1960 Cararro complete

Powder Coating results

1960 Carraro

718C_018 takes shape

718C_011 95% complete

718C_010 Complete

718C_009 Complete

718C_010 Graphics

718C_009 Graphics

718C_013 75%

718C_010 85%

718C_009 95%

718C_010 gets wheels and tyres

718C_009 at night

718C_009 Gets Wheels and Tyres

718C_010 New Wheels

Night OPS

718C_009 Progress

718C_010 Taking Shape

For Sale

718C_015 1964 Dunelt

718C_014 Saddle + Build

Pair of 1965 Varsitys

718C_014 update

Rainy Bike Sale

718C_007 Mock-up

Bike Sale

Bike sale, Saturday may 2, 11-3. 305 16th Street...here's the Craig's List posting

718C_006 update

718C_008 update

718C_007 Progress

718C_006 ("Diablo") Comes Alive

Brooklyn Fixed Gear Builders and Riders

Our 1st meetup went very well...assembling 718C_010

Shop Images

718C_010 comes to life

718C_007 "World Sport"

Updated builld images

Press Release

My press release got picked up in a mountain biking website

http://www.abc-of-mountainbiking.com/news/200904/start-ups-giving-back.asp

40 year old pedals

New Arrival (718C-009)

I think I found the perfect bike for my wife

718C_008 in the front yard

718C_007 (mock up #1)

718C_005 "71 Collegiate"

718C_005 "71 Collegiate" complete

Buddy Bike?

Last pics of 718c_004 before being sold

Riding to work woth me on the R train

718c_004's beat up cousin

Bike signage

New bike racks

718C_004 "71 Collegiate" update

71 Collegiate Update

Here is a restoration build, re-using many original parts from the 1971 Schwinn Collegiate

I got a chance to use my new headset press, which worked like a charm.

I left all of the cable bosses on the frame, as I was seeing this as a restoration that someone may want to convert back someday

CCM Bike

Just acquired this classic CCM Canadian made bike yesterday. Great detail, including an alligator ribbed fender, the letters "CCM" in/on the chainwheel and a very cool chainguard. I am thinking of making this a touring bike, complete with Brooks saddle and retro racks/panniers.

My 14 Little Billboards

I am sponsoring (as well as coaching a Little League) team this season. This is my 4th season coaching, and every year, after the first practice, I try to remind myself why I let myself get involved with the mayhem.

Website update (part 9, at least)

So, I made some changes to my website tonight, to fix 2 main issues that have been bugging me.

• The 1st issue was that the site relied too much on Flash, and consequently was hard to update and you run the risk of someone not having Flash installed in their browser..also, sometimes I think Flash is too slick for its own good!

• The 2nd issue was that there were too many layers of navigation before a visitor got to the good stuff...the bikes And I never really liked the 1999-era rollover bars. So, I have simplified the navigation, and actually combined it with images. Here is the "new" version http://www.718c.com/tables.html You can rollover the 6 images on the right, but the links aren't active yet. Compare this to the current site: http://www.718c.com

The company itself is doing well, amd most importandtly I am having a great time doing it. I am advertising on Facebook and Google, as well as getting listed as Local Business on Google for Maps search (in Google Maps, go to zipcode 11215, and type in "custom bikes"). Thanks for your continued support.

Morning rattle

The Brooklyn Bridge bike/ped walkway is elevated above the roadways, and made of thousands of wooden planks. The noise is soothing as you roll up across and down them, and as you get really moving the clickety-clack begins to turn into a roar

Morning

With daylight savings time, there are new (well, not really new, lets say different that the last 6 months) sunrise angles...here is looking from the Brooklyn Bridge North through the Manhattan Bridge, 7am

Paint Gun 101

First tests painting with a compressor and paint gun (on 718C_005).  There is so much more control over quantity, flow and tip shape as compared to rattle-cans.  Also, the ability for custom colors is obvious. For earlier coats, I was able to have a wide pattern to build up gradual base coats, and for final coat I was able to lay the paint on very smooth with no runs.  I mixed a Carolina Blue on the frame, and a stock blue on fork and chain-guard.

