thekidmalone
Old School Hero
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Terra One RIDER T1 Status Update
Hello everyone,
Thanks for the interest in, and kind words about, my new Terra One brand, and its first product, the RIDER T1: a new tyre for our original, off-road legends. Here is a brief status update.
Unfortunately, the first prototypes, which Guy and I rode in Switzerland together, were accidentally made to match the first development drawings from April, and not the final drawings I approved in August, before I paid for the tooling to be opened.
The discrepancies don't prevent us from riding and enjoying the prototypes, but they're significant enough that I couldn't accept them for production. Without getting into too much detail here, they are wider than I intended, one group of tread blocks is out of place relative to the others, and the directional arrows on the sidewalls are reversed from the proper orientation.
I am currently working with my manufacturing partner, VEE TIRE CO. in Thailand, to correct the errors and produce new prototypes which will faithfully reflect my design, and can be confirmed for production. However, since this process involves large pieces of steel which must be precisely cut to mould the tyres, it takes time, effort and money to make changes.
So, until I can confirm new prototypes, place an initial order, and receive a shipping date for the first production, I won't start taking orders. I have been involved with the development of enough products for other companies during 20+ years in the bicycle business which over promised and under delivered; now that I am taking all of the risk, I'm determined not to do it for my own brand.
Similarly, I won't commit to pricing yet. Shipping, handling and duty will significantly affect your total delivered cost, and I am still making arrangements to minimize their effects. My target price is USD 50 per tire, which is the RRP (not the discounted internet price) for current production of the folding Panaracer Smoke and Dart.
The initial production of the RIDER T1 will be in a single specification, with folding beads, 120tpi casing, dual density rubber compound, tan sidewalls without any printed graphics, and no additional puncture protection features. Depending on the success of the pre-order, and driven by the wishes of my supporters, I will consider adding a second specification of the first tire in the future.
I'm not planning to visit the UK over the winter, but if any of you will be in Switzerland, you're welcome to visit, see and try the RIDER T1 prototypes before you buy the production tyres.
I don't log in here nearly as much as I should, so please consider following the Terra One page on Facebook for the latest information.
Cheers,
Terrance Malone
Terra One GmbH
Hello everyone,
Thanks for the interest in, and kind words about, my new Terra One brand, and its first product, the RIDER T1: a new tyre for our original, off-road legends. Here is a brief status update.
Unfortunately, the first prototypes, which Guy and I rode in Switzerland together, were accidentally made to match the first development drawings from April, and not the final drawings I approved in August, before I paid for the tooling to be opened.
The discrepancies don't prevent us from riding and enjoying the prototypes, but they're significant enough that I couldn't accept them for production. Without getting into too much detail here, they are wider than I intended, one group of tread blocks is out of place relative to the others, and the directional arrows on the sidewalls are reversed from the proper orientation.
I am currently working with my manufacturing partner, VEE TIRE CO. in Thailand, to correct the errors and produce new prototypes which will faithfully reflect my design, and can be confirmed for production. However, since this process involves large pieces of steel which must be precisely cut to mould the tyres, it takes time, effort and money to make changes.
So, until I can confirm new prototypes, place an initial order, and receive a shipping date for the first production, I won't start taking orders. I have been involved with the development of enough products for other companies during 20+ years in the bicycle business which over promised and under delivered; now that I am taking all of the risk, I'm determined not to do it for my own brand.
Similarly, I won't commit to pricing yet. Shipping, handling and duty will significantly affect your total delivered cost, and I am still making arrangements to minimize their effects. My target price is USD 50 per tire, which is the RRP (not the discounted internet price) for current production of the folding Panaracer Smoke and Dart.
The initial production of the RIDER T1 will be in a single specification, with folding beads, 120tpi casing, dual density rubber compound, tan sidewalls without any printed graphics, and no additional puncture protection features. Depending on the success of the pre-order, and driven by the wishes of my supporters, I will consider adding a second specification of the first tire in the future.
I'm not planning to visit the UK over the winter, but if any of you will be in Switzerland, you're welcome to visit, see and try the RIDER T1 prototypes before you buy the production tyres.
I don't log in here nearly as much as I should, so please consider following the Terra One page on Facebook for the latest information.
Cheers,
Terrance Malone
Terra One GmbH
