Norland Cycles - Project Approved! Max Werner got Titled

Dear Friends of Pinkbike, and Mountainbiker Brotherhood arround the world.
Almost 2 years ago, a hot week in January, was witness of the first hit of my thesis project with an article on the Pinkbike Pages.
That article and PB guys support, boosted my search for sponsors.
About one year later, the world was withness through the pages of Pinkbike, of the borning of the Stealth Rider Prototype, the first bike produced by the Norland Cycles Project, and that same year, I met personally Karl, Julian and Tyler at Eurobike 2011 in Friedrichshafen Germany.
Norland Cycles Project at Eurobike
Tippie Liked it!!!
Now, after an incredible Project Tour, where I visited Europe, I Show the Stealth Rider Prototype at Eurobike, and I brought it to ride in some amazing trails at Germany Finland and Italy, I came back to my homeland Chile, to make one of the most important things on my project.
Enjoying Finland
The Thesis project Final Presentation.
This project started as something academic, was my thesis to become an Industrial Designer, and after 2 years of development, design, construction and all kind of testing, this stage of my life ended in a wonderful day of the Final Presentation that also has an interesting story.
Few days after arriving from my 3 months Project Tour in Germany Finland and Italy, the first week of December, I visited the office of the Head of Carreer of the Industrial Design Faculty of my Polytechnic, was time to do my duty and request for a date for my final thesis presentation. I knew must be before 31th of December, I knew I had to make a presentation to be shown in front of an evaluating commission of 3 Teachers (Including the head of carreer) that must include a mountainbike - market analysis part, resume of the Technical-research, resume of the proposal development, Prototype specifications and resume of the testing Process, and a marketing - financial relilability of the project. To this presentation I also had to give to the Head of carrer, 2 copies of a written memory of the project, and 2 copies of a DVD on a printed disc and box, with all the digital data about my project (Text, Video, Pics, Plans, 3d Models etc)
The "D-Day" December 28th (NOPE NOT A JOKE!) What a day! Just 3 weeks to get there with everything!
I was having tons of data from the R&D process, but because I was in Europe, going here, going there, having a new girlfriend in Finland, and I found myself, that I was having nothing done of my presentation.
After I left the Head of carreer office just with an operative prototype and my ultra laggy laptop where all the data of the project was stored on a relative order.
The countdown started and I had to work at 20.000 RPM to recover the lost time, and I still had to do another things, like arrange stuff for Christmas, diplomatic duties, etc, so... even less time.
The graphic outfit of the presentation, printed thesis memory, printed DVD and Box Must look very professional, and I'm not an expert or even close on Graphic Design, then is when my lovely girlfriend, who studies Graphic Design, and owns a natural talent for this, saved my life!
She started working very hard, to get an amazing ressult, and in 2 weeks, everything ran on wheels, and the presentation and all the additional material was ready.
It came the moment of the truth, the moment I was waiting for 7 years.
Because of this curiosities of the destiny I had to pedal to my polytechnic the latest 12 km, formally dressed with my best suit, with my laptop in my backpack and some stuff needed on my right hand... That would be hillarious to watch, I need to mock up that scene someday!!
I Started the presentation. Was 40 minutes to do it, then a round of questions by the commision.
Exposing the project in front of the evaluation commission
I show this short film, everyone liked it

After the presentation came the questions, that were mostly, about the bike market, technical, and about the relilability of the project.
I managed somehow to awnser all the questions that the commision made me and convince the commission with my awnsers, then the Head of carreer, who leaded the commission, told me "OK, DONE! Now everybody out of the auditorium, it's time to delliberate.

After 20 minutes (that seemed to be hours) The commision made everybody enter in the Auditorium, they exposed their impressions about my work, my thesis project, the prototype and the presentation, and after some critics related with my technical vocabulary, the Head of Carrer told me:
"Your Project is approved with a 6.2 (the mark scale in chile goes from 1 to 7 and is needed a 4 to approve) Welcome to the proffessional life!"
The expression of happyness on my face was impossible to ignore!
I approved my thesis with a very good mark!
Everybody happy, the new was posted on my facebook page an the blog of my project ( www.norlandcycles.wordpress.com ) and greetings from everywhere were posted on my wall.
After the rigor pictures with the Evaluating Commision I left the polytechnic in the same bike I was dreaming to build, 7 years ago, when I came to study this interesting carreer.
WHAT A GREAT ENDING OF THE YEAR!

Pinkbike supported me and this project since the very begginings.
I want to say ONE MILLION THANKS to all the staff of PinkBike! Specially to Karl, Tyler and Julian, Thanks to the wonderful people who helped me to manufacture this frame, My friends Gustavo Contreras, the greatest frame builder you will find in Chile, Victor Cisternas, all a pro in Composite materials and Paintjob works, to Yann Watkins, who gave me great references about the bike bulding, Thanks to all my greatest Sponsors
Elka Suspension, Race Face, Formula Brake, Kowa Suspension, DSP, Spank Industries, Dartmoor, Continental Tyre, Motorex-Chile, Pernos Soto, Bettoli S.A., Maestranza Tormex, Bacigalupo S.A., Jetstream Chile, DUOC UC, Mozartt Components, Stigma Racing Wear and Racooz Software.
To all the companies that gave me a hand: Tejevientos Films, KMC Chain, Giro, Go Pro, Kaoz Bikes, Muc Off, Jagwire and Sram.
And to everyone of you who followed this story, I want to let you know that everything you want to do is possible if you work hard for it!
I hope this story will motivate more people to give shape and materialize their project, because it is possible!

YES YOU CAN!