Delivery Herd

NYC 5 Boro Bike Tour

My son and I are signed up to do this 42 mile trek through the 5 boroughs of NYC...my bet is we do 10 miles.

Beinecke Library, Yale

My firm did this building in 1963, and I sit close to this picture in our gallery.  Love the pic because of the great collections of bikes in the quad.

(here is an interview with Gordon Bunshaft)

http://www.som.com/content.cfm/gordon_bunshaft_interview_on_beinecke_library

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beinecke_Rare_Book_Library

44 Degrees!

Spring may be here. Today I rode on with shorts and my wool Team Lope
jersey. I hope this milder weather "sticks"

Out for a spin

Went out for a spin on Sunday on Bumblebike, with my son riding his
custom bike as well.

718C_005 (71 Collegiate)

Work will hopefully continue on 718C_005 (71 Collegiate) today with the nice weather that appears to be here to stay.

Using a combination of chemicals, drill-attached wire brushes, a 
dremmel tool and steel wool, the plan is to strip the frame today. 
Tomorrow I am hoping to get my paint gun/ compressor set up so that I can paint the frame.

Night in the Shop

View Looking back at the house

On the Map

I finally got accepted as a Local Business by Google Maps...typing in "bikes", "fixed gear", "fixies", etc will get my listing on the map.

BikeSnobNYC Part 1

http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2009/02/bike-buzz-old-bikes-new-humiliations.html

BikeSnobNYC Part 2

Got mentioned by the mighty BikeSnobNYC today

http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2009/03/repentance-back-pedaling-under-duress.html

Rusted tangle

These 3 bikes (can you make out all 3?) haven't moved in at least 4
years, and are probably fused together.

Ouch

Like a kick to the teeth.

On the Move

My local bike store of choice. No attitude, every part, expert advice
and mechanics.

7th ave, Brooklyn

Field Modification

Note fire extinguisher and pull box.

Team 7-11 Jersey

I recently was given the Team 7-11 Jersey of rider Andrew Weber from the EARLY 1980'S.  Team 7-11 was an influential force in US cycling in the 80's

Snow Day

I have been trying to ride into work on a daily basis all winter. It's
been a pretty cold and icy winter, so I have only been averaging 3-4
days/week. Today we received a foot of snow, which will probably leave
snow and ice on the streets for a few days. My biggest fear in these
conditions is out-of-control cars.

The Magic Thread

http://www.thirdraildesignlab.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=10447

This is the thread that really got it started for me...30+ pages and over 470 threads on how to build a fixed gear bike.  The masters who helped me are the founders of Team lope in SF.  Check out their builds and forums at:

http://www.teamlopecycling.com/

Work begins on 718C_005 and 006

Initial mock-ups of 718C_005 and 718C_006 started in the cold today.  718C_005 (top picture) will be interestng as it is relatively old frame (1971 Collegiate), and looks to have small diameter seat post and stems (an an existing chainguard and kickstand).  I am thinking of a Carolina Blue paint job on this one.

718C_006 (below) looks to be a Scwhinn World Sport from 1984-ish, and having not measured it yet looks to be a 21" frame.  This is the 2nd frame I have got that came with an existing Bottom Bracket, and I am nit sure if I will be replacing it.  Also, i am going to try to totally remove the crown/frame races from the frame durting painting.

Workshop almost complete

The workshop is almost operational, after relocating to the backyard from the family room a mere 40' feet away. 

 

Press Release

LOCAL START-UP'S FIRST STEPS INCLUDE GIVING BACK

Brooklyn, NY - Its not often that one of the first orders of business of a start-up company is giving money away, buy 718 Cyclery's founder Joseph Nocella recently did just that. As a board member and coach for the all-volunteer St Francis Xavier Youth Organization of Brooklyn, NY, he and other board members were faced with the loss of crucial sponsors for the upcoming youth baseball season, mostly due to the downturn in the economy. Mr. Nocella, who recently founded 718 Cyclery in Park Slope, Brooklyn, had a feeling that he could do a little more. Returning home from a recent board meeting where the sponsor loss was outlined, Mr. Nocella had the realization that his young company could begin what he hopes will be a long relationship with the community. "I had a hard time that evening, thinking that maybe I could do more to help out an organization who's mission I am totally committed to...but wondering if this new company had the resources. In this economy, and with a new business, the last thing that comes to mind is giving away money".

