Wade Patton Velo

[Dallas Tex]

Wade is a great guy. Period.

Several years ago, when I was in a jam for a place to stay at NAHBS portland - Wade said 'no sweat, you can crash in my room'. He helped setup the booth, pack & unpack bikes, hung w/me beer-for-beer 'till wee hours, and was a real standup guy. Indy same thing.

A bit later, I offered to return the favor by offering Wade access to my shop equipment & a place to crash so that he could knock out #1. Wade showed up & proceeded to bang out a very, very nice, crisp, clean road bike. He tweaked the fit & slackened the seat tube angle perfectly and nailed the fit. Check out Wade's pics of him on this bike - he really did nail the fit.

Every time I get to hang out with Wade at a NAHBS or elsewhere, the thing that strikes me is his passion. Unadulterated, unbridled, unfettered, pure, powerful passion for handmade bicycles. It is always refreshing. If I ever hit a frustrating point on a project, I just call Wade...... and he reminds me why we build bikes, why we ride bikes, and why we love bikes.

Wade, good luck on your venture. With your drive, determination, and passion, it will be very successful.


GT

[WadePatton]

Thanks Glenn, you have more experience "with" me than anyone else around here. Means a lot. I'll get back out there in _not summer_ and we'll actually ride a trail.

Hard Eight, Shiner Bock, Live Oak...I'll be back.

Mid-morning Java break begins now.

Cheers w/ beans.

[WadePatton]

yo great Smoked Out thread atmo.
way to stay on top of the posts with timely and entertaining, informative replies.
i have the box score at wade 52 roe 0.

I replied something curt and quirky to this post last night, but the demonsoftheinterweb ate it all up.

Thanks Richie. Some things folks find entertaining about me are unintentional. And a lot of times my humor goes zooming right by folks- unappreciated. I don't mind the mix, so long as they keep calling.

Enjoying the ride.

[WadePatton]

how are you looking for your first paying gigs? I'm sure that you have plenty of folks that want to be test mules at a discounted rate, but how are you going to go about going after the full priced customers? Word of mouth? Free bottle of sippin whiskey with every frame? Do tell?

Do you trust flashy web sites? Do you buy-in to all the fancy words and "technology" spouted at you from the glossy pages of magazine advertising? Does the latest greatest Interbike rumor set you all atwitter?

No?

Me neither. Word of mouth can't be bought and therein lies its value. It must be earned.

Mehopes that satisfying the initial rush of orders will put enough smiles on enough faces to load up the order book (I am an optimist you know.) There'll be a few heavily discounted bikes up front, but it makes no sense for me to eat rice and beans every day forever. I'll ramp it up as quickly as the market allows. Some builders/buyers make take offense to this, but I think more will appreciate it and be happy for me to get as much as I can as soon as I can.

Would you rather I go to the shop with the mindset of "Hey Andy bought this coffee today. Dang it's good," or simply thinking of cutting corners, saving time, and getting your frame out the door as fast as possible (because I underpriced it and now it's a burden of sorts)?

I don't want to build a bike for someone who is primarily concerned with price, weight, or fashion trends.

I want riders who get a little bit of who I am, and want a very nice tool to further their riding experiences. Yes, I have a "penciled" list, but am not taking deposits, nor will I be fussy if someone on that list changes their mind.

I used to think that I had to have a site and a blog. I may eventually, but I'm plenty exposed right now (here and Facebook) and have so much other to do. To use the old golf saying/rule, "Hit 'em like you find 'em".

Hey, thanks for asking.

[WadePatton]

You´ve got that down to a T, though I´m pushing widgets daytime, being husband/father and frame builder on the side. Mans gotta do what a mans gotta do.

Couldn't think of a better hobby for "us" kind of people.

[WadePatton]

I admire a man who knows his passion and follows it wherever it goes.

Surefire way to stave off insanity atwo.

Great lumbering oaf ???? HAHAHA fair fair but you said I looked good, now what am I going to do with that dead fish

I don't know where I got that, but I knew you could take it...hey, I said Tom made you look good. I said "favorite" too. That means you beat out some major cool framebuilders who share a first name.

Suppose you were to build a signature event and branded it with the business moniker? Would that lead to more satisfaction for you and are you good with this being a revenue stream?

Yes, I'd love to build an event along the lines of the business or general cycling, BUT the time is not now. Now I must focus everything I have into establishing and running my frame biz. As long as I'm able bodied, I want to work the metal. If I have to choose, It's going to be the frame shop.

If you see that process hit warp speed unexpectedly, then you can surmise that I hit the powerball.

