Rick Smith

I'm pretty sure I burned today's RSS feed incorrectly... when I get home I'll fix it. Sorry!

Intheloonybin

You could eventually add in the teenage bike newbie/fanatic that eventually becomes an employee.

Oh wait... That was me 23 years ago (it really hurts to type that number!).

I have one up on my office door, and one for after that.

KrisPistofferson

I really like this strip a lot, I also really like Shaker Heights, (I'm from Elyria.) Rick, what other comic strips are your influences? The glow when they opened up the Riv Reader -type magazine was pretty priceless. Yes, I subscribe, and yes, I get bent out of shape when someone posts on here they got it before me, and yes, sometimes they do forgot to send it altogether.

Rick Smith

James Kochalka's American Elf, Chester Gould's Dick Tracy, Seth's work (as mentioned above), magazine illustration from the 50s and 60s.

Poguemahone

I laughed at the seatpost on the superhero guy's bike. I like little touches like that.
Must be mid period, grotesque Gould you like... don't see much of the early stuff in your art. Kochalka I pick up.
I don't know where you intend to go with this strip, or what you're aiming for. If you want a primarily cyclist audience, I think you're doing a great job. If you want to expand, you'll need a bit more emphasis on characterization. I think the characters will develop a bit more, given time, and I would imagine you'll eventually introduce a couple more regular characters. This will serve to flesh out the two main ones, just seeing them interact with more folks.
One thing I notice is that adversarial characters at this point (the councilman, the roadie) are a bit on the straw man side.

zowie

I like the art.

KrisPistofferson

It's a comic strip, not a Ken Burns documentary on PBS.

1Rider

Have any of you seen the movie "Little Children?" Joe, the character on the comic strip reminds me of Ronnie from that movie.

clove

Wow these are really great. I can see myself and so many other people in these characters.

The main character definitely reminds me of my older brother. The bike ninja- a friend who wrote comics (Schmapples) with a leaning towards bikes, cats, and ninjas who passed last summer. Great comics.

What's the story behind the leaflet?

poprad

Good stuff man! It's like Frazz for Rivendell readers. Keep 'em coming!

thdave

Love today's strip--I wore my balaclava today and I'm self conscience about it, too. Luckily, when I rode by a neighbor, who was putting out his trash, I didn't have it above my mouth yet. He smiled, which I took to mean he thinks I'm nuts, and said, "be careful out there!" I replied, "oh, I've got studded tires." I bet he has no clue what I meant.

Regardless, I had a great ride in.

tarwheel 

Somebody has to say it -- where's the helmet?

Rick Smith

Joe wears the helmet.

thdave

Any of you fellow Clevelanders think that the ponds are frozen enough for some studded tire fun? I ride by one daily, and I almost went on it yesterday after work. I'm dying to try out my studs on a large icy area. But the pond has some water in a couple of spots--I don't get why--although it is next to Rocky River so some flowing water might be seeping in under it. But it's been subfreezing for awhile. I just don't know how to test the ice. The bank is kind of steep, so I'm likely to get my leg wet if it doesn't hold.

Rick Smith

I almost lost a boot in Horseshoe Lake when my foot went through the ice last weekend...

It has gotten a lot colder recently though - you might be okay. Bring rope.

squeakywheel

Surely it mocks "The Rivendell Reader".

https://www.rivbike.com/become_a_member

Poguemahone

Take a look at my occupation... I treat 'em a bit different than you, sorry.

BigDaddyPete

I found this the other day since it was linked in my livejournal. I love it, and will keep following it. I don't have snow here, but my I'm moving to snow country this week. But I can definately relate to the bike ninjas around here.

Kimmitt 

+1 on the art quality.

Schwinnrider

LOVE IT! You wouldn't happen to be an iBoB, would you? I liked the strips lampooning the Riv Reader, especially. Good work.

cjn

Love the strip. Can really relate to it.

Rick Smith

I'm not - no.

Poguemahone: can we find your art online?

Thanks, everybody else.

Jeffbeerman2

I love the strip!

I haven't missed a single day since you posted this thread.

Two suggestions:

First, sign it somewhere on the actual comic image and include the url to find it. I guarantee these are being saved as jpgs and passed around the web via email to people who have no idea where to find it.

Second, find a way to advertise on your site. There must be a way to make a little coin from the strip without making it obnoxious to visitors. I'm pretty sure google offers text-based ads targeted to your specific audience. Or even better you could sell ads yourself to someone like an online retailer or partsw manufacturer. Hit up Riv, Surly, Nashbar, bikesomewhere.com, chrome, etc.

The strip is brilliant. Once oil hits $200/bbl you'll be schultz-famous

nashcommguy

Hi Rick,
Went back and read all of the strips forward. I think they're great. There's alot of 'in' humor, re bike commuting situations, comuters vs roadies, etc., that are handled w/grace and...well humor. There's an underlying theme or message that comes across while at the same time making fun of one's self in an easy manner. The 'You know you can take a day off' one made me spit coffee all over my keyboard. The bikeshop scenes are great as are the scenes on the bike w/Joe and Yehuda in their totally different approaches to commuting. I'm a fan and it's going to be fun watching these situations, places and characters grow and broaden. Great work. Keep going.

BTW, I didn't notice that the strip was located in Shaker Heights. I grew up in Mentor-on-the-Lake. Rode my bike (a Raleigh 3 spd) from my grandmother's house @ 79th & St Clair out to visit friends for the day and hang out at the beach. Went through Bratenal and down Lakeshore Blvd. the whole way...RT was about 60 miles. I was 12 at the time. Took a PB&J sandwich, 2 apples, banana, and a mason jar of water in my seat bag along w/2 screwdrivers, crescent wrench, spanner, pliers and a patch kit...pretty much what I take on my commutes, nowadays.

Rick Smith

Working that out now. We'll have the desired price set for the strip by summer.

I'll figure out a way to add a sig to each comic - that's a good idea. As for advertising... I'd like to to, and would enjoy seeing the strip help out with the grocery bills, but first I want to get to a consistent number of visitors (both first time and regular reader), since over the last two weeks, I'm seeing all kinds of crazy traffic.

That's awesome. I used to go on long journeys (though not that far!) on my bicycle with friends when I was that age as well.

I plan on doing a series in the strip that focuses on kids and bicycles and why they don't (or can't) ride them anymore. Yehuda will blame Dateline moms, local news fear-mongering, video games, and urban planning, but I think it goes even deeper than that and I'd like to explore the subject in detail.