Mr. Nocella contacted the Organization's President, Mr. Javier Rosario, with an offer to help out. "I don't think I had finished my sentence, when he accepted my offer", Mr. Nocella recalls. "Before I knew it, my company was giving back, simple as that". As a longtime coach, Mr. Nocella says he will be coaching his sponsored team this spring in the Prospect Park Baseball Alliance's Pony Division (co-ed, ages 7-8). "It will be weird, seeing my logo on the back's of my team's jerseys, but I know that my sponsorship really makes a difference directly". 

About 718 Cyclery- 718 Cyclery is a Brooklyn based company, founded in 2008. The company restores vintage bike frames, adds modern components, to create unique modes of transport. 718 Cyclery's bikes have been featured on many online galleries showcasing bike restoration and customization, and the company maintains a forum that describes the restoration process as an educational tool.

About Joseph Nocella- Joseph Nocella, R.A., LEED AP is a Registered Architect and works for Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in New York City. As a LEED Accredited Professional, he see's 718 Cyclery's mission as being very environmentally responsible. "On the one hand, we are reusing the frames of the past. In addition, we are adding more bikes (and hopefully removing some cars) from our roads". As a truly local business, he see's the people of New York City as role models for the rest of the country in terms of non-automobile modes of transit. "Be it bikes, buses or subways, I have always felt that New Yorkers certainly set the bar in terms of sustainable means of transportation, and my company's mission is directly tied to those aspirations".

HTML Version
http://www.prlog.org/10189977-local-startups-first-steps-include-giving-back.html

PDF Version
http://www.prlog.org/10189977-local-startups-first-steps-include-giving-back.pdf

# # #

Evening Ride Home 2

Evening Ride Home 1

718c Workshop

...under construction, workshop of 718 Cyclery is moving ahead.  Granted its an 8x10 metal shed, but hey, it gets me out of the house.  My plan of leaving tools all over the house has finally triggered my wife to say "fine, buy a shed!"

The assorted and winter-faded yard furniture will be on the way out.

718C_004 the final days

The final days and hours of a bike build are the most unpredictable. It is sort of a blur wherethings just come together at something different than the intended pace. the build for 718C_004 "tempo" was not without diversions and alternates, but in the end I am very happy with it (and wish i could keep it).

Lonely Bike Room

We have this incredibly spacious bike room here at 14 Wall, probably room for 100 bikes (its actually bigger than the pic shows, as the room wraps around the corner to the left).  Granted I have been riding in some pretty cold weather lately, but i am usually teh only bike down there. Poor Bumble_Bike is all alone

Cold Commute

Today it was 43 degrees with a whipping wind coming over the Brooklyn Bridge at 7am.  It actually wasn't as cold as I thought.  I may get some winter tights, but the thought of wearing tights makes me squirm. (I got the tights)

 

http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2009/02/bike-buzz-old-bikes-new-humiliations.html

Tour de Bronx 2008

The 2008 Tour de Bronx (TBX) was a wholly unorganized affair, but served as the "sea trials" for my new bike "Bumble_Bike".  Riding a fixed gear home brewed machine up and down the 8-10% hills in Riverdale from miles 40-45 was an insane idea, but I am happy to report that I didnt stop once, although it felt as if I was going backwards at some points.

The unorginazation manifested itself in the form of wrong turns, dead ends, locked exits at rest stops and the group of 5000 riders being led back across its paths figure 8 style. It was free, so I guess I cant complain too much.  

The ride was tough, and got exponentially tougher as the ride grew longer through Parkchester, Woodlawn, Wakefield and Riverdale.

The bike did incredibly well, and I didnt have to use any of the many tools I packed for the journey.