Tonic Fab

New Site

noreply@blogger.com (Tonic Fab) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 06:07:00 +0000

Howdy. Like Tonic Fab, but can't stand the decrepit site?

Go Here.

Nathan..doing something amazing at the Arvey.

-L

Cool Shirts!

noreply@blogger.com (Tonic Fab) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 06:55:00 +0000

Falling off the creative blog train has advantages. It opens up a little time which I have failed to use productively. I guess that's called taking break.

Anyway, we are QC-ing the bars and haven't sent any out yet. Should get these out by the end of week. We've got to be sure these are good.

Here's a little outside-the-box promotional thinking.

Charlie Parson (0:52) answers the question "If John McCain used rap music, would he have appealed to younger voters?"
That answer is no.
Poor Charlie probably had to be threatened to do this.

Zane Paul(?) @ 2:40...selling margarine, or just rapping about it, Zane hints he is not one to f-with.

I'm just impressed with those shirts. Great design.

-L

Stranded on a Desert Island.

noreply@blogger.com (Tonic Fab) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 06:29:00 +0000

Howdy..just got these in today.

It's a partial shipment sent via air. Sending them all via a plane was just too expensive, so the rest are on the water. Scheduled to arrive 1.20.09.

Knowing our luck some sailor will end up stranded on an island somewhere with nothing but Tonic All Time Highs to eat. Which is fine..I requested they come wrapped in a lead proof shower curtain so if a lead paint huffing dock worker sneezed on them they'd still pass a CPSC check and be safe for "Consumption."

The good news is our bars could be fashioned into a makeshift snorkel and ground to sharp point to function as spear for fishing. So yeah, someone's going to eat because of these..stranded sailor or maybe even us. Maybe.

Anyway, the bars do look well executed. I mean it's black aluminum handle bar... feature-less and quite possibly the most boring thing you'll bolt to your bike. Seat post clamps have more game than handlebars. If you want something that screams "look at me" this ain't for you. Bike parts are crappy way to draw attention to yourself anyway. If you want to draw attention to yourself via your bike, mount a milk crate to the handle bars, stuff an E.T. doll into it and go blast something.

There is a special centering graphic on the back of the bar and folks will have to find out for themselves what that is.

We'll check them over and send them on their way. Thanks to the folks who stepped up for these. No they aren't sold out. The balance will be here on the 20th.

$65 for the bars.
$130 for the bar and a Thomson X4 Stem.

$15 domestic shipping / $25 International.

I feel a Tonic Winter Jam coming this way.....

-L

Beginnings and Finishes.

noreply@blogger.com (Tonic Fab) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 03:19:00 +0000

Howdy 2009. Heading in the right direction yet?

2008 wasn't a bad year for Tonic Fab. Sold some bikes, developed some new ones, made a few friends and avoided eye contact with our enemies.

We've got a lot to improve on. Obviously our website needs to be changed. The world needs a better sense of who we are and what we do.

What else?

Internally, we are getting some things dialed-in. Or at least less dialed-out.

Anyway...
The most popular Tonic finish last year was the "coated" finish. It was a struggle at times getting it done on time and correctly, but that's how it goes.

So for the new year, here's a new finish we are working on. It's pretty expensive, so if we offer it, it'll be an up-charge. Not sure exactly, but figure around $100. It's a plating process. It picks up every detail on the surface of the material. We are still getting it dialed in..but this is a good first stab, and I figured I'd gauge interest before we proceed. I think someone might like it. Do you?

Here's an overview of this bike. It's one of 2 bent seat stay Fall Guys. Rare animal. One went to Russia. Who knows where this one will end up?

-L

Soda Pop

noreply@blogger.com (Tonic Fab) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 07:45:00 +0000

Howdy.
Having a blog is kind of pointless if you don't update it regularly. I've been falling off this process lately because of weather, holidays and a lack of ideas.

One dude getting after is is Nick B @ Thrash Bike.

