New Year weight loss plans ???

".Blueskies." wrote in message
t...
The next question will be "Doesn't *anyone* make a car in the USA
anymore?"

Nawh... "Which is more patriotic, buying a Toyota made in the US or a Dodge
made in Mexico?"

"Grumman-581" wrote in message ...
".Blueskies." wrote in message
t...
The next question will be "Doesn't *anyone* make a car in the USA
anymore?"

Nawh... "Which is more patriotic, buying a Toyota made in the US or a Dodge
made in Mexico?"



A Chevy built in Canada...

Not too many make frames in the USA any longer - there are some
"artisan shops" that turn out relatively expensive frames, often with
aesthetic touches that can't be found on most "production frames"...
but the cost of labor, and probably equally important - the cost of
meeting environmental restrictions when welding and painting - have
driven most production overseas.

Hey Mark -- does your company make a decent (and affordable) folding bike
for pilots?

It seems like all the ones I've seen are either (a) way over-priced or (b)
junk. And in at least one case, both.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" wrote:

Not too many make frames in the USA any longer - there are some
"artisan shops" that turn out relatively expensive frames, often with
aesthetic touches that can't be found on most "production frames"...
but the cost of labor, and probably equally important - the cost of
meeting environmental restrictions when welding and painting - have
driven most production overseas.

Hey Mark -- does your company make a decent (and affordable) folding bike
for pilots?

It seems like all the ones I've seen are either (a) way over-priced or (b)
junk. And in at least one case, both.

I've thought about it many times, but haven't moved forward on it
(yet). A folding titanium bike would be a very, very narrow niche
market and the set-up costs for building the frames would be pretty
high (which would of course put the bike in the "way over-priced"
category - at least from most folk's perspective.

I've thought about doing a "mini-frame version" - something that would
look a lot like a BMX bike with a really long stem and seat post,
putting the rider in a legitimate "adult position", but that would
break down to a much smaller package than a regular road bike or
mountain bike.

Mark Hickey

Hey Mark -- does your company make a decent (and affordable) folding bike
for pilots?

I've thought about it many times, but haven't moved forward on it
(yet). A folding titanium bike would be a very, very narrow niche
market

It's not just for pilots. I've often thought that the bike manufacturers
have under-estimated the size of the folding bike market.

As with LED spotlights, battery powered air compressors, and those
"instant-jump-start" thingies, when a product becomes affordable, it
suddenly becomes a "necessity" -- and the market simply explodes.

Every one of the items I mentioned above were unaffordable -- or
unavailable -- just a few years ago. Now, they have become "standard
equipment" in each of my cars.

If marketed as a convenience, or even as a safety device ("Never get
stranded again!") I believe that an affordable folding bike could become the
next "gotta have" thing for the general population -- not just pilots.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

("Jay Honeck" wrote)
Hey Mark -- does your company make a decent (and affordable) folding bike
for pilots?


Folding bike? How about a titanium 'tube and fabric' airplane project? -
after hours, of course.

With the weight saving in titanium frame construction they could now drop in
a small liquid cooled diesel... g


Montblack

"Montblack" wrote:

("Jay Honeck" wrote)
Hey Mark -- does your company make a decent (and affordable) folding bike
for pilots?

Folding bike? How about a titanium 'tube and fabric' airplane project? -
after hours, of course.

I thought about that too... once. Until I started adding up the cost
of the tubes involved and then considered that most people probably
wouldn't want to spend "certified prices" for a box of parts that will
become a kit with hundreds/thousands of hours of exta labor.

I would look cool though...

With the weight saving in titanium frame construction they could now drop in
a small liquid cooled diesel... g

It probably wouldn't be any lighter than an aluminum frame, though it
would have other advantages (wouldn't need paint, would have a far
superior fatigue life, though that's not a big issue with aluminum
based on the last half-century of anecdotal evidence). And by the
time you paid for the titanium tubes, you might be back to VW power.

Mark Hickey

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:iGnuf.675740$_o.546962@attbi_s71...
Hey Mark -- does your company make a decent (and affordable) folding bike
for pilots?

It seems like all the ones I've seen are either (a) way over-priced or (b)
junk. And in at least one case, both.

I was at Sam's the other day and noticed that they had one of the Montague
Hummer folding bikes for less than $300... The Montagues advertised
elsewhere were at least twice that price... Not sure how good they are
though -- never had a chance to ride one...

"Grumman-581" wrote:

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:iGnuf.675740$_o.546962@attbi_s71...
Hey Mark -- does your company make a decent (and affordable) folding bike
for pilots?

It seems like all the ones I've seen are either (a) way over-priced or (b)
junk. And in at least one case, both.

I was at Sam's the other day and noticed that they had one of the Montague
Hummer folding bikes for less than $300... The Montagues advertised
elsewhere were at least twice that price... Not sure how good they are
though -- never had a chance to ride one...

I'm really not into talking down competitors' products, but the Hummer
bike is pretty marginal for those who'd actually plan to ride it any
distance. There are better folders out there, though they cost quite
a bit more (that inescapable law of physics / economy).

A couple options:

www.bikefriday.com
www.dahon.com

One of the problems with folders is that there might be a considerable
amount of rigging to get 'em ready to roll. For those of you who
regularly attach wings, that's not going to seem like an
insurmountable obstacle.

Mark "non-folding" Hickey

"Mark Hickey" wrote in message
news
The built bikes are assembled in the US though (although there are
almost no viable US-sourced components).

Yeah, it seems that even if you do get a frame that is made in the US, the
various other components probably aren't made there... I'm not sure what
this says about us, but I don't think I like it... Hell, I still ride an old
(i.e. mid 1980s) Schwinn Sprint from back when they were made in the US...
I'm not sure if all the parts were made in the US though...