Whose The Black Sheep?

A rap group from the early 1990's called the Black Sheep posed a challenge through a song they wrote. The challenge was this "You can get with this or you can get with that" to hear this song (it is clean) click on the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlEy3og5smsw.youtube.com/watch?v=GlEy3og5sms

I ran across a bicycle company here in Colorado that goes by the same name- Black Sheep Bikes- http://www.blacksheepbikes.com/. Readers, yall know that I know some funk in bicycle design when I see it and I am here to let yall know that I am not particularly wild about the above design but Black Sheep's use of color is great. Yes, I would have done alot more color coordinating because putting color on the frame would really have made this bicycle pop, but they did well! The rap group said it and I pose the same challenge to you all, "You can get with this (Black Sheep Bikes) or you can get that (another company in there price point)" I'm gettin' with these cats!


Check out the front of this bike. Dang, I have to say what the cartoon character used to say when I look at this "I thought I saw a puddy tat". What I appreciate most about this, is that is it absolutely the 'Cleanest' design I have ever seen, color would have made it stand out, but this is nice. Remember in an earlier post I waxed philosophical on the value of clean design? I just believe all the gadgets take away from the bike.

Black Sheep also have a cargo bicycle (not pictured her-I couldn't find a good pic to post) design on their website that I think yall should check out because I believe Webster's Dictionary should redefine the definition of 'Freak Show' after I saw the cargo design! Dictionary publishers..be down and put that cargo design picture in your dictionary under 'Freak Show'!

I am going to shut up now. To Black Sheep Bikes...keep bringin' it to the marketplace...somebody got to hold down the fort until I get out there :)




 
 

‘Iron Riders’ Make a comeback’

Part of the vision of this blog is to remember and promote the past contributions of long forgotten African-Americans within the ‘Cycling Culture’. One of those forgotten contributions was made by the only bicycle corps the U.S. Army ever authorized. Using African-American Soldiers known as buffalo soldiers, so called by Native Americans because of their thick woolly hair, this unit conducted drills and exercises on wheels. In 1892, they rode into Northern Montana on muddy trails and toured Yellowstone on their 100-pound iron bicycles. As proof of their capabilities, these Iron Riders pedaled 1,900 miles from Ft. Missoula, across the snow-dusted Rocky Mountains and steamy Great Plains, to St. Louis. As they approached the city over 1,000 civilian bicyclists rode out to escort them into town in a great parade. (Pictured left on this blog)

As an Ex- United States Marine, the story of this particular unit hits home to me because in theory, as a black U.S. Marine, I am in essence a ‘Buffalo Soldier’ myself! I found a website called http://www.militarybikes.com/ that features an actual bicycle designed especially for military use. It is a Mountain Bike that folds and is very functional as a tool that can be air-dropped from military planes, folds to fit in back of a Hummer, and can even be folded to fit snugly into many of the land assault crafts currently in use by the U.S. Military.

It also allows the distance traveled by ‘Light Infantry’ to be tripled each day of operations. As someone who used to have to walk 20 + miles with 50 pounds of gear strapped to my back while in the Marine Corps, I personally understand the value of this equipment. GREAT GOING MONTAGUE!

 
 

Doin’ Design ‘Froggy Style’

Ok readers, now that I have recovered from the initial ‘Shock and Awe’ by a designer named Alex Suvajac ,visit his site at http://www.alexsuvajac.com/. I can now clearly relay my thoughts to you as it concerns one of the top 3 concept bicycles (not production bicycles) that I have seen thus far in my journey to realize bicycle design perfection. Up until now and going forward with future posts that you read, when you hear me say either ‘Much thought went into this or that design’ or ‘No thought went into this or that design’ I want you all to realize my standard for thoughtful design AND THIS IS IT!

Concept designs are often ‘Out there’ and most of the ones I have seen are absolutely ugly or on the flip side, AWESOME! There seems to be no middle ground especially with this design, which is the latter. Before I continue, I want to cut several of you off before you even get started emailing me as you have done before telling me why this design isn’t mechanically sound. SAVE THAT DRAMA AND START DREAMIN’ BIG DREAMS MAN! Anything is possible in this day and age as it concerns engineering. Think about it, there is a small rover from NASA right now on the planet Mars billions of miles away taking samples of ice on another planet and relaying that information back to scientists on Earth. What would the naysayers have said if someone told them this was going to be possible even 20 years ago? Exactly what you naysayers are thinking about telling me concerning this particular design, IMPOSSIBLE!

Admittedly, I am not wild about the name ‘Frog’ and I can see why the designer named the design as he did but renaming is a small thing. I think a few samples of more worthy names would be something like Papa Doc, Smoove, Drop It, or Yummy! Just to name a few. I will shut my mouth for now and just let you all sit back, grab a bag of popcorn and enjoy the show because from where I sit, this Bicycle should be in the movies!


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A Bicycle with Wood Overlay

Designer Roland Kaufman is responsible for this bicycle (pictured below). When I 1st saw this it took me awhile to process what I was seeing. This is the 2nd bicycle I have seen with wood used in such an extensive way. How do I feel about it? Hmmm? DAAAAAAAANNNNGGGG! The use of wood here is certainly different and is to be commended and I rather enjoy just thinking about the possibilities with wood overlaid on a frame.


Now the other design I ran across was about 95% wood which to me just looked, well……….stupid. I have been imagining what wood would look like if designed on a bicycle, as overlay with different colored woods. Never one to just imagine where design is concerned, I put my thoughts into action and came up with a designn called ‘P Funk’ and laid down some ‘Purple Heart’ wood stripping throughout the frame and it is nice!

The pictured design could be so much funkier IF the designer would’ve used different colored would over lays on the frame. For instance, what would it look like to be overlaid with ‘Purple Heart’ wood or ‘Canary Yellow’ ‘Egyptian Tiger Wood’ ‘Green Poplar’ or even a beautiful red wood called ‘Padvk Red’? At the very top of this posting are various colored wood samples, any of which would look hot on this bicycle.

Only 1 small other change I would have made and that is regardless of the color of wood used on the overlay here, the spokes (not necessarily the whole rim) need to be the same color as the wood over lay. Come on yall, how nice would that look with let’s say a ‘Yellow Wood’ overlay on the frame and ‘Yellow Spokes’ that would pop with the rest of the rim being chrome coupled with chrome handle bars? In closing, nice going designer Roland Kaufman!

In the meantime....back at the ranch...all I could say when I saw this wood creation (pictured below) was "Dum,de-Dum,Dum.....Duuuuuummmmm" Just silly!