| We strive for constant readiness in acquiring usable parts. Too many times in the past we have been unable to drag raw materials home to our laboratory due to lack of tools or insufficient transportation. Unclaimed materiel will fall into the hands of the enemy if left unattended for even a few minutes! In the future we must be prepared to take advantage of every resource at the moment of its discovery!
This is why it is important for every Rat Patrol mission to include at least one Pack Rat bicycle, in order to respond immediately to providential discovery of useful parts and unique items to help expand our fleet of bicycles.
The Rat Patrol has grown from several localized neighborhood laboratories. We are now a citywide operation, with stashes of spare parts and raw materials in several locations. One of the challenges we enjoy is making do with improvised work spaces, so that we might end up using a plastic chair as a vice, or saw for hours with a dull hacksaw blade just to avoid buying a new one. Any place there are a few cast off frames and wheels and some tools is a good location for a Rat Patrol workshop, but it helps to have some space to spread out. We have held public Build Days at several locations: |
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| BUBBLY DYNAMICS
Sadly, in late 2007 the old Rat Nest at Bubbly had to be cleared out. The bike pile was divided and moved to several secret locations around town. From 2001 to 2007, probably over a hundred funny bikes were born in that smoky, dusty basement at Bubbly. |
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| THE CHOP HOUSE
A garage workspace packed with an increasing number of wheels and frames. There is a portable welder there and sometimes the scrappers will deliver pipes and material right to the door.
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2003
2006
