The 99 Designs experiment was interesting, and I did walk away with a logo that I mostly liked, but it doesn’t really compare to what a professional graphic designer can pump out.  With that, here is the new and final BikeAble logo as created by Shannon Lake of Lake Creative Communications:

To say I’m happy with this design would be an understatement.  Now I need to rush an order of new business cards in order to have them for the WCD Expo next week.

And then I need to erase all mention of BikeAble from this site so that nobody comes here by accident when looking up info on it.  No offense to myself, but I hardly think the contents of this blog are suitable for a disability organization.

Well, except for that entry on disabilities and masturbation.  No no, even that’s pushing it.  Oh well.

Last September, I submitted three photos to the Bike Philly photo contest.  They’ve never announced the winners (first prize was a Fuji bike).

But that doesn’t mean they haven’t used the photos.

One of my submissions first showed up in an official Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia document.  Then it showed up on their blog.  And now?  Now it’s the header graphic of their registration page for Bike Philly 2008.

So did I win the contest?  No clue.  They’ve also never said when they would be announcing the winners.  There was some mention that they would reveal the winners at a volunteer meeting, but I didn’t have time to drive to Philly to attend just that meeting.

I was out on a bit of ride today and nearly got plowed by a driver who couldn’t be bothered to look to see if anyone was crossing the intersection.

Fortunately, I was also playing with a new acquisition: an Oregon Scientific ATC2K helmet cam (though mounted to the front of my bike, not my helmet). There’s nothing entertaining about some shaky video of me nearly getting hit, so here’s a slightly modified version:

The Speedmachine and I spent a lovely day on the Lower Trail, biking 32 miles in what can only be described as the heat that might drip from the testicles of Mephistopheles.  Or would those be testopheles?  No, I guess not.  Apparently testopheles is the name of a half blind cat with big nuts.

Big nuts notwithstanding, the ride went well overall though it did start off shakily.  This was my first ride on the Speedmachine and first extended ride on a two-wheeled recumbent.  It took me about 15 miles to get used to starting, stopping, and steering.  Aye, she’s a twitchy bitch.  Once I loosened my death grip on the handles, things got much better.

I was hoping the more reclined angle of the seat would reduce the numbness problems I’ve had with the Catrike.  After 15 miles, my toes go all tingly and require a rest stop to restore blood flow.  Same thing with the Speedmachine, though since I wasn’t clipped in, I was able to adjust my foot position to move pressure to a new area.  Doing so usually resulted in thigh cramps after a few miles.

My average speed was about 12MPH, which isn’t stellar, but I wasn’t expecting fireworks for my first long ride of the season on a bike lacking familiarity.  On the paved portions of the trail, I was easily pulling 15-16MPH.

So the two big questions are: do I like it; will I ride it in the rally.  Yes and yes.  I still need to get it out this week for some rides up and down hills.  I need to know what my climbing performance is like before I try to take it on a 33 mile road route this Sunday.

Speedmachine! Yes, the HP Velotechnik Speedmachine is now mine. My darling wife matched my funds as an early Father’s Day gift so that I could ride it in the upcoming RBR rally.

Of course, I can’t just buy the stock bike. Oh no. I’m replacing the seat cushion, putting on racks (rear and center), adding fenders, slapping on bottle cages, installing a kickstand, rolling new tires, and maybe placing a head rest.

Excuse the language, but this is gonna be fuckin’ sweet!

“They” being RBR. During my last stop in the shop, Rob approached me about helping with a redesign of the RBR site. What made him think I’d be good for that? He found Disjunction and liked what I was doing here (specifically the regular blog entries).

So there you go, kids. Fill a blog with articles about bikes, furries, charities, electroshock therapy, and gadget reviews. It might just get you some site work. It’s not that I’m afraid of people finding Disjunction, it’s just that I never assume anybody is reading it beside my wife and folks reading FnDragon’s LJ friends list. I’m guessing that Rob was checking out his referral logs and saw it mentioned there.

In other news, I’ve sold my kayak. I was sad to see it hauled off in the hands of another man, but I was happy to see $350 in 20s and 10s in my hands. Next to go will likely be about 25% of my book collection - the stuff I have no intention of reading again or of reading for the first time. Normally, I’d trade those in at Webster’s for store credit, but getting credit just means I would replace books I didn’t read with more books I won’t read. For once, I think I’ll see what Webster’s will give me in cash.

