Greetings, cave dwellers!
Checking in to provide an update on all things caveworks. Take a look and feel free to get in touch with any questions!
- A refresher on the mission...
Just in case it serves as a helpful reminder, the caveworks team is currently developing an indoor-specific machine designed to replace outdoor bikes indoors. It is a unique, indoor-optimized "bike" frame designed to pair with your direct-drive smart trainer of choice. It is purpose-built and does not have any unnecessary parts...just a tough, durable, high-performing frame and the components necessary to deliver your power output to the trainer as efficiently as possible. The caveworks machine is being built to go where no outdoor bike was ever intended to go---namely, nowhere at all, solitarily occupying the sweat-ravaged depths of your pain cave---so outdoor bikes everywhere can be free and stay ready for whenever the road, trail, or groad comes calling.
- Where are we today?
We are currently testing the third prototype. At a very high level, the prototyping phase has been focused mainly on perfecting the geometry and adjustability of the machine---mechanical performance has exceeded expectations from the start. With this 3rd iteration, we have reached the last mile on frame geometry. We will still make minor changes to this design---in particular, the "stem," for lack of a better term, will almost certainly be moved back toward the rider to bring the handlebars just a little closer---but the frame concept as it appears here is all but done. Also of note: one key intention behind the frame design was to create a machine that, simply by telescoping the seat tube and stem, would sweep out the adjustability area for the vast majority of all riding positions from the shortest to the tallest riders. This feature of the design in particular has turned out remarkably well. To borrow from elsewhere on the website, does it come in your size? Yes. Your size is the only size we make.
Looking forward, we will continue to test this prototype over the coming several weeks to refine and finalize all remaining adjustments. With those adjustments in place, the machine will be ready to move into a production phase.
- When can pre-orders be placed?
We anticipate making pre-orders available on the website in the next few weeks. These orders will ultimately be filled on a first-come-first-served basis, so make sure to grab a spot in line if you've determined the caveworks machine is the key to perfecting your pain cave.
- What's the best estimate for a release date?
This is much harder to pin down as there are a number of process goals, each with their own degrees of uncertainty, that have to be reached in sequence prior to the final release being set. Our best guess at this time is that these will begin shipping to customers close to the end of 2023. That is, we will be doing everything we can to make sure northern hemisphere customers are able to ride their caveworks machines for the bulk of the peak winter season.
- How can I stay connected in the meantime?
Please do sign up for email updates, and connect with us on social media! You can review a variety of contact points on our community page, and we'd be delighted to hear from you through any of these pathways. As the community page indicates, we also do some live-streaming of our testing sessions, which can provide great insight into product performance, as well as an opportunity to engage with us directly and ask questions in real time. Check it out!
Thanks for reading!
- The caveworks team