Italvega Overhaul

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Cycling Culture Branding: Logos

I have a very exciting new branding project on deck right now, and it has permitted me to pretend that all of my looking at pictures of bicycles online is research, and not merely pornography. To provide the best possible service to my client, I aim to become an expert on bicycle branding, and I am bringing you all along for the ride. Special thanks to Boutique Cycles for a nice starting point for this search. This is part one of a series on the branding of cycling, and I will be showcasing some logos:

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Baltimore: what I think, what I know, what they say.

Baltimore: 10 things I think, 10 things I know, 10 things they say. from Andy Mangold on Vimeo.

For my Design Coalition course this semester, we will be doing 5 quick, one week turn around projects. The first prompt was 10 things I think about Baltimore, 10 things I know about Baltimore, and 10 things they say about Baltimore.

I didn’t really start to truly discover the city until I started riding my bike everywhere. I found myself more comfortable just going a direction without knowing where I was headed. So, I decided to try and show the world what it’s like to see Baltimore from the seat of a bike. This required me building a little helmet cam rig, and the results are a little shaky, but that is the nature of riding a bike in pot-hole USA. This was really my first time making a video from beginning to end as well, and while I am not thrilled with the finished product, I am glad I pushed myself out of my comfort zone.

For the “10 things they say about Baltimore” portion of the prompt, I thought it would be best for me to integrate video footage from outside sources concerning Baltimore. It would be inaccurate for me to sit down and guess what the outside perceptions of Baltimore are, so I used a combination of clips from interviews, travel TV shows, and The Wire to paint a picture of Baltimore’s portrayal in the media.

Helmet Cam!

I made myself a helmet cam this morning (a simple 1/4inch bolt through my Craigslist motorcycle helmet) to record some things… more on that to come later! Process shots after the “jump.”

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“Heirloom” Update

I have conducted the first few rounds of interviews and photo shoots for my “Heirloom” project that I am getting pretty excited about. I figured I would post some shots from today’s work in hopes of enticing more of you to participate! THIS COULD BE YOU!

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Ross Polo Jr. – Rollin’ in Style

For a long, long time I have wanted a sweet cruiser/low-rider from the 70′s. A nice Schwinn Orange Krate would be the ideal, but this hot little yellow number popped up on Craigslist and I could not resist. It is in near perfect condition, right down to the original tires, and it is already super fun to cruise around on.

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The Klinedinst’s Saddle: Before

This is the saddle off of my recently acquired Klinedinst Special, quite severely disassembled. As you can see, everything is there and functional/moving, though unbelievably rusty. I will be tackling the job of re-upholstering this seat as part of my renovation of the Klinedinst. I have no experience with upholstery, and my experience with leather is pretty much limited to book covers, but it should be a learning experience if nothing else. If anyone out there knows anything about refinishing a seat like this, please leave a comment or drop me a line with some tips!

The Klinedinst Special

The newest addition to my fleet, and another Craigslist acquisition: the Klinedinst Special. I know very, very little about this bike and cannot find any information about it, or the company. The guy who sold it to me seems to think its from the 1930s and another fellow from a vintage and collector’s bicycle forum says it looks like its from right around WWII. Either way, its certainly old and unique. The frame has an interesting geometry: low and long with 26inch wheels. I am going to be fixing it up and making in ride able again. I am not going to throw around the word “restoration” because I am certainly not holding the original parts in reverence; but I am going to keep it looking pretty similar to how it does now.

Please, if anybody knows anything about this company or bike, let me know!

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Things no one told me about: The North American Handmade Bicycle Show

Photo by Tim Potter

Seriously people. Why was I not told about this? An entire show dedicated to hand made bicycles; I am not sure I can imagine anything I would rather attend. Luckily, the NAHBS has provided extensive photographic documentation of the event and the bikes in attendance. Click on through their galleries and marvel at some true works of art. For some more professional photos, check out Urban Velo’s Coverage of the show.

I am going to go mark my calendar for next year.

(via Bicycle Design Blog)

Brooks Honey B-17 Special and New Rim

I got my saddle and rim in the mail today; joining the herds of hipsters riding Brooks I suppose. I care not what people think, I think its a piece of art and I love the idea of keeping it with me through my entire bike-riding life, it aging with me. I cannot wait to get out there and start wearing it in. (more…)