Oh hey, I know… How about I turn this post into a virtual yard sale? Check my goods after the cut, yo. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m really loving this logo design that was submitted earlier today.

Honestly, what’s not to like? It nailed the inclusion of something recognizable as bike gear while also pulling in the human aspect in a way that looks tight! Opinions?

I’m not sure if I like the use of gray as opposed to black, but I should be able to play with that once I get the vector art.

I’ve been selling a ton of crap lately with the goal of adding another bike to the family (because it’s just not enough to add another family member).

Speaking of selling, if anybody wants a Cobalt Flux for $150, let me know.

I’m down to choosing between two bikes, both from HP Velotechnik. They are the Grasshopper and the Speedmachine:

Grasshopper

Speedmachine

I’ve taken them both for test drives, and they are comparably priced (the Grasshopper is a bit more). It’s always tough to choose between two options, but here to help me are my friends, the +/- lists!!

Grasshopper

+ Awesome shade of green
+ Low to the ground
+ Able to do some gear shifting while stopped
+ Folds in half for transport ease
+ Easy to control at low speeds
+ Mesh seat
+ Great for rail trails
- None of my gear matches the color
- Dual 406 tires means lower top speed
- Knees come too close to handles (probably adjustable)
- Price after tax, racks, and shipping probably just under $3K

The Speedmachine

+ Silver matches my riding gear
+ Low to the ground
+ Good top speed
+ $500 less than Grasshopper
+ Dead sexy
+ 599 rear tire
+ Higher gear inch range
+ Great long distance bike (perfect for MS 150)
- Might not be fun on trails
- Tough to start on hills
- Shaky at low speeds
- Needs a rack and a kickstand
- Can’t mount it to the Draftmaster rack
- Needs fatter tires

I’m torn. The Speedmachine would be an excellent road bike for long rides and touring, but the Grasshopper would be the better bike for rail trails and my lunch rides. With the fatter tires, the Speedmachine should be trail capable. I’ve seen people riding Bacchettas at the Lower trail, so it can be done.

Forget that lamenting over logos crap.  I found 99 Designs, which lets you set up a contest with a dollar reward (minimum $100).  I set up my contest on Friday and already have some good designs (one that I love).

This is much easier than the other avenues I pursued.  And the results come quick!

I’m trying to get going on a new long-term project.  It’s a service that goes by the name BikeAble that offers free consulting to anyone who has a physical limitation of some sort that keeps them off a bike when they’d rather be out riding.

This naturally spawned from two events.  First was going through the paces of getting Gareth his bike and adapting it accordingly.  Second was going to the PSU retiree fair and talking to a bunch of people who long ago gave up on bicycling because they had no idea what possibilities existed for them.

As usual, I’m going about things in a backward manner.  Instead of just saying, “Hi, I represent BikeAble” and getting out there to help folks, I’m working to get a site set up, get my partnerships in place (RBR is on board), and get a logo designed.

I thought for sure that I could make up something suitable for a logo, but after purchasing a Wacom Bamboo tablet, I came to the sudden realization that hardware purchases do not translate into artistic skill or sudden knowledge of Adobe Illustrator.  (Not that I regret buying the tablet.  It’s awesome for me in Photoshop.)

What to do?  I posted an ad at work that resulted in a hit from a graphic designer in NYC who waived his usual $3K “creative” fee but still wants to charge me $50/hr with an estimate of 9-10 hours.  Come on now.  I don’t really have $500 to throw at a logo, no matter who designs it.

So then I hit Craigslist and found somebody in Williamsport willing to do one up for $125.  That’s much better.

But then I hit the mother lode - I hooked up with Elance and put in a project.  Bids have been flying in from as low as $75 and as high as $500+.  There are a couple in the $120-140 range that look promising, so I’ll be combing their portfolios to get a sense of their usual clientele.

Of course, I thought about hitting up INART on campus, but I figured the semester is nearly over making it unlikely that any students want to pick up my little project for the fun of it.

It’s good to have options, but I really had no idea how challenging it was going to be to find somebody to help me with this at a price that won’t kill me.