Seems like half the world is without work, but we've been shipping bikes to some far flung places. Israel, Russia, Japan, Germany..thanks folks. And thanks for buying handlebars! Holy smokes..going very quickly. Anyway, these should be here soon. They are apparently in transit. We'll QC them, and send them on their way to stems around the globe.

Anyway, one bummer is that Charlie busted his wrist again. Apparently some of his work didn't go over very well at a campus poetry reading and some sort of punch-up resulted. Well..that's complete lie. His work went over VERY WELL.

So send Chaz some healing vibes. He's a damn good bike rider anyway you slice it. Frighteningly fast on a DH bike, builder and rider of Very Large Trails, and a street rider in the J. Stricker mold.

What else? Looch get's busy. As per usual. I don't know what makes Looch tick, but I recon about 3 oz. of it would get me through this winter.

Abbitt's nearly healed. I can't wait to see him riding again. I have feeling Los Tonics are going to really come into their own next year.

Erik J & Hank built 'em sent this over. If you know what this is..well you are either a man (or woman) of age, taste, or both.

What else? Walter Barcelona photos next.

_

Buried Alive / Lemmy / Holidaze

noreply@blogger.com (Tonic Fab) — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 17:46:00 +0000

Howdy. Sorry about my lack of updates. I've been buried with work and snow, and have had some internet problems to boot. I've tried to get back to everyone, but if I haven't be patient! Bars should be shortly, so bar want-ers will be bar have-rs pretty soon. Trying to arrange an economical shipping method hasn't been fun.

So if you follow my blog at all, you are aware of how little danger or adventure I usually experience. This snow created a small opportunity for both. Thanks snow!

On perhaps the complete opposite end of the adventure scale is Lemmy. Pretty good interview.

What else??? I've got lots to post, but right now cleaning my house and getting food lined up for tomorrow is going to have to jump the front of the line.

Hope all is well, and you are spending time with people you care about.

-L

Sail.

noreply@blogger.com (Tonic Fab) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 05:38:00 +0000

What's up?

New website is nearly there. I've being saying that for a year, but when you are Tonic Fab...well, our potatoes are baked, not microwaved.

I know my way around some engineering software and a photo editing program, but I don't know anything about putting together a website.

Anyway, the new site looks good. Very good. It's easy to navigate, and the photos are amazing. Thanks Cory.

What else? Well it's snowing here. Got in a brilliant ride last Saturday before the snow.

Other news? Charlie busted his wrist again. Charlie (Chaz) is an incredibly good bike rider and only getting better.

The good thing about time off your bike is the opportunity to focus on the mental aspect of riding. I know when I was broken I created a version of how I wanted to ride when I got back on a bike, and it's been very useful.

Anyway...the economy sucks, but All Time Highs are selling incredibly well. Over half sold within 2 days. Wow. All I have have to say is Thank You!

Tonic Fab is a small, and delicate operation. Someone throwing down for a handlebar is big deal to us. Sorry if I've taken a little to get back to you, but I've had so many e-mails about these bars, it's taken me a little time to get back to everyone. These bars are excellent, and I think everyone should be very happy with them. They should be shipped this week. We'll QC them and send them out immediately.

What else?

We are running a small end of year sale.

Basically, if you order a frame this month we'll ship it for free.

The only rule is that we have to be able to ship it USPS. If you order NOW and want a Black or Blue Howie or Coated Fall Guy...we can probably get it to you before X-mas.

This is Walter's bike. He's sent me some incredible photos from a trip to Barcelona I'll put up shortly.

What else?

This is probably the best blog entry I've read in a while. Taj talking about his old bikes. I can relate to his love for the Holmes. The Holmes was my last 20". A very good bike indeed.

-L

A fork in the road...

noreply@blogger.com (Tonic Fab) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 07:33:00 +0000

Hey..a quick and crude glimpse of something coming down the road at Tonic Fab. I know carving a heart into a lug is a big deal among indie builders, but how about manually machining your own drop-outs? Anyone else doing that?

