Greetings everyone,
I have been trying to sit down and write any of several "assignments" I currently have to do, and haven't been having much luck. I decided to write to the CR list first, which will explain why I haven't got to the other assignments yet, while I also reveal what has transpired at Vintage Cycle Studios since forming in May 2004. Many already know some of this, but very little of what I had planned actually transpired; in it's place a completely unexpected set of circumstances. My writing this will hopefully give everyone a few laughs while I explain why some things are taking a while to restore. I will say that my writing this signals that I am at a stage of progress and great hopefulness for the future of VCS and Baylis Cycles, which are still seperate entities, even though (once all details are final) I will be sole propriator of both businesses. This past year has been a tremendous struggle and financial battle, which on account of my advanced age, I am less able to deal with than when when I was younger. But only in that I can not work the kind of hours and late sessions that I used to enjoy as a younger man. Conversely, I am enjoying both the hobby of collecting and riding vintage bikes more than ever and doing the work on them is something I never tire of. I love my work and the people I do work for. I am proud to be part of a distingushed group of craftsmen that call themselves framebuilders. I'm tickled pink that there is now a national Handmade Bicycle Show in the United States that will bring us together (along with the public) to share, celebrate, and revel in beautiful and functional pieces of machinery. A wonderful and magical machine that becomes a part of man himself for (an extremely wide variety of) purposes of locomotion. I only recently realized that Don Walker is my new hero and he is probably going to be the person largely responsible for the currently building renaissance of interest in handmade custom bicycles. The crest of this wave is nearly upon us.
To begin my tale, I digress to a point last year to a time about June when we finally found a workshop to rent that would suit our purposes. Craig set about doing some painting, rearrangeing, plumbing for air lines, and locating equiptment for the new shop. I was trying to maintain a flow of work at my previous location for most of this time. Once the building was suitably prepared and we deposited what equiptment We already had, we began to build our spray booth. I think it took about 3 weeks before it was ready to use, but from that instant we were operating from the new digs in El Cajon, CA. The plan from there was to get stuff moving through the shop by a system of organization of some sort. We still had to put up racks to hold frames, and get some lighting in the "back room" where my work station is and also the spray booth. We were just about at that point when Craig began to have some sort of difficulty with his left eye. He began seeing Doctors (which I would imagine isn't that easy with a bum eye, eh?) and after several opinions, it was clear (except through Craig's left eye) that something was wrong and something needed to be done. Craig decided he needed to take a job (from an offer that was standing) with a company that could eventually provide medical benifits so the problem could be addressed, after which Craig would return to VCS to pick up where we left off. So after being in the place for a month and just starting to do some of the critical "home improvements" around the place, I found myself as a solo act for a while. I knew I could do everything that is required of me, since I've been doing that for the past 30 years. What is unknown at that point is can I hold down a place designed to be worked by two people until reinforcements arrive? I didn't have a nest egg of money to work from, which always makes it more "challangeing", but there's nothing new about that either. The question is can I handle the sheer volume of work that started comming our way? THAT is the question. Can I work that long and that hard for an extended period? Time would tell.
So for the past year I have been working for the most part, seven days a week. I don't really mind that too much. Work is rewarding and fun, challangeing at times, and totally what I want to do. Want to ride more, but must get a grip on this first. I don't have time to write much or participate on the list like the old days. I get up early, come home very tired, and there's not a lot in between. My only real recreation, believe it or not, is occassionally I do a little something for my own collection. Put a bike together here and there or throw on a paint job. It is both my pay and my "time off". This concept is hard to grasp at times I guess, but that's the way it is. I have to keep my sanity somehow. FYI, the extra racks to hold all the work comming in and the lighting so I can see at my workbench is about to get done next week; only a year behind schedule!
