Most of the funds had to be spent on the actual bike so the first sound system was built on a bit of a budget and with limited experiance. At first glance the project looks simple, build a battery powered sound to fit the carry space on the 8 Freight. It had to be robust, light, reliable and above all loud. With a few ideas we looked at various options for amps and speakers before settling on car components. Durable, remarkably cheap and easy to get hold of some online research turned up the most powerful components we could afford. A pair of Bocshman 6x9 speakers with an output power of around 600 wts max to cover mid tops and a 12” JBL sub bass with a peak output of 1000 wts. For amplification we found an unbranded 4 channel amp with an output of 1600 wts max, bridged two channels to run the sub and used the remaining two for mid tops. For simplicity the music would come from the headphone output of any personal player.

Dynamos and solar power were out of the question so we only had one option open for electricity to power the system, 12v deep cycle sealed lead acid batteries. Other types were too expensive, unreliable or unsafe. Because we were unsure of just how much weight we could get away with we opted to start with two 12v 12amp hour batteries which in theory would give us enough power for the duration of the skate. To improve the response of the batteries we culled more ideas from the in-car-audio experts and bought a 2Farad capacitor. This acts like a reservoir of power and helps the batteries deliver the sort of peaks in power we wanted for the bass frequencies.

With the bulk of the parts arrived we set about a rough design. The 8 Freight would not arrive till a week or so before the first skate and without it we could not comence the build in case it didnt fit. With the dimensions we had a full size cardboard model was built but this would not tell us the weight or how it affected handling. This was all new to us and there was trepidation on all counts.

The 8 Freight arrived in April 2005 about ten days before the first skate of the season and we were pleased to find that the model fitted the carry platform perfectly. Without delay we commenced the build proper. The initial design was very simple, not much more than a slightly oblong box with the speakers fitted in one end and the electrics in the other.

In a couple of days the box was constructed followed by a few days of hand making cables and connections. Despite the simpicity fitting all the componants in a defined space was not without its dificulties. With the batteries fitted and the paint still drying we fired it for the first time and were impressed with the volume causing doors and windows to rattle. Tentatively we fitted the box into the bike and took off to a local park to try the ride and handling.It handled perfectly and the bike was easy to ride with the weight. In a short test in the open we ran the sound up and were fairly satisfied. A few days before the skate and with the paint work still tacky the system was escorted to its initial storage location, loaned space in a lock up,

Everyone was excited about the music bike that year, it being the first time the London Skate had had a sound. The system worked without a doubt but outdoors and with all the background noise of a street skate it was not powerful enough. Skaters absorbed sound and distortion occured as the batteries drained. With the amps at maximum they clipped and distorted so they had to be turned down or blow something up. The bike itself worked well, the build was robust it just had to be louder.

MKI B

The very next day we looked at the sound and decided to fit a second amplifier to drive the sub bass and a further pair of 6x9 speakers. Another layer was quickly built on the original box to house the new gear, a line driver added to increase the volume from the mini disk and a clever bass control so we could adjust the bass independently. To increase the power we added a third 12v 12amp hour battery to bring the total amps available to 36.

The new configuration was a great deal louder. The line driver increasing the volume from the mini disk meant we didn’t have to drive the amps so hard and the additional power meant we could play louder for longer. We still had to limit the sub bass to save battery life and the configuration of the speakers, all pointing in one direction was not the most efficient. It still wouldn’t cover the whole of the skate but given that previous years had had no sound at all it was a major improvement and would do the job that year. On down side was that while upgrading the sound we upset the residents around the garage we had been loaned space in and had to move the storage. The new location, The Duke public house opposite was friendly but not ideal. A season carrying the sound up and down the winding stairs to the cellar was not much fun after a 12 mile skate.

MKI was a good start. The build method proved to be robust and the sound worked even under some extreme conditons. The 8 Freight performed brilliantly and we realised the whole system had a great deal more potential. With 2005 drawing to a close the MKI spread festive cheer on our hugely popular Santa Skate and we made plans for a louderMKII.