Yeah drop-outs. Not the sort you may have spent time with outside of High School, but rather the type that are attached to the bottom of a fork leg to hold a wheel in. That's right, fork. Sorry lovers of rigid MTB forks, this ain't for you.

-L

Breathe Easy

noreply@blogger.com (Tonic Fab) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 04:44:00 +0000

Well, I've got photos of bikes and bars and deals and whatever, but this is really good.

Portland band, The Dandy Warhols, have organized the Breathe Easy project.

I think their words are better than mine in terms of describing this project:

"Called Breathe Easy, the project calls on the talents of artists like the Raveonettes, the Black Angels, J Mascis, Saul Williams, Midnight Movies, and of course The Dandy Warhols, to bring their separate musical perceptions and abilities to finished product. Genre becomes loosely articulated; what unites the pieces is the emotion, the spontaneity that comes from collaboration and inspiration. It’s music that conveys both the individual contribution and the integrity of the whole.

Beginning October 21, 2008, a series of 12 tracks will be sold digitally at specified Breathe Easy sites and embedded stores, and 100% of profits will go to the Three Rivers Land Conservancy.

The Three Rivers Land Conservancy is a non-profit organization that works to conserve and preserve land by the Clackamas, Tualatin, and lower Willamette Rivers against urbanization. The Dandy Warhols and the Three Rivers Land Conservancy believe that conserving land and protecting against errant urbanization creates stronger healthier communities now and for future generations."

Anyway, I really dig the Dandys, Spindrift, Saul Williams, and of course the BLACK ANGELS!!! Who would have guessed they all could have come together, and for a good cause no less?

Here's J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.) getting busy with the drummer of the Dandy's and the Black Angels. The opening riff sounds like Danzig's "Am I Demon" but played on bass and then it goes completely sideways and awesome from there.

-L

A man walked into a bar....

noreply@blogger.com (Tonic Fab) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 01:39:00 +0000

Howdy.

Sometimes the unexpected happens. Our bars are done. The Tonic All Time Highs. Kinda hard to call them Tonic Fab because we didn't make them. These are made in Taiwan. Good luck finding a vendor who can produce a butted, swagged and bent piece of aluminum tubing in this country. The Taiwanese didn't invent any of those processes but they pretty much own their orchestration to produce the modern mountain bike handle-bar.

2 years in the making? I've lost track to be honest. So what's the the big deal?

Well these are BIG to begin with. 30" wide. I realize this a bit trendy now, but to be honest I could care less. It's not like we looked around and noticed everyone running wide bars last year and decided to get after it. Tonic Fab is a NW bike company. That's North West.

Anyway, the width is only part of the story. Anyone can import a wide bar (only a handful can actually produce one.)

The quick story is this: I wanted a MTB bar which felt like a Slam Bar. This means more back sweep and less up sweep than the usual MTB standard. The wider your bars are, the more your wrists will enjoy the back sweep. The bar is a little flatter across the top too. Again personal preference, but it all adds up to a very comfy place to get busy.

The rise is pretty standard. 2.25" rise. Basically the equivalent of a standard up sweep 2" MTB bar. Maybe a little taller.

The bar is based on the material(7075) and butting profile from a bar I know to have a very high strength to weight ratio. We didn't set out to re-invent the aluminum handle bar...just apply what we know works to a something we like a LOT better.

Speaking of weight, All Times come in at a safe 350grams.

The cool thing about these bars is that they feel amazing on both my Fall Guy as well as my Heckler. This is a lucky coincidence because after riding these bars, I'd hate to go back to the standard stuff on either bike.

Anyway, these obviously aren't for everyone. For the moment, this is as far into handlebars that I want to go. We can't please everyone, but I do think many people will be pleased with these.

Price: $65 Bar Only
$130 Bar + Thomson X4 Stem.

Color: Anodized Black. Low key graphics.

Sorry I just couldn't justify further delays for colors If you want them painted, we can certainly accommodate you. Just ask.

