Isen workshop: adventures in batch production (or not...)

Australia too. Using Paypal was actually the clunkier option.
Now Paypal is probably slicker than banks because of the stupid bank 2FA dongles.

Great. Got a set of the alu radial mudgaurds for the Isen. This might do the trick.

Have you tried bodging a supernova onto one of these?

I'm guessing the fork has a hole in the back for the mudguard, so perhaps something like @gillies has will work (when running without mudguards).

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWQa40UBMBA/

Can you have both? I throw stupid money at some bike things (mostly OTP) but something like a custom build I'd always have the "fucking useless British builders.." thing ringing in my head and the final 50-80% must be reasonable incentive for them to finish. Obviously not saying this applies in your case but I've heard enough stories to be wary of builders taking on too much and pushing my project aside for bigger dollars elsewhere, that kind of thing.

Bro, do u even spreadsheet?

Yes, I do - for calculations. Not other PM / Ops type nonsense.

* furtively hides Gantt chart in Excel *

Supernova's are heavier, and also mount further away from the fixture so lots more leverage. I wouldn't reccomend for them I'm afraid.

Yeah those rap around mounts are a good solution although they make me slightly scared as there is nothing to stop them locking up the front wheel if they jam down. Unlikely, but front wheel etc....

It's gonna be a name and a payments schedule with a delivery date, right? Not calculating the launch angles for a satellite.

It's easy if you don't actually want to run a profitable business, yes :)

I don't see why it would hamper profitability.

Good points. If I go with mudguard mounted IQ-X I could run the son fender mount light which I just came across which is nice and tidy,

Otherwise bar mounted supernova might be the solution

Giving deep-pocketed Dentists the opportunity to splurge down the whole price at time of order will do wonders for cashflow.

Bikey customers burn up builders' time and energy on an already margin slim product - the longer they are in the system the more they will burn up your time, your margin. Then you add the cost of the basic management of the sheet. Then you get to make exciting choices like when do you order the tubes? Up front so as to get a volume discount, or further down the line so as to allow changes. But where to store the tubes that you aren't building with? Do you just build the thing then hold on to it for a bit? What if it gets damaged whilst in storage? There's other bonkers stuff you'd need to do such as if you want to work out how much it's actually costing you to deliver a unit you'd need to do it across the different payment schedules. No idea how you'd account for it / VAT it either assuming VAT is a thing on bike frames.

Basically it's a complexity explosion that's already been mitigated by the advent of the credit card.

That's already shit they're dealing with though.

Nothing is ordered until either deposit or full payment is made.

Balance with possibly lost sales because a payment/delivery time option doesn't suit a potential buyer.

I think you're making something simple overly complex. If they pay in full you build. If they pay deposit, you still build and then collect full payment or if they pull out you still build and sell to someone else, keeping deposit.

That's already shit they're dealing with though.

Yes - and they need to solve that problem, not enlarge it.

possibly lost sales because a payment/delivery time option doesn't suit a potential buyer.

There's no evidence this is a problem or an opportunity - yet.

I think you're making something simple overly complex. If they pay in full you build. If they pay deposit, you still build and then collect full payment or if they pull out you still build and sell to someone else, keeping deposit.

The standard deposit type system isn't what I'm taking issue with. Although it comes with some of the problems above.

There's no evidence

Mmm hmmm

This discussion inspired me to look at your website. I know unsolicited comments are what you are looking for and will make you happy. Can I suggest the marketing copy on the page below is geared towards your sense of humour, not what would encourage someone to buy a bike from you?

https://www.isenworkshop.com/abou/

I would fix the URL so it actually said "about" but that's just me.. and Google :)
https://www.isenworkshop.com/abou/

Having read it I like it. But I appreciate humour much more than I appreciate yet another fucking statement about lateral stiffness and vertical compliance or some wishy washy hipster spiel about craftmanship. Just tell me jokes!

OK. An Australian walks into the bar. The barman says "oi get off the ceiling you arsehole!"

That ok?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im3saZsxvqY

Adrian just records my drunk ramblings and tries to make logical sentences out of them so don't be too harsh on him.

On a serious note, there obvs has to be something there, and for some reason some the bike trade loves to take itself seriously. I find it really boring, so does caren. You should have seen the first draft, if it wasn't for caren and adrian moaning I could call myself Matt 'Micheal O'Leary' McDonough.

Plus website is just arse bare holding site until someone who knows what theyre doing (Holls and Adrian) work their computery magic.

Almost tempted to post up the first draft... it was borderline Ratner.
Actually not even borderline.

Website is very much a temporary thing and will be replaced by something much better once dull discussions over online payments & the like have been resolved.
Also once there are some actual proper product photos to go up.

Personally I lean towards thinking there are enough ultra SRS bike companies around and that humour's a good way to sell things providing the product itself is solid. As a semi-retired early 90s skateboarder I've got a lot of affection for the Steve Rocco, World Industries style of marketing, though that probably doesn't translate to bikes at all.

Yeah, I figured it is a work in progress. I don't think it is bad to communicate your irreverence btw (in fact it is probably good). But if you can do it in a way that makes me more likely to buy a frameset from you, all the better.

"hi I'm irreverent buy my bikes ok?"

Something along those lines maybe?