Atomic Zombie Extreme Machines!

Whoa! Over a month ago we still had snow, but today, the grass is green, flowers in full bloom...ahh, yes, summer is finally on the way. What a difference a month makes. Still pretty chilly most evenings with occasional frost, but the veggie garden is growing quite well. Many tulips and daffodils still in full bloom. Still leery about putting in the tomato plants until the weekend, where we should have temps in the high 70's to mid-80's. Not too shabby.

Our latest book, Bike, Scooter and Chopper Projects for the Evil Genius, came out late last month, and Brad with his World Record SkyCycle (2003) was featured in a new book on Page 6 entitled, Crazy Canadian Trivia 3 by Pat Hancock, published by Scholastic Canada Ltd., ISBN 978-0-545-99995-3. It's a really neat book with loads of interesting stuff. Wish we had something like this when we were kids. Did you know that actor James Doohan (Enterprise engineer "Scotty" in the Star Trek TV series and movies) was a Canadian whose cremated ashes were launched into space last year? Now you do!

It's been a very busy month in the garage. The Marauder Reloaded recumbent is done, and the Lode Runner Delta Trike should be painted this weekend. The Marauder is a new and improved design of the original 2003 Marauder Lowracer featured in Atomic Zombie's Bicycle Builder's Bonanza. The Lode Runner Delta Trike is designed to support heavier riders who want to be at eye level with motorized vehicles and also for hauling cargo.

Since many of us feel more stable riding trikes as we get older, the Lode Runner is a great bike for short and long haul rides, with two rear disc brakes and parking brake. Should be taking it for a test ride tomorrow, then priming and painting over the weekend. I like the seat and rear cargo area. Might as well take advantage of the cooler temps right now, since the garage will be in the 90's and over 100 in late July.

Once the final pics are done, Brad plans to hide in his room for a few days writing them up. They will be available for download in a week or so. Stay tuned to the forum for announcements. Been reading about the nasty weather affecting our southern neighbors in the US. Hope you are doing OK. Our thoughts are with you.

It's a dreary day, some snow in the morning and rain, but still chilly. It's been raining for over a day, but the sun is finally trying to come out, although it's too late in the day to really get out there and enjoy it. Still need to wear a warm jacket.

Yes, it's hard to believe that a few days in the garage means another bike is nearing completion. What a change from a month ago when we were still getting snow and sub-zero temperatures. Brad spent an entire weekend cleaning and re-organizing the garage, then started right away on the Marauder Reloaded. He's been working on this design for well over a year.

Since last month, we finished up some minor house renovations and gearing up for this season's building extravaganza. A bit behind on the build schedule, but hope to have the Lode Runner Delta Trike done in June, followed by the Black Pearl Chopper.

Still no update on the second payment processor on the store due to more delays. Wish we could do that stuff ourselves; it would be done by now. But, have to wait a little longer for them to get it together. In the meantime, payments are still being accepted through PayPal or with a credit card.

The Builder's Gallery was recently updated with dozens of awesome creations, so check it out.

Not much more to report right now, but stay tuned for the unveiling of the new Marauder Reloaded Lowracer in the next few weeks.

Tonight's dinner will be Chicken Almond Khorma, recipe courtesy of our forum member TheVictim. This is the second time I've made it, and it's easy, as well as delicious. We welcome anyone to post their favorite recipes, too.

Well, here we are, supposedly in spring, but Mother Nature isn't co-operating. We, like many parts of the world, are still having snow, cold temperatures, freezing rain, and basically unfriendly cycling weather. Brad is getting anxious to start cleaning the garage, but the backyard is still full of snow and mud spots, so hope the sun will shine all week long. Maybe we will actually have a nice spring after all? Let's hope so, although last April we got several feet of snow dumped on us.

To cope with this seemingly long winter, we worked on and launched a new Support Forum and Atomic Zombie store. The new software are much more user friendly, organized and loaded with features. But, we were unable to import previous forum members and customers into the new database, so you must re-register (it takes seconds) on both systems. Sometimes old and new technology don't get along.

The store doesn't require that you log in to your customer account get your downloadable project links - you will receive them automatically in an email from the store once your payment is successfully processed. The entire ordering, checkout and download link receipt is quick and easy.

We are working on some issues with the second payment processor (hope to have it fixed this week), but for now, you can still pay with PayPal. You can pay with a credit card, and don't need to have a PayPal account. If you aren't a fan of PayPal, rest assured, you don't have to become a member of that payment processor to pay for purchases.

