May 2009
29 posts
Faster Than Video Can Follow
The first Velvet frame is shipping today! I haven’t been able to keep up with posting video of the process.
We will post over the weekend. In the meantime, we began production on Monday and it’s shipping on Friday. The total production flow process was about four complete days—Monday at noon through Friday at Noon.
Not too bad.
- Rob V.
Uploading Video Clips
Sorry for the radio silence in the past day. We’ve been shooting a lot of video in the past few days and that’s taking some time to edit and upload to the blog.
First video posting soon. Lots more videos to come. Get ready.
- Rob V.
The Timeline is Backwards
I know it’s obvious but it occurred to me—and a reader pointed it out to me—that this blog shows the steps of this process in reverse.
I thought about changing it around so that earlier posts show up before newer posts, but that would take some design management. It’s not going to happen…sorry.
For those checking the blog one a week or so, scroll back in time to...
Begin the Build!
Just got confirmation from Davide to begin building the frame. Next week will have production photos of the first Velvet for Raceware.
-Stef
April 2009
46 posts
Integrated Seat Post Now a Standard Option
We’ve added the ISP option as a standard part of our Custom Kit and our Confirmation Process. So, we now consider it a real part of our product line. :)
- Rob V.
Frame Design: Stem angle
I know it’s a little late, but I wanted to make one more point about frame design and how it is impacted by the stem angle on the frame. Davide wanted an 84-degree angle for the Velvet because he thinks it looks “very aggressive and race oriented.” When we design with a lower-degree stem, we use an extra spacer to add the ability to adjust position in the future. This stem...
Packing an ISP Bike
I rode 40 miles on the ISP Elium over the weekend and when I finished I couldn’t think of a single reason why anyone would prefer a seat post.
When I tried to put the bike in my car, I realized one limitation.
Boxing, shipping, and traveling with an ISP bike will be more challenging than with a removable seat post. The extended seat tube projects so high that it will not fit in standard...
Revisions sent
As Rob posted earlier, Davide asked that the cable routing on the down tube be moved further down to accommodate the SRAM Red gruppo. He also added a titanium stem to the order.
When any changes are made to an order, we make changes and then re-send the confirmation form so the customer has the most up-to-date information. I changed this information for Davide and now he has the exact...
Multi-State Tour
The original Velvet prototype is currently on a multi-state tour along the east coast with Joe. The bike’s getting a work out and some good visibility. We’re also getting positive feedback on it!
- Rob V.
Rose of another Name
The Velvet name has been bothering me; it’s a great name but it’s taken in the US. As I mentioned earlier, we have to come up with an alternative. It is a good name though.
Seven has a history of bad names for Italy. Somehow, we come up with model names that don’t translate well. Ironically, I thought that, because a fair number of Seven’s model names derive from...
Specs sent!
Just emailed Davide the specifications for the Velvet and a CAD drawing of the frame. Eagerly awaiting his thoughts…
Stef
Frame Design: head tube length
While working on the Velvet design, Rob has posted before about the challenge of designing a racing bike that will also be comfortable enough for “granfondo race.” We used a special mix of race and standard road geometry to reach this goal, particularly with front end height.
In the end, we split the difference between the front end height of a race bike and a road bike with an...