Available: Will arrive by the end of the month.

If you are in Japan, contact TKC Productions, in Germany, A Town Cycles.

We don't have a million of these, and it's hard to say how quickly these will go. Order now or forever hold your peace.

Excellent week-end. The weather (mostly)was perfect. Wound up getting one last mountain bike ride in before winter becomes a wet and cold reality. Went to an incredible show at a local Elks Club (Run on Sentence) and pulled the headliner out of my car in one piece. Sweet.

There's Chris. Did the Rapha ride last summer and is about to get a kick-ass pump/jump track running in his back yard. Good times ahead.

Bueno! Seriously brilliant conditions. Those are All Time Highs on the Heckler.

Raya dug the ride too. You know where you can save a few $$? Pets. Turns out a piece of an old branch is just as good as an $8 pet store tennis ball.

And now for something completely different.

This has to be the most bizarre car culture I've ever seen. I don't know if I want to be one of the guys doing doughnuts, or or the dude behind the wheel of the car that looks like it's...aimed down? Gotta respect the commitment and utter strangeness of it.

-L

Thrashbike / Misc...

noreply@blogger.com (Tonic Fab) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:27:00 +0000

Howdy. Hey, better enjoy all this old information on our website while it lasts..a new one is near at hand!

Speaking of the Internet..It's a great time to be loud and naive!

It's also a great time for music. Anyway, Tonic Fab has a Myspace page. I wasn't sure what Myspace was for, but now I know: finding out about bands. There's a new feature that allows Myspacers to put together 10 song play-lists. Here's ours.

Anyway, we shipped a grip of frames yesterday which felt good. A lot of hang-ups at the finisher again, but we'll get that sorted. If you are German, and want a Tonic, get in touch with this guy: A Town Cycles.

We've got some Howies in black, blue and orange ready to ship. So, if you want a Tonic for Christmas, now is the time. We've got some Fall Guys too..just get in touch! We've also got a strange Fall Guy...I'll put some photos up later.

Next, Thrashbike. Los Tonic and pro-photographer, Nick B keeps this blog up to date. He did a Top 5 with Looch a little bit ago.

I think Windell's might be open next week-end again?

Like attention? A Baby Alpaca is surprisingly effective. Probably better than a Lamborghini, and a lot cheaper.

A couple more photos from Brendan in Vancouver.

Did some trail work last week-end. There used to be a trail here.

Anyway, a new trail is going in to replace what was here and it's looking pretty much awesome.

-L

Ricky Santangelo / White Denim / Brendan

noreply@blogger.com (Tonic Fab) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 07:31:00 +0000

I wish we had the budget to hire this guy! Look at that resume!

White Denim. Weird and rocking. A little "Cool Hand Luke" in this video.

Brendan out of Canada checks in. He bought a Howie a while ago and is blazin'

-L

Monday Randoms

noreply@blogger.com (Tonic Fab) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:43:00 +0000

No great news..

Abbitt sent me this photo a while ago. It's the jump we wrecked his collar bone on. Shirt caught the bars, and went down hard enough to have to take going on 6 months off his bike. I hate to use Abbitt as an example, but I have no choice. Or anything else to write about.

I know the tight pants / big shirt combo is pretty happening right now. The only way I can think to keep this look from killing you when you ride is wearing a cummerbund.

I never knew what these where for. Hiding a gap between a too short shirt and your pants? They are certainly for dressing up, but that doesn't mean you should wear one to a job interview. Kind of stuck in a fashion no man's land. No man knows what to do with such a peculiar garment.

Now I know..toss a Cummerbund around your Quad XL shirt and no more tuck-no hander hang-ups.

What else? Everytime I forget my camera I'm guaranteed to do something awesome. Rode the trickiest stripe of greasy goat track and single track last week-end. Incredible riding. Thanks to Lisa for some camera phone photos!

What else? Really digging this band. Crappy video, but great track.

