The latest edition in my ongoing Award called the Fred G. Sanford 'You Big Dummy Award.' Just a reminder concerning the criteria of this Award;

1. Not based on whether I like or dislike it, but based on asking the question "Why would the rider even like that?"

2. Screams "The rider or designer wasn't trying to be creative, but just had nothing better to do."

3. Doesn't elicit a response of "Wow" but rather "Come on man, have some dignity."

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Riding along on my bicycle...HA!HA!HA! This is STRAIGHT KORNY, but I am going to back the Haterism out of my game because some things are just so korny and terrible that you gotta love em!!!

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I have found him! Who you ask? Someone I have come to know as ‘The Fabricator of Funk’. Over the last 7 weeks or so, I hinted at the fact and posted a raw frame picture, concerning the fact that I was working on one of (the 1st) of my prototype designs. I posted on craigslist in an attempt to find someone who could fabricate some of my designs. I got a response from 2 people and both of them referred me to the same person (one gave me his email address) who I only knew as ‘Casey’. I contacted Casey and the rest (when our launch comes) you will be able to say is history! I will not give you details, contact information and such about him because he is launching his own machine shop dedicated to building and creating original works of art (you may know them as custom designs) to remind the world that originality is king! Although I love design and talking about bicycle design, where aesthetics is concerned), there is much I don’t know and Casey my friends, IS the ‘Missing Link’.


We are closing in on completion of my 1st design in a few weeks. This design is called; ‘Illuminati’ which means; Someone possessing or claiming to possess a higher level of enlightenment. This name is very appropriate although I know that I do not have a higher level of enlightenment, but I certainly do claim so, do I not?! I think where bicycle design is concerned, enlightenment is ‘Relative’ to what you like and think is HOOOOOOTTTT! I saw some heavy weight ‘TREK’ Beach Cruisers in a shop not long ago, and I must say that I thought they were VERY NICE. Not HOOOTTTT (ala the Nuvinci by Ellsworth) but nice all the same. Someone else may look at that same ‘TREK’ and be like ‘YUK!’ Anyway, Casey has viewed a few of my designs and saw fit to refer to me as ‘Eccentric’. The purpose of the 1st design, Illuminate, was to not only build but for me to get a feel for Casey’s fabrication\alteration style and for him to feel where I was coming from. In my opinion, I couldn’t have found a better Fabricator-Machinist than he! Standby my dear readers for the roll-out of the 1st Signature Line of ‘RYDZ’ by Marshall Taylor in the spring of 2009….. REMEMBER THIS TERM… PROVOLUTION; Bringing the best of the past, forward to the present, and carrying that ideal into the future.

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Sorry I have been away for a little wide my dear readers but I have been feverishly trying to finish the edit process of by auto-biographical book called ‘Another Kind of Normal’. I have been working on it for the last 8 years and I have learned so much in the process. Writing a book isn’t like doing a homework assignment where you go home, sit down and bang it out until its’ done. Writing on this level it is a process of reflection, inspiration, and research! Anyway, I came across this chopper styles design for sale in Europe. The company is called Nirve’ and they have some OK designs I must admit. When I 1st saw this design, I thought to myself ‘Ugly Paint-Great Frame!” However, I was intrigued by the shape of the Seat Tube and the way it is bent to coincide with the rear fender. Although it seems harsh, the paint is ugly and it shows what I have believed for a long time, the focus must turn from just putting the ‘Same Old Same Old’ out and get imaginative about this process.

In one of my earlier posts I featured the new generation of Chrysler 300’s and the switch in thought process at Chrysler in this particular instance away from trying to create more gadgets to go in this widely popular design to focus more on aesthetics. I often look to the fashion industry for design inspiration and what I noticed is that fashion is rarely about ‘Function’ but about looks! In understanding the urban mind set a bicycle designer also has to come to the reality that there are many bicycle owners who do care about the gadgets such as shocks and suspensions, off-road mountain biking, road racing, etc. But the average bicycle consumer in urban areas wants “THE LOOK!” Black bicycle designers need to be reminded of this simple fact, your urban riders are seeking, attention! Why do young adults and teenagers with cars ride around with there music so loud?

Since I used to do this I can tell you it sure ain’t so they can better hear their music, it is so they can be noticed! ‘Spinner’ rims on cars are for one thing, to be noticed! You get my point. Bicycle design has to go from focusing so much on functionality and more on getting the rider noticed. What would I do to supe this particular design up?

• 
  This particular color of green is really obnoxious to look at. A pearl color would look great here!
  Let’s loose the doo-doo brown colored seat and hook this sucker up with a suede colored fabric. Cover the saddle (seat) springs with a solid chrome color that features the company’s logo facing outwards!
• 
  Suede colored fenders on the back and front trimmed in pearl to match the frame.
  ‘Nirve’ spelled out in Suede colored (This is a good font) costume jewelry on top tubing.
  Hand grips are suede with pearl colored tips. ‘Nirve’ written in the same font and same style jewelry (But larger) on the chain guard and shifted from the back of the chain guard to the middle and centered. Chrome sprocket trimmed in pearl! Spokes and tires look good.
  
  I can only imagine yall!

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Greetings readers. I haven't posted in awhile but the reason is simple. I have been having one of my 'Design Funk Phases' and have spent many hours over the last several weeks re sketching as many designs as possible from my 'Rough Sketch' book onto my large pad. I had an awesome vision just a few days ago while struggling with what form I wanted my 'Buffalo Soldier' design to take. The vision was for a series of bicycles to be known as 'I' Bike'. Oh my!!!!! 'I'Bike is a process that incorporates the latest shock spring systems on mountain bikes and combines funk, simplicity, and 'Bling' decor into 'I' which stands for 'Intelligent'.

I am not talking about designing an actual mountain bike because the truth is that I really only focus on junior, youth and adult cruisers, Mountain bikes simply do not 'Float my Boat.' Large nubby tires, all the gadgets such as gear shifts, brake lines, unemotional themes and crappy bike names go against the principle reason why I design. That principle is simplicity * urban lifestyle + natural design ability = 'FUNK!' The 'I' Series has the thought process of the original Star Trek Series which is "To go, where no other bike Designer has gone before." As I said earlier in this article, I have been busy also re sketching most of my original designs. They say that Mozart never had to erase any of his sheet music while writing it because it was perfect and not in need of revising. Well folks, I can't claim that kind of genius with what I do!

One thing I am very conscious of is trying to make any of my designs 'Too Perfect' by re sketching them over and over and over again. What I have found out during this process is that if I find myself doing this, it is only because of 2 reasons. #1- There was no inspiration for the design to begin with. When I am truly inspired and not just doing 'Busy Work', the whole thing comes together in an 1 hour to 1 1\2 hours max. That includes everything from the rear wheel to the head badge, there is no 2nd guessing. #2- It is just a crappy design. Not because their was not any inspiration, but because my concept, at its' root was wrong.

A counter argument to what I just said could go like this "If something is going to be great, alot of work HAS to go into it." I agree with that mostly, but remember this one thing, "Inspiration never has to be worked on, it just comes when it will and stays as long as it chooses." (That quote came from me!)

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