Top Gear RC racing

This post is for Nick Simmons...

The modern land yacht

Airstream x Design Within Reach.

The modern Bambi Airstream DWR edition.

TR

WHY

Two of the most interesting design driven companies, Wally and Hermés, have gotten together to do something completely different. WHY ?

Exactly.

Always fun to see something so different that it challenges perceptions.

Strapats 2.0 ?

TR

2010 Burton [ak] Hi-Top Pant

2010 is the year of the Hi-Top. With 3L Pro-Shell Gore-Tex, the [ak] Hi-Top pant has everything you need for backcountry performance, and nothing more.

TR

AK

BEFORE

Well, summer is quickly coming to an end, and it's time to start thinking & planning this winters projects. My good friend Bill Buchbauer just sent these AK dream shots last week as inspiration to put together a crew, and plan a trip to Haines Alaska. Bill and I did a spicy glacier camping trip together in Haines back in 2001. Now Bill is earning his guiding cert. at SEABA (Southeast Alaska Backcountry Adventures) and spending the whole winter in Haines.

AFTER

Time to start dreaming BIG.

TR

MOTO - The Movie

www.moto-themovie.com

Weekend Corona post - 'vancouver'

The end of summer also marks the end of the Corona post series.

I saved the 'vancouver' post for last. Why is it that beer commercials

are so creative and entertaining? Click beer to review the whole series.

Cheers!

TR

FYiDesignDept.com

The 2010 [ak] collection page has posted on FYi.

Check it.

More updates coming soon..

TR

The FSF urban project

The FSF urban project is a collaboration between FYi, SOPH, and Fragment. Garments will be built in limited quantities, and are only available in Japan. Contact SOPH.NET for more information.

TR

The future land yacht

A cool concept collaboration between Airstream and Mini, designed by Republic of Fritz Hansen

TR

2010 Burton [ak] Cyclic Jacket

Return of the Cyclic.

For 2010 we designed and prototyped an all-new Cyclic jacket. However, everyone likes the 2009 Cyclic so much, we were asked to carry the design forward for 2010.

TR

[ak] underground - Shunsuke Hoshino

Weekend Corona post - 'red square'

Ariel Atom

Less is more. The minimalist Arial Atom is one of the most dynamic cars on the road today (yes, it is street legal to drive on public roads!). This is a great example of functional design - everything you need, and nothing you don't. It's purpose is pure fun. And though it may not look like it, the atom can eclipse the performance of almost every modern supercar made today. Watch the video below and you'll understand why I like it.

Fun stuff.

TR

Yosuke Aizawa x Tom Routh & Susanna Bergstrom

A recent discussion with Yosuke-san, from White Mountaineering, published in Go Out Magazine in Japan.

TR

FYi YZ250F - anatomy of a race bike

I think one of the things I like about building bikes is that it's essentially product development. You are finding ways to improve every aspect of performance while tuning the bike to your specific riding style, and track conditions..

The first, single most important tuning mod to a motocross bike is to have the suspension re-sprung for your specific weight, and re-valved for your track conditions and/or handling preferences. Getting your suspension set up right makes all the difference in your confidence level on the track. We use Enzo racing for our suspension work.

I love the playfulness of a 250cc, although I find the stock 34hp to come up a little short. For me, the sweet spot in the go-department is more like 42hp. To get there we installed a WMI prepared race head, with a high compression piston and more aggressive cams. This raises the compression to 14:1 and increases the redline to 13,600 rpm. Throttle response is snappier, it makes more power through the entire rev-range, and loves to over-rev (which the stock YZ motor certainly does not).

To match the performance gains in the race head, we use the FMF megabomb titanium header, and 4.1 carbon fiber muffler. It allows the bike to breath better and make more power.

To make it quicker, we went with a 50T Renthal rear sprocket, which lowers the gear ratio slightly to match the top speed on the fastest part of our track. You don't want the bike geared taller than the track's top speed, as the lower the bike is geared, the quicker it can accelerate to it's top speed.

To make it stop faster, we installed an oversized 270mm front brake rotor. This provides a lot more stopping power with less effort. You can literally stand this bike on the front wheel with one finger while braking. Being able to drop anchor when needed, really increases your confidence when you're comin' in too hot!

That's the short-and-sweet as far as the tuning is concerned. Now let's look at the rider's controls...

A lap timer is integrated into the handlebar pad. You can time your motos and/or record individual lap times that you can review after each moto. This is good info if you are working on your endurance, or your speed (or both). The lower gauge is the hour meter for the motor, so you can keep track of your maintenance intervals.

Your left hand is controlling the clutch. The green button trips the lap timer. The tiny red lever underneath is the 'hot-start' lever that helps you get the bike started. And the big red button that says Engine Stop, ...stops the engine.

Your right hand is controlling the throttle and the front brake. The yellow switch controls the Vortex ignition, which allows you to flip between 2 of 10 possible different ignition maps. You can switch on the fly while you are riding, and actually change the power curve of the motor. I personally like the 'high compression map #5' most of the time - it just goes ballistic at the top of the rev range. Although if you're tired, or the track is slick, you can switch to the mellower map#1.

Your left foot controls the transmission. Most bikes have a 5-speed gearbox, with a 1 down, four up shift pattern.

Your right foot controls the rear brake.

You get everything right, and the result becomes greater than the sum of the parts. A -really- well set up bike is just magic. It's an extension of your body, making you feel like superman (or wonder woman?).
TR

Mt. FUJI sunrise

Just got this pic last week from Takashi Sato at Burton Japan. He was out for some early morning product testing and snapped this pic at sunrise.

TR

Weekend Corona post - 'gridlock'

'gridlock'

I came up with that myself.

It's the labor day long weekend in North America, marking the end of summer.

I thought this shot summed it up.

TR

2010 W's Burton [ak] Slider Anorak

The AK Slider Anorak was something we wanted to do for a long time, and finally did. A cool, technical Gore-tex pullover for Women! Check it out..

We originally built the Slider Anorak prototype as a 3L Pro-shell. However it ended up fitting into the line best as a Gore 2L pullover.

Go to Burton.com for more information.

TR

Mount Currie Coffee Co.

Spawned by Chris Ankeny, a.k.a. sproh-b-one-kanobi. The Mt.C.C.C. was a breakthrough for the whole Pemberton valley.

The best coffee in Whistler... is in Pemberton.

TR

GUS GUS

What happens when you take a group of film makers, DJs, actors, photographers, and a design studio... and start making music?

Meet GusGus, from Reykjavik, Iceland.

Suggested listening: Good headphones, and hit the HQ button right after you push play.

TR