-L

Jam Photos / Superco Proto

noreply@blogger.com (Tonic Fab) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:28:00 +0000

Here's just a small sample of photos Cory took last week-end. Our team rode sooo well. Can't wait to get back up there.

Looch gets cranked off that little grind tube.

Chaz...huge fuf.

Nathan 8 feet over coping.

Billy having fun the back bowl.

Hey..I'll never have a reason to own a bike like this, but Superco just released photos of their new DH bike. HOLY SMOKES!
Weight? "The new frame is many pounds lighter at 9.8 pounds with the shock, Ti spring, rear axle and floating brake mount." Read more here.

-L

Los Tonics Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Tonic Fab) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:33:00 +0000

Wow. What a day. I definitely did not use my camera enough. Sorry about that. I was way too busy riding. I haven't ridden park, or with Los Tonics in a while, so that was something. Seriously, the best riding day I've had in a long while.

Anyway, Windell's is sweet. Jaymo and crew are creating a mini bike mecca for us to enjoy.

The indoor park featured one of the heaviest sessions I've seen go down in while. NW BMX pros, and Los Tonics throwing down. Good news is that everyone was cool, and nobody got seriously hurt. Many, many highlights. Watching Nathan hold his own in an informal quarter pipe boost contest was pretty cool. Especially considering who he was riding with. Speaking of big moves, Chaz brought bangers. Incredible riding. Looch rode smooth and legit. And Billy..Billy was on fire. Aaron Lutze filmed with Billy the day after in an empty park. Can't say enough about his riding. Creative and dialed is a good place to start, but just watch the video.

Chaz rode like he had something to prove. Even though he doesn't.

The outdoor park was WET. I can't believe what when down out there. NW kids.

Chaz. Big moves.

At dinner, Guy Marsh came over and gave Chaz a tattoo.

Here it is.

How exciting! Probably Chaz's biggest move of the day was eating what looked like a plate of gas station nachos made with Wonderbread instead of chips. Washed it down with about a liter of soda. The danger never ends with Los Tonics.

Billy and his girl. Between this photo and the video below, Billy proves he is definitely not wasting his youth.

Thanks Aaron!

-L

Picture 43.

noreply@blogger.com (Tonic Fab) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:43:00 +0000

Billy Lewis gets BUSY. Photo by Cory Tepper.

Billy is riding a Howie. We have a couple Howies and Fall Guys available.

See you folks on Saturday.

-L

Jam on Saturday!

noreply@blogger.com (Tonic Fab) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:44:00 +0000

This is the place to be on Saturday.

Whatsupdog / Supersessions

noreply@blogger.com (Tonic Fab) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:48:00 +0000

Around here, not much. Rain, grey and all that.

A replacement for Super Sessions has been organized. Info here:

-L

In School / Dropouts/Flickr

noreply@blogger.com (Tonic Fab) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:07:00 +0000

Howdy.

Team Robot gets busy. Team Robot had jam a couple weeks ago, and man, some incredible riding went down...Photos from millions of tiny robot cameras hidden around this country.

Ryan is about as whipped as you can possibly get. In the riding way, not the relationship way.

Nathan came down from Seattle and had no trouble riding Aaron and Charlie's. The 2 tallest Los Tonics ride the smallest bikes.

This is pretty sweet. Supernaut drop-outs just arrived. Theses are a little longer than the drop-outs on the original Supernauts. It's not cheap to get a part like this made, but using an off the shelf part just ain't how we do things around here.

Time waster ahead:
Possibly the coolest Flickr account ever?

-L

New Direction

noreply@blogger.com (Tonic Fab) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 23:29:00 +0000

Wow. What an election.

Hopefully we are now on route to pulling out of these terrible wars, placing our social economic problems on a red-alert triage and just maybe earning a little respect from our piers. Oh, and riding bikes more.

Speaking of riding bikes..I just got the news that Super Session has been canceled. No reason given..that's bummer. Our team will rally none the less..

Here's a clip from Errol Morris's documentary Vernon, Florida. Good Times!

Tony sent this photo to me.

