bikes repaired so they could get some outside time. Gyms were/are closed, so bike riding seems to be the next best exercise option. It’s #1 in my opinion. Only this last couple of weeks did the number or repairs taper off. At its peak, there were 4-5 repairs per day. I would only schedule a maximum of 5/day to keep myself sane. This was in addition to the custom wheels ordered and framesets and bikes that needed to be prepped/built and shipped. Needless to say, it was a busy summer.
There are still some 44cm, 47cm, and 50cm MCD frames in stock. The current order of Road+, MCD, and Monstercross frames is proceeding. I still anticipate a November-ish ETA – colors TBA. The other two frames are progressing. I’ll work up some better info on those soon. I’ve probably said that already, but I know as soon as I post info, I’ll get hit with a barrage of emails and phone calls. While answering them all is my job, I have to manage my capacity to be able to handle it all properly. The orange Molteni inspired graphic Road frame has sold out and that rim brake road frame is discontinued. As a one-man shop, I can only manage a certain level of frame models. As it stands, I will probably have one too many, but I’ll make that work. I can’t make it work with two too many.
MCD frames still available in the following combos: 44cm Mayfly, 47cm Mayfly and Desert Orange, 50cm Desert Orange.
A bunch of vintage bikes that were on loan for display in the Black Mountain Cycles “museum” got shipped to The Pro’s Closet to reside in their museum. I need to make some space in the shop, so the herd got thinned out a bit.
Some of the builds that happened over the summer.
To the point of what I did over summer vacation: I worked because people needed bikes repaired, custom wheels built, custom bikes built. It’s what I do.
(What’s playing: X Strange Life)
3 responses to “What I Did Over Summer Vacation”
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Got a full picture of your fixie? Stay safe!
Just posted some on the Instagram and Facebook.
Stay safe Mike! I hope the worst is over and the land and people can start the healing and rebuilding process!