Schwinn Cruiser Project

I found this beauty last week at the local thrift shop — It was begging for a good home, and it could use some TLC. A great bike to have at the office for grabbing lunch, cruising around the ’169. Maybe a nice ride to Publix or library if someone is feeling adventurous.

This bike's a little rusty in some spots, but overall not in bad shape. I would guess this bike is from late ’70s/early ’80s.

The immediate needs:

• chain - 1/2 x 1/8 -

• tires - must be whitewalls - 26 x 2.125

• fresh tubes

• grips - may get some donor grips I have laying around, but these here would be swell:

http://www.chubbyscruisers.com/shop/wood-grain-style-grips-p-349.html

Update 10/12/09
Top photo is newly refurbished ride.

Ride On. Ride On. Ride On.

With biking in my blood, I had a thought about how to promote cycling in the city, in the state, even nationally — some sort of social awareness campaign to encourage the activity. Road, Mountain and Hybrid. Bumper stickers seems like a logical item to start with, but I can envision t-shirts and ... Facebook, bike shops, X-games, Tour de France... Ahhhh! Look out for bumper stickers in the near future. Ride On.

Typeface: Co Headline by Dalton Maag

Design/Illustration: © Ryon Edwards

Update as of 9/1/09: Stickers now available at http://www.zazzle.com/ryonedwards

Vintage Stereos Rock the House

I have a weakness for all things old and for all things audio-related. So when a buddy offered this vintage Sansui 5000A receiver/amp (c. 1969), I got pretty excited. I have fond memories of playing with my Dad's Marantz tuner/amp and Dual turntable back in the ’70s, with all the cool knobs and controls that clicked ever so perfectly, with that solid feel that you just don't see in electronics today. This Sansui is built well, and is a beast at 40 pounds. It packs 55 wpc, which sounds like a lightweight compared to current models, but I think wattage today is way overated in many of today's consumer brands. I took the Sansui into Maunz Electronics for a new power switch, and just got it back the other day. I hooked it up to the beautiful vintage Panasonic RD-7703 turntable that came with the Sansui (thanks, Rob!), and put on The Rolling Stones “More Hot Rocks” album from 1972. Apparently, this unit could use a new stylus, so I'm on the lookout for a replacement. Meanwhile, I'm using my old Sony PS-LX 150H turntable (that is about 20 years old, but 20 years newer than the Panasonic). 

Next, I will be adding some new bookshelf speakers, to replace DBX (30 year old sub/sat system). I'm considering the Athena Technologies 150W AS B2.2's. Every review I've read is very positive and they are very reasonably priced.

By the way, The Who's “Hooligans” album sounds pretty good, even on my dbx speakers. Other albums so far enjoyed: Eric Clapton's “461 Ocean Boulevard” 1974, Sly and the Family Stone's “Stand!” from 1969, Queen's “Jazz” from 1978 and Roberta Flack's “First Take” from 1969.

What was this guy smokin?

I love signs — they inform us, direct us, alert us, and many times simply entertain us, as in this case. I shot this several years ago and came across the image recently. It's always been one of my favorites, primarily because of the story behind it.

After I talked to the owner about this sign, he acknowledged the misspelling and told me that they sent the sign painter back to redo the sign because the first sign that was delivered was spelled “NO SMOKIN” (which generally would fly here in the South). He explained to the sign painter that it needed a G on the end to be correct. So the painter went back to his shop and delivered a brand new sign, with a great-looking G on the end, with even better letterspacing than before. Unfortunately, not enough attention paid to the entire word. Which leaves me to wonder how many times do we become so focused or worried on solving a small issue or problem, and still end up missing the big picture?

Personal illustration.

Fishy Business ©2009 Ryon Edwards

Vaughn's BBQ Poster

Poster and handout cards for Vaughn's Barbeque, a recipe that has been in the Vaughn family since 1934. The sauce offers a rich sweet and sour flavor, and lends itself to many possibilities — pork, beef, chicken, shrimp, and more. For an upcoming food trade show, we created a poster and different cards for each type of meat, which spoke directly to the versatility of the sauce. We substituted the word meat with the illustrations, and played up the existing tagline, “Pleasuring Meat Since 1934”. Check out this sauce at www.vaughnsbbq.com.

Vaughn's Handout Detail