-L

Hope / Halloween.

noreply@blogger.com (Tonic Fab) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:18:00 +0000

Today is a very exciting day for Americans. Let's not forget this feeling.

I hope everyone had a good Halloween...

Considered abuse in some states?

Ryan out of Canada getting busy on his Fall Guy.

-L

Billy + Nick / Eugene / Politicin'

noreply@blogger.com (Tonic Fab) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 03:21:00 +0000

Hey first off..

Thanks to everyone who decided to buy a Tonic Fab this month. Somehow we had a killer month despite all the terrible news about the economy, our still non-op new website, and our typical customer's upcoming spending spree on Halloween costumes and "candy." It really means a lot to Tony and myself. Thank you.

Good news from Los Tonics Billy and Nick. Billy is riding again and riding well at that. Also, Nick sold a photo to Woodward..this photo of Billy is the cover of Woodward's MTB camp brochure. Con-grats fellers. Now, if only Woodward could make Billy and instructor..hmmm?

What else?
Ryan and Dan have a couple things in common. They both ride (big) trails, they both live in Eugene Oregon, and they both ride Tonic Howies.

Wow.

These aren't small jumps..I think this is Dan.

Ryan with big moves. Thanks for the photos!

Next week is Votin' time! The debates really helped me decide who to vote for. Just kidding! Thanks for sending this over Chris!

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

McCain's got a very tough week in front of him.

Old, Grizzled Third-Party Candidate May Steal Support From McCain

-L

French Connection / West Coast All-Stars

noreply@blogger.com (Tonic Fab) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 03:50:00 +0000

Howdy. Did a massive XC ride this week-end. Of course I forgot my camera which sucks for the creation of compelling Blog entries..anyway, it was good. Fall colors and soil conditions reminded me why I got involved in bikes with multiple gears and suspension parts in the first place. 16 miles and Raya charged it the entire way. Not bad for a puppy nearly 8 years old. Missed a get together at Amo's place as well as a Skatebarn happening.

Tonic Fab french connection, Gaeten, getting DOWN.

Completely unrelated, The West Coast All-Stars. One of the guys I rode with last week-end is a DJ, and we had a good talk about all things music related.

I used to have the single for this joint. Kind of a high water mark for this era, as well as many of these artist's careers. I mean, Tone-Loc actually sounds completely Bad-Ass, Digital Underground is incredible, as is Ice-T, Def Jeff and NWA. Michel'le sounds she might have taken a helium hit before the session, but JJ Fad is beyond Supersonic. Easy-E closes this out properly. Yeah.

Blah, Blah, Blah..

Landon.

T-Mutha F-in'-F

noreply@blogger.com (Tonic Fab) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 04:16:00 +0000

That's right..one more day of delaying all the other rad riding photos I have.

I missed a banger..The Baaron and Chaz had a Jam last week-end. Grown-up stuff got in the way, but it sounds like an incredible day. The Baaron doing what he does best....going very, very fast. Photos by P-Function.

Looch, Daniel (did what no man has done before..cleaned Aaron and Charlie's on the first run) and the Baaron. All riding Howies.

Alfred on his new Supernaut. From here.

Alfred did this promotional flick with Hutchinson Tires. If anything it showcases what a complete bad-man he is on a bike. He's not riding his Tonic, but if riding a big company bike for a day is part of what it takes to make this happen, then f-it. Alfred, we salute you.

From this blog. Mike Giant. Man, this guy has some cool work.

VIMBY - Mike Giant

-L

Quick Photo and Video

noreply@blogger.com (Tonic Fab) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:02:00 +0000

Howdy. Something that's happened over the past month is that folks have sent me loads of photos of themselves riding their Tonics. Sorry about being a little slow to get these up.

Drew outta Colorado floating though a rather large set on his Howie.

Walter out of Austria sent this video in. Love to ride the spot that's about 1 minute into this. Good stuff.

Walter Mayerhofer from Tobi Plank on Vimeo.