Cheers

[PCW]

Thanks Glenn, you have more experience "with" me than anyone else around here. Means a lot. I'll get back out there in _not summer_ and we'll actually ride a trail.

Wade, you may or may not know that I've taken over your vise and parking place at Glenn's. He's been an excellent source for me and someone that is fun to bounce stuff off of. Since Daltex seems to mainly focus on lugged road and Phantasm's focus is on welded MTB, it is always a fun environment to work in. I'm wondering how much working at Daltex influenced what your are doing or what your style is. It's probably an open ended question, but I was just curious because I've enjoyed working with Glenn over the past year. I joke that I won't buy a torch for braze-ons 'cause I'm worried I wouldn't get over there as much if I did, but there's a lot of seriousness in that. If you do visit though, I'll park out front and you can have your spot behind the shop back for your stay.

Jay

[WadePatton]

I'm wondering how much working at Daltex influenced what your are doing or what your style is. It's probably an open ended question, but I was just curious because I've enjoyed working with Glenn over the past year... If you do visit though, I'll park out front and you can have your spot behind the shop back for your stay.

Jay

That is the advantage of living in a place crawling with people. Some of the people are bike folks and some of those might be as easy to get along with as Glenn and if one of those lets you put your greasy paws all over his bike frame building equipment-- well hell, you might be near the DFW flight path!

It was great to have access to a shop with frame tools and someone who could offer advise if I got stuck on a problem. Since that time I've acquired the same Joe Bringheli jig and a 2'x3' cast iron surface plate (1920- Brown and Sharpe). The jig gives our shops a point of similarity. That's about it.

Oh and sometimes (about 10 times a month), a C-130 will buzz the treetops here on his approach to the AFB.

[Too Tall]

Thanks for taking a few moments to answer.
Let me refine my question. 10-4 I do hear you wrt focus and drive to put bikes under butts. I was wondering if you could fathomn something like an CX race or a WadeP dirt Grand Fondo as a way to make connections with folks and build client base? You've mentioned your property several times so I'm just following the trail you trampled down!!! Hey, you could also have a 4WD mud bog race your call.

[WadePatton]

Thanks for taking a few moments to answer.
Let me refine my question. 10-4 I do hear you wrt focus and drive to put bikes under butts. I was wondering if you could fathomn something like an CX race or a WadeP dirt Grand Fondo as a way to make connections with folks and build client base? You've mentioned your property several times so I'm just following the trail you trampled down!!! Hey, you could also have a 4WD mud bog race your call.

There's just 12 acres here at the house, but they are mostly open and suited to 'cross. I'm working on my second version of a 'cross course. When that gets done and I get a few experienced 'crossers out here to check it out...then maybe a little racing. Country 'Cross!

Think big, start small atwo. At the very least it gives me an alternative to pavement pounding.

I also just got permission to start an XC trail across the road--but there's ton more work in building an 18" xc tread than a 5' cross path. It would be fantastic however to have all three options at my doorstep.

(the area is already saturated with mud bogging)

[Chance Legstrong]

Wade-

Good to see the name in lights!
I missed you at Indy, hope to catch you in Austin.

My question is tied to the hip of Toots'. Well his hip my head...digression

If I missed it I apologize. Are you just crafting for the sake of experience? Then will launch out into the market place? Or are you just wanting word of mouth for your marketing(used very loosely) traction?
Bottom line- where do you see your client base forming? and how?

Good luck and well wishes on the path!
-Justin

[WadePatton]

Wade-

Good to see the name in lights!
I missed you at Indy, hope to catch you in Austin.

Are you just crafting for the sake of experience? Then will launch out into the market place? Or are you just wanting word of mouth for your marketing(used very loosely) traction? Bottom line- where do you see your client base forming? and how?

Good luck and well wishes on the path!
-Justin

Thanks Justin,

I'm going as fast as my dollars allow. The "launch" will simply be the announcement that I'm taking orders. This is a pre-launch of sorts.

I'm "targeting" the riders I see the majority of on the big road rides and mountain bikers of any sort--who can appreciate a fitted steel ht. I'm looking for the serious enthusiast who needs a better fit or simply wants something other than another cookie-cutter frame of the model-year fiction. These folks are in the clubs and on the rides and at the races where I participate. I'm getting lots of positive feedback there. The proof will come when I open the book. The pace will be slower at first because I'll be overly critical of me (a necessary trait they say) and triple-double checking every aspect as well as streamlining the process. So I don't want 20 folks "standing around" all at once saying, "Where's my bike?" Also (upon edit) I hope that my exposure here and otherwise on the web, coupled with NAHBS "exposure" and creating happy clients with the "home" crew, will generate enough work to keep me busy. I do plan to become a NAHBS exhibitor when the timing is right.