Many projects on the Atomic Zombie To Do list, but have had to push up tentative release dates due to the late spring. Here's what's tentatively coming up this spring, summer and fall:

Marauder Reloaded (April)
Lode Runner Delta Trike (May)
Black Pearl Chopper (June)
Tandem Inline Delta Trike (July)
Tandem Electric Motorcycle (August)
HQ SWB Lowracer (September)
Winter Vehicle (October)

Bike, Scooter and Chopper Projects for the Evil Genius will be out some time in May. Keep checking the Support Forum for updates and announcements. This is a book, and we cannot offer it as a download, since the copyright is owned by McGraw-Hill.

We have had some problems getting a steady supply of Atomic Zombie's Bicycle Builder's Bonanza and 101 Spy Gadgets for the Evil Genius, so thanks for your patience while we work out supplier issues. Unfortunately, due to insane shipping costs and delays, we cannot ship books outside of Canada and USA at this time. We're not a multinational conglomerate that can negotiate cheap shipping rates; just a Zombie, a Kat and a dawg!

Also, working on updating the Builder's Gallery - sorry it's taking so long. We decided to do some much needed home renovations that became a bit of a nightmare. Almost got the main stuff finished, so will finally have some uninterrupted time to sit here for hours to upload your latest creations. Great work, everyone! More amazing builds will be posted in the next week.

The latest Atomic Zombie newsletter is also online, www.atomiczombie.com/newsletter/april2008.htm.

Stay warm, friends.

The StreetFighter Quad Cycle is finally online and already creating a buzz. This will be the last big project until we thaw from the deep freeze. Can't build in the garage when it's in the -30s and -40s Celsius. Even the kerosene heater can't keep up with frigid temps. The StreetFighter was a suggestion by one of our Atomic Zombie Krew members - SirJoey - last year. It took longer than expected to get done, between other projects and books, but what a major accomplishment!

The Builder's Gallery was updated recently with a record 35 new projects. Many cool builds, including some amazing clones of Marauder, Meridian, StreetFox, Bandito, Sparky, DeltaWolf and OverKill. Alot of incredible talent out there, so keep up the great work, everyone.

More software upgrades over the next couple of months that will keep us up many late nights, but necessary to keep things going along smoothly.

The latest Atomic Zombie newsletter is also online, www.atomiczombie.com/newsletter/january2008.htm.

Stay warm, friends.

I know, I know, it's been awhile since the last update. The summer has flown by somehow (I barely remember August), and fall is settling in, although the temps have been in the 80's and 90's some days. Very weird. So much to do around the house, and so little time - literally.

Of course, that means getting our bike projects done as quickly as possible, as well as our next book, "Bike, Scooter, and Chopper Projects for the Evil Genius", due out in late April 2008. There will be at least two more downloadable projects coming in the next few months, and a winter bike for sure in January/February.

But, in the meantime, the StreetFox Tadpole Trike download is online and sparking some interest in the bike building community. We took it out for some video footage and pictures a couple of weeks ago, my first real test ride at Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park, just a half hour drive from where we live. It was unbelievably hot that day, not a good day for wearing black t-shirts.

I was so impressed with how well the StreetFox handled around sharp corners, comfortable and fast. Considering I haven't done much bike riding this summer, I managed to tackle a couple of fairly steep hills with little effort. Should have known better than to wear the black tee, though. I can also lift the trike easily in and out of the back of the truck by myself, another plus.

After riding around for a couple of hours, we rested at the beach and met up with an Atomic Zombie fan, who is also an electric bike enthusiast. It's interesting how many people are into this hobby and electric vehicles. After chatting it up with him for almost an hour, we packed up and headed home.

It was a productive day, but we headed to a BBQ for dinner and decided to ride our bikes, about a 15 minute ride, Brad on his DeltaWolf with underseat steering modification and me on my StreetFox. I can honestly say that I'm now a huge fan of the tadpole trike design. I liked my WildKat Recumbent, but I think I'm hooked on the StreetFox for sure. Check it out for yourself.

Brad is currently working on a compact electric scooter, smaller than the LongRanger Electric Bike, but still practical and easy to build. That download will be available in October. So, we're still plugging along, and yes, the Builder's Gallery is being updated. Once all of the latest entries are done, it will all be uploaded late one evening. Have to be weary of our bandwidth issues these days. Thanks for your continued patience as we try to resolve the occasional download glitches. We have some options available, but improvements take time and money, things we're a bit short on these days. The store and site will be streamlined later this year.

Cheers for now.