Sure, we take it for granted that a real man builds his own damn bicycle; especially if he wants a really kool-looking one. But, sometimes a major bike company comes up with something which fills the bill right out of the box. In which case, a real man considers just buying the thing, freeing up addiional time for working on that cancer cure, perpetual motion scheme, or anti-gravity sneakers.

With the Revive, Giant Bicycles has introduced an advancement of mass-production bike design which is also incredibly kool-looking. It's of semi-recumbent pattern, with soft-tail design. Yeah, a real man could probably whip up something of this nature, but think of the time savings to not have to do it yourself. All you'd have to do is scrape off the decals, spritz it with some kooler paint, and Hey Presto- you've got yourself a really kool ride, without taking much development time away from that inertialess propulsion scheme, or whatever.

It's therefore very appropriate that Brad's book on bike construction comes not from some twee "cycling press" publisher, but from McGraw-Hill's Tab Books subsidiary, several of whose robot-building manuals grace my own library shelves. (Yeah, I'm also that kind of guy.) A book of this type, by this sort of guy, promises to be much more than the usual prosaic, nuts-and-bolts treatment of the subject. If
BikeRod&Kustom is a site which is of special significance to you; chances are that Brad's Bicycle Builder's Bonanza is a book which will also be of special significance to you. While not out yet, the book is already listed by Amazon.com, who are accepting advance orders for it, at a tidy discount over the publisher's list price. Do yourself a special favor now, by going to
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0071422676/qid%3D1056118548/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Ds
r%5F11%5F1/104-7154590-2041566#product-details

Paperback: 500 pages
Publisher: McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics; (September 1, 2003)
ISBN: 0071422676
List Price:   $24.95 
Amazon Price:   $17.47
(A fabulous bargain IMHO)
Jim Wilson

If you've been here before, you doubtless are familiar with the work of Brad "Atomic Zombie" Graham.
He builds whimsical/outrageous/functional variations on the theme of the bicycle.

The interesting thing about Brad is that bikes aren't the only projects he tackles. He also does robots, electric vehicles, electronic gizmos, and all sorts of other interesting stuff. This renaissance gadgeteer aspect of his intellect leads to all sorts of cross-pollination among areas of interest. While a bike specialist would have a set of tricks for application to that area of design and construction; a wider-ranging set of interests adds other tricks and hacks to the the set of skills he brings to a bike project. So, a book on  bike building by this sort of guy delivers much more than the basic how-to premise would cover.
Below are some examples of the possbilities. More are shown at  the company's website- http://www.hokeyspokes.com/. Stupid name or not, Hokey Spokes have some very good possibilities for application to kustombikes. Jim Wilson
Why is it that even the most brilliant inventors, if left to their own devices, will invariably come up with the stupidest-possible product name for their brain-child? Dean Kamen is a perfect example. He came up with a revolutionary product- a  gyro-stabilized electric scooter. Did he come up with some suitably 21st-century sci-fi-style name for the gizmo? Of course not; he calls it the Segway, which evokes nothing except an old joke: leading up to the punch-line "What's a henway?"  "About four pounds, plucked."

This brain-child, by David J. Hoch an MIT grad, and founder of Illumination Design Works Inc. while not quite as revolutionary as Mr. Kamen's, sports an equally silly name. Talk all you want about
crass and soul-less marketing people;  but they can  generally be counted upon to come up with a much snappier and more relevant product appellation than your typical rocket scientist. At least Mr. Hoch works out of Massachusetts. West Coast braniacs are even  worse, as they tend to go out of their way to find a name which bears some sort of pseudo-spiritual cachet. What's a Bigha, for example?

Here we have a gizmo which uses digitally-controlled LEDs in a way which exploits the human eye and brain's persistance of memory to form patterns in the spin of a bike wheel. It's called Hokey Spokes. The "Spokes"  part makes sense but  my recollection of the usage of Hokey, refers to trite-ness. Maybe it elides to another product which found early popularity among the Ivy League
set- the Hacky Sack. Another dumb-ass name by a probably-smart guy.

Here's the company's description of the product:
O F F - T O P I C
V.5#1
H O K E Y   S P O K E S
Why is it that even the most brilliant inventors, if left to their own devices, will invariably come up with the stupidest-possible product name for their brain-child? Dean Kamen is a perfect example. He came up with a revolutionary product- a  gyro-stabilized electric scooter. Did he come up with some suitably 21st-century sci-fi-style name for the gizmo? Of course not; he calls it the Segway, which evokes nothing except an old joke: leading up to the punch-line "What's a henway?"  "About four pounds, plucked."

This brain-child, by David J. Hoch an MIT grad, and founder of Illumination Design Works Inc. while not quite as revolutionary as Mr. Kamen's, sports an equally silly name. Talk all you want about
crass and soul-less marketing people;  but they can  generally be counted upon to come up with a much snappier and more relevant product appellation than your typical rocket scientist. At least Mr. Hoch works out of Massachusetts. West Coast braniacs are even  worse, as they tend to go out of their way to find a name which bears some sort of pseudo-spiritual cachet. What's a Bigha, for example?

Here we have a gizmo which uses digitally-controlled LEDs in a way which exploits the human eye and brain's persistance of memory to form patterns in the spin of a bike wheel. It's called Hokey Spokes. The "Spokes"  part makes sense but  my recollection of the usage of Hokey, refers to trite-ness. Maybe it elides to another product which found early popularity among the Ivy League
set- the Hacky Sack. Another dumb-ass name by a probably-smart guy.

