The Little Shop that Could!

The summer of 2025 was quite a whirlwind at R+E Cycles. In late July I got an email from a company asking if we could build a bicycle built for 4, for an unknown high profile client. The deadline was very, very tight. It had to be done by September 10. Yikes! A bike like that we normally schedule for 10 ~ 12 weeks, and that's after all of the paint, decal and specifiations have been decided on. This would have to be 7 weeks, and we had no color or decals decided on. 

I met with Todd, Max and Alder. We decided we should try it. We love taking on a challenge, and this was definately that.

As the weeks wore on, as usual, it takes time to get all of the decisions made about graphics, paint colors, etc. Add to that, the completion date was moved up 2 weeks for August 26th. A bicycle built for 4, in the middle of our season in just 5 weeks? Yikes! A seemingly impossible task. My usual answer is 'impossble just takes longer', but in this case, that doesn't work.

Another hic up.
I had to go to Idaho on August 14th for a previously planned trip/meeting during this build, but I was on the phone, computer, and 'in the game' the entire trip. Including working in the car. Until August 18th. At 4:00, when I was rushed to a hospital in Twin Falls Idaho where I was scheduled for an emergency appendectimy. Before the surgury (at 12:00) I worked on my computer, phone and emails until the minute they wheeled me into pre-op. When I woke up, it was back on the computer to see if we had the paint color finalized. 

Looking back through my emails during that time is lists of decisions with deadlines that HAD to be met, or the project would sink. I had actual time of day deadlines on many of those decisions.

As I headed back to Seattle after the surgury on the 23rd, Alder, Max and Clayton were finalizing assembly, test rides, snapped a few photos, and finishing up a trailer that we also modified for the project. I worked from the car arranging overnight air shipping of a giant bicycle trailer and a bicycle built for 4. Everyone should try that once in their lifetime?

Anyway. On the 24th, I loaded the whole project in the back of my truck and drove it down to the air freight company in Tukwilla. It was rushed to the airport and loaded on a plane. It arrived safely the next day, and Alder worked via facetime with Sally, in NY, in nice clothing, to get the bike unboxed and assembled. What relief?  

We weren't able to reveal the project or who it was for because they wanted the element of surprise for their new family subscription plan.

What an amazing accomplishment for the team at R+E! Todd, Teresa, Max, Alder k& Clayton worked miracles to get a 12 week job done in just 5 weeks.

The people that we worked with in NY and CA worked diligently as well I'm sure. But, I have to hand it to the incredible, dedicated folks I get work with everyday for accomplishing the impossible. Something we do a lot these days.

We are a small team, but the only team on the planet that could pull this off.