So fast forward about a year from May 2004, never mind all of the details of our parting of the ways (that is Craig and I), and the year of daily busting my hump and keeping track of the details associated with 60 or more frames at any given time every day. That means I do these things, and things not limited to this list, as my daily duties:
sort the mail and respond as neccessary listen to phone messages and respond as neccessary check email and respond as necessary attend the telephone (when I'm at the shop and I hear the phone, I answer!) sort through the work and make a list of things to do (every day, and every day is different) Major duties include: polishing frames and forks for plating, unpacking or packing bikes, stripping paint, sandblasting and prepping for primer, spot putty and prep for paint, braze on removal or replacement, tubes repairs, every funky fixit you can imagine, frame and fork alignments, decal work, masking, pinstriping, final sanding for final clearcoat, and so on. To add to that ordering materials and or picking them up. Running back and forth to the plater as parts go through stripping old chrome and then going back after I polish, to be picked up when plated. Locating decals and having graphics and stencils made and whatnot is also a major time drain. Add this all up and put a ticking timer on every single bike in the shop as the customer ticks down the time until the job is finished. Every one is a ticking timebomb. I do my best to do the job before the patience runs out. Sometimes this is easy, sometimes this is difficult. Occassionally it is impossible, depends on the job, the customer, and the state of things a VCS.
Did I mention that I try to build several labor intensive one-of-a-kind handmade bike frames each year? The hard way? You know, with those antique lugs and all? That requires time and concentration and more than just a little bit of energy. It's tough on the joints of the hands and arms. The old back ain't what it used to be either. Thankfully I still have three good eyes at my old age; but even if I had to build them by the sense of smell, I will not give up the old ways or my craft. No compromises will be made. It's all or none until the end.
Well, I have to say that I was near overload about 2 months ago as I could see that the pile of work grows faster than I can catch up to it. Then one day a young 30 year old gentleman came to my shop along with a mutual friend. He inquired about "working" for me. I will not explain our arrangement at this time since all that matters is that all of a sudden and out of nowhere, I have an assistant. Thus far he has proven to be very entheusiastic and quite capable of watching and learning. He has taken immediately to several simple but subtle tasks during which he has shown me that he has that "natural touch" which one either has or doesn't. Young Carlos is a most excellent student and I believe the world can expect creative and interesting work from him as over time he learns the craft from a genuine "old dog". I have more than just a few new tricks I can lay on the young dog. By the time I'm done with him he will understand the art of frame repairs, designing and building handmade frames, polishing secrets of the masterframebuilders, and painting techniques that rival Piccasso or Dali. More importantly I have found a new friend with multiple talents and a very like mind. This is so absolutely refreshing.
Bottom line right now is that we are making rapid progress towards an effecient workshop, we're digging through the pile of work, and even the projects that are classified as "serious pain in the ass and a sure money loser" will be addressed soon. But the the thing that makes me the most excited is that I should be able to maintain a regular schedule of serious framebuilding VERY SOON!! Framebuilding is entering a new era, of sorts. We have almost passed through the "technology" age in bicycles. It will never go away nor will it stop, it can't; BUT the time has come that most serious cyclists recognize the attraction and the value of a personal handmade lugged steel frame made for the pure pleasure of owning and riding such a machine. Some framebuilders, in the distant future, will be regarded as "artists in steel" and metal sculptors; and some actually are. I plan to make my contribution. I myself am entering a new era. My entheusiasum has never been higher, my confidence never more sound, and my intentions never more determined.
So I must say thank you to everyone who has been and may continue to be patient with me and supportive during my times of suffering. I have both great friends and great customers. I try my hardest every day to make everyone I do business with happy and to have a good time doing it. It hasn't been easy but I'm positive that things will be contiuneously improving. I've learned a lot in this past year, much of it in the form of "what NOT to do", but that's the nature of life and of being in business. It's not always a bowl of cherries; and yet for me even the hardships are sweet for the most part. How would you know that you were alive if there wasn't some pain now and again. Makes the simple good times easy to appreciate.
That's all I got in me today. Try to do the blog next. I have some serious answers for some of the questions. Some of my responces may not be popular with everyone. Too bad. In this case I feel obligated to give honest answers to honest questions. My position is purely framebuilder. I'm not supporting anything in particular and have no prejudice towards any products. There are however, going to be opinions based on my expierences.
Brian Baylis La Mesa, CA I've worked my ass off, now how do I get rid of this BELLY?