Here's the company's description of the product:
What are Hokey Spokes?

Hokey Spokes are unique bicycle safety lights that allow riders to display computer-generated images and text inside the spoke cages while riding at night. Not only are Hokey Spokes fun and interesting, but they also provide important side visibility, which is mostly unavailable in today's standard bicycle lights.

Hokey Spokes consist of transparent "blades" that attach to your bicycle spokes. As these blades spin during riding, a computer inside the blades modulates the internal LED lights so that design images and text appear.

The user can decide how many spokes they want to place on the bicycle wheel. Up to 6 "Blades" can be placed on each wheel. The more blades, the more visibility and persistance of vision at lower speeds.

Hokey Spokes are designed so that they fit virtually any mountain or road bike with a wheel diameter of 24" or greater. Hokey Spokes can be used on front and back wheels at the same time.

Each Hokey Spoke contains a number of designs and a customizable text message. The designs play and switch automatically or the text message canbe frozen to play consistently all the time. Play mode is selected by using one of the waterproof keys located on the master blade.

Each Hokey Spoke blade houses 3 AA batteries.

Hokey Spokes is great for nighttime commuters, bicycle couriers, police riding units, BMX and bicycle shop promotional advertising and others.

Features:

High-intensity side visibility (both sides)
Displays a number of designs
Fits on virtually any wheel Uses 3 AA batteries per blade
Waterproof design
Red, green, yellow, orange, blue or rainbow lighted versions available
Weighs only 6 oz. with 3 AA batteries
Only 7 mph speed is required for full image persistence (using 3 blades)
Lasts up to 48 hrs on a set of fresh batteries

Below are some examples of the possbilities. More are shown at  the company's website- http://www.hokeyspokes.com/. Stupid name or not, Hokey Spokes have some very good possibilities for application to kustombikes. Jim Wilson
If you've been here before, you doubtless are familiar with the work of Brad "Atomic Zombie" Graham.
He builds whimsical/outrageous/functional variations on the theme of the bicycle.

The interesting thing about Brad is that bikes aren't the only projects he tackles. He also does robots, electric vehicles, electronic gizmos, and all sorts of other interesting stuff. This renaissance gadgeteer aspect of his intellect leads to all sorts of cross-pollination among areas of interest. While a bike specialist would have a set of tricks for application to that area of design and construction; a wider-ranging set of interests adds other tricks and hacks to the the set of skills he brings to a bike project. So, a book on  bike building by this sort of guy delivers much more than the basic how-to premise would cover.
It's therefore very appropriate that Brad's book on bike construction comes not from some twee "cycling press" publisher, but from McGraw-Hill's Tab Books subsidiary, several of whose robot-building manuals grace my own library shelves. (Yeah, I'm also that kind of guy.) A book of this type, by this sort of guy, promises to be much more than the usual prosaic, nuts-and-bolts treatment of the subject. If
BikeRod&Kustom is a site which is of special significance to you; chances are that Brad's Bicycle Builder's Bonanza is a book which will also be of special significance to you. While not out yet, the book is already listed by Amazon.com, who are accepting advance orders for it, at a tidy discount over the publisher's list price. Do yourself a special favor now, by going to
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0071422676/qid%3D1056118548/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Ds
r%5F11%5F1/104-7154590-2041566#product-details

Paperback: 500 pages
Publisher: McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics; (September 1, 2003)
ISBN: 0071422676
List Price:   $24.95 
Amazon Price:   $17.47
(A fabulous bargain IMHO)
Jim Wilson

Giant "Revive" : Comfort Biking for the 21st Century Hipster?
Sure, we take it for granted that a real man builds his own damn bicycle; especially if he wants a really kool-looking one. But, sometimes a major bike company comes up with something which fills the bill right out of the box. In which case, a real man considers just buying the thing, freeing up addiional time for working on that cancer cure, perpetual motion scheme, or anti-gravity sneakers.

With the Revive, Giant Bicycles has introduced an advancement of mass-production bike design which is also incredibly kool-looking. It's of semi-recumbent pattern, with soft-tail design. Yeah, a real man could probably whip up something of this nature, but think of the time savings to not have to do it yourself. All you'd have to do is scrape off the decals, spritz it with some kooler paint, and Hey Presto- you've got yourself a really kool ride, without taking much development time away from that inertialess propulsion scheme, or whatever.

Giant Revive $600-1200
Revive is the ultimate comfort bike with a neutral riding position and adjustability for riders from 5'-6'6"..

Specifications:

size One size fits all riders 5'-6'6"
frame 6061 T-6 aluminum, rear suspension with 3" travel
fork Steel unicrown
rear derailleur Shimano Sora
front derailleur N/A
derailleurshifters SRAM MRX Plus 8-speed, twist grip
cranks Alloy 48T
pedals Platform comfort
handlebar Alloy
stem Alloy adjustable quick release
Levers Alloy comfort
brakes Alloy Linear Pull
saddle Comfort Webspring w/adjustable Lumbar Support 
seatpost Alloy Micro-Adjust
rims Alloy
hubs Alloy
tires 20"x1.75" Multi-Surface
rearshock Giant Coil Spring Adjustable
crankset Alloy
gearing Shimano 13-26T 8-speed
spokes Stainless Steel, 13G
additional Rear alloy rack, internal cable routing, kickstand
Jim Wilson