________________________________edited


The Little Shop that Could!
The summer of 2025 was quite a whirlwind at R+E Cycles. In late July I got an email from a company asking if we could build a bicycle built for 4, for an unknown high profile client. The deadline was very, very tight. It had to be done by September 10. Yikes! A bike like that we normally schedule for 10 ~ 12 weeks, and that's after all of the paint, decal and specifiations have been decided on. This would have to be 7 weeks, and we had no color or decals decided on.
I met with Todd, Max and Alder. We decided we should try it. We love taking on a challenge, and this was definately that.
As the weeks wore on, as usual, it takes time to get all of the decisions made about graphics, paint colors, etc. Add to that, the completion date was moved up 2 weeks for August 26th. A bicycle built for 4, in the middle of our season in just 5 weeks? Yikes! A seemingly impossible task. My usual answer is 'impossble just takes longer', but in this case, that doesn't work.
Another hic up.
I had to go to Idaho on August 14th for a previously planned trip/meeting during this build, but I was on the phone, computer, and 'in the game' the entire trip. Including working in the car. Until August 18th. At 4:00, when I was rushed to a hospital in Twin Falls Idaho where I was scheduled for an emergency appendectimy. Before the surgury (at 12:00) I worked on my computer, phone and emails until the minute they wheeled me into pre-op. When I woke up, it was back on the computer to see if we had the paint color finalized.
Looking back through my emails during that time is lists of decisions with deadlines that HAD to be met, or the project would sink. I had actual time of day deadlines on many of those decisions.
As I headed back to Seattle after the surgury on the 23rd, Alder, Max and Clayton were finalizing assembly, test rides, snapped a few photos, and finishing up a trailer that we also modified for the project. I worked from the car arranging overnight air shipping of a giant bicycle trailer and a bicycle built for 4. Everyone should try that once in their lifetime?
Anyway. On the 24th, I loaded the whole project in the back of my truck and drove it down to the air freight company in Tukwilla. It was rushed to the airport and loaded on a plane. It arrived safely the next day, and Alder worked via facetime with Sally, in NY, in nice clothing, to get the bike unboxed and assembled. What relief?
We weren't able to reveal the project or who it was for because they wanted the element of surprise for their new family subscription plan.
What an amazing accomplishment for the team at R+E! Todd, Teresa, Max, Alder k& Clayton worked miracles to get a 12 week job done in just 5 weeks.
The people that we worked with in NY and CA worked diligently as well I'm sure. But, I have to hand it to the incredible, dedicated folks I get work with everyday for accomplishing the impossible. Something we do a lot these days.
We are a small team, but the only team on the planet that could pull this off.Here's your edited article. I focused on correcting spelling and grammar errors, improving punctuation and flow, tightening sentences for clarity and impact, and making it more engaging while preserving your original voice and enthusiasm.
The Little Shop That Could!
The summer of 2025 was a whirlwind at R+E Cycles. In late July, I received an email from a company asking if we could build a bicycle built for four—for an undisclosed high-profile client. The deadline was extremely tight: it had to be completed by September 10. Yikes! A bike like that normally takes us 10–12 weeks to schedule, and that's after paint, decals, and specifications are finalized. This one would have to be done in just seven weeks, with no decisions yet on color or graphics.
I met with Todd, Max, and Alder. We decided to go for it. We love a good challenge, and this was definitely that.
As the weeks flew by, the usual delays cropped up—getting final approvals on graphics, paint colors, and more. Then, to make things even tougher, the completion date was moved up two weeks to August 26. A tandem for four, in the middle of our busy season, in just five weeks? Seemingly impossible. My usual motto is "impossible just takes longer," but in this case, that wouldn't cut it.
Another hiccup: I had a long-planned trip to Idaho starting August 14, right in the middle of the build. I stayed fully involved—on the phone, computer, and emails the entire time, even working from the car—until August 18 at 4:00 p.m., when I was rushed to a hospital in Twin Falls for an emergency appendectomy. Before surgery (scheduled for midnight), I kept working on my laptop and phone right up until they wheeled me into pre-op. When I woke up, the first thing I did was check my computer to see if we'd finalized the paint color.
Looking back at my emails from that period, it's a trail of decisions with strict deadlines. Many had specific times of day—miss one, and the whole project would sink.
As I headed back to Seattle after surgery on the 23rd, Alder, Max, and Clayton were wrapping up assembly, conducting test rides, snapping photos, and finishing modifications to a trailer for the project. I coordinated from the car, arranging overnight air shipping for the giant bicycle trailer and the quad itself. (Everyone should try that at least once in their lifetime!)
On the 24th, I loaded everything into the back of my truck and drove it to the air freight company in Tukwila. It was rushed to the airport, loaded onto a plane, and arrived safely the next day. Alder then guided Sally in New York via FaceTime—while she was dressed in nice clothes—to unbox and assemble the bike. What a relief!
We couldn't reveal the project or the client at the time, as they wanted to preserve the element of surprise for their new family subscription plan launch.
What an incredible accomplishment for the R+E team! Todd, Teresa, Max, Alder, and Clayton worked miracles to complete a 12-week job in just five weeks.
The folks we collaborated with in New York and California were diligent too, I'm sure. But I have to give the biggest credit to the dedicated, incredible people I get to work with every day—they accomplished the impossible. Something we seem to do a lot these days.
We're a small team, but the only one on the planet that could pull this off.
Let me know if you'd like any further changes—more concise, more dramatic, different tone, etc.!Fast