I would have opened already had I not been ensnared by other facets of life, a few of which sucked the everloving capital out of the program. I take odd jobs and have fits of selling personal crap to generate income now. I actually bought a business license in the name of "Dixie Cycle Works" in 2005 with the plans of doing general bike shop service work and frame making. That was right about the time of the ensnarements*.

Maybe it's a Mayan thing? (my world starts when theirs ends?)

I'd would love to attend the TX Handmade show, also in Austin, but I don't see that happening. If I'm breathing and have a regular heartbeat, I'll be at the Big Show in February! (Austin is going to Rock atwo!)

*PM if you must have details.

[WadePatton]

Things they are a changin'.

Thank you for your support.

D tails later.

AND NOW go to Facebook and "like" Wade Patton Velo!

thankyouverymuch and,

cheeeeeeers!!!

[WadePatton]

Word up to any locals with wiring experience...I'm wiring up the shop starting today*. Never done that before, but why should that stop me? I got a book and some pliers...

I'll also have full liability coverage in a few days, even though my agent is all jazzed up for interbike.

*bring beer and your pliers and we'll work out some frame/bike credits.

edit: eleven hours later

nevermind.

unless you don't mind moving heavy things and working with fabuglass insulation. I have the wiring figured out. insulation/wiring/paneling all happening in short order now. i'm itching already.

[WadePatton]

Very much _non frame building_ but productive work going on and getting done around the shop. Quite literally "around the shop". I took pics, but apologise (note the British spelling which denotes some level of formal education or simple ignorance) for leaving the camera, upon which the pics are stuck, in the shop. I would go back out there for a beer, but as I _have beer_ right here in the hacienda there's no point in going all the way back out to the shop. That's one of the main reasons I sited the shop building on the other end of this 12 acres, so I didn't make endless trips back and forth all day and night long.

Back to the progress. The west wall was smothered in fiberglass batting this afternoon. staple, staple, staple, itch twitch. Metal paneling, in the former form of roofing, (ultra green yo) is going atop the insulation. It'll be hard on darts, but hey-that's what you get when you miss the bristles.

Now I have 90% of everything for the wiring/paneling/insulating my workspace.

I need to stop now and frame out a spot for the a/c unit.

Just a few days ago, it seemed like I'd be forevermore, or at least a few more months (same diff), stuck at the point I was last week. I'm not and it's fan flipping tastic. It's like getting out of bed to go fishing or hunting...no problemo--let's get moving!!!. I don't recommend any visits from locals unless you're ready to get your hands dirty.

Thank you for your support and

Cheers!

[CyclesNoir]

Wade,

Your talent with words offsets your total frame count. Rock on!

[WadePatton]

aww shucks, thanks.

Rocking on is always prefered to Persevering. (endeavoring to).

I've never had my very own workspace, equipped and climate-controlled. Very easy to stay motivated. There are going to be some looong days and nights out there, and plenty of 'em. Can't wait.

[WadePatton]

Busy as hell, productive...well see the wpv @ facebook. Did get some photos from the past few days up. None from today, today I might have destroyed the camera. It got rough a time or two. Pics of the start of wiring/insulating/paneling* shop. It doesn't go as quickly as you might think because: I'm making the paneling from old roofing tin and I'm learning a/c wiring as I go, but I gots the insulation thing down real good. It goes a whole lot like this when done properly: stuff/staple itch-scratch, repeat.

*and also the reorganization and such.

also pics of the tractor rescue and encounters of the reptile/amphibian kind.


23 sept update wpv - a set on Flickr

[WadePatton]

Deliciously tired but not of the joyous (cicli) type. I'll be a more happier camper the minute I retired this electrician's mantle (and certainly hope that happens concurrently with final approval and a new meter to spin.

Since I'm not going fishing tomorrow as planned, I'm going to fry up some fine swimmers from earlier this year and return to pulling wire in the morning-finish up where I drilled a 3" hole in the roof (and rain threatens).

ridin' that copper wire for a while more. but first i have hot oil to tend.

[Nathanrtaylor]

Wade, do you think you'll have a CX frame out of your shop in time for any of this season's races? I would bring some foolhardy souls out to your area for some country 'cross anytime.

I saw an Ira Ryan at the Fayetteville races this weekend and thought how cool it would be to have a local framebuilder and vsalonista getting muddy with us.