ugly branding on bicycle parts

[bicycletricycle]

some of the branding on bicycle components is getting pretty bad. I think that this DT hub may be the worse i have ever seen. (on a road bike part)

http://i975.photobucket.com/albums/ae236/bicycletricycle/Screenshot2012-10-27at80408PM.png

if you disagree then post a picture of what you think is worse and then we can have a nice constructive conversation about who is right and about the good old days when parts were silver and beautiful.

[DHallerman]

...we can have a nice constructive conversation about who is right and about the good old days when parts were silver and beautiful.

It is true that one reason I bought a wheelset from Joe Young with White Industries hubs is that they are silver and beautiful.

Dave, who also liked that the White Industries cassette hub body is titanium and also has wheels with DT 240s hubs that are not ugly like in the OP's post so where did that Swiss company go wrong

[vav]

but I agree. A friend and I were talking about how Velo-Orange without being top notch quality offers shiny bits that other manufacturers are neglecting to favor carbon, etc.

[PaMtbRider]

some of the branding on bicycle components is getting pretty bad. I think that this DT hub may be the worse i have ever seen. (on a road bike part)

http://i975.photobucket.com/albums/ae236/bicycletricycle/Screenshot2012-10-27at80408PM.png

if you disagree then post a picture of what you think is worse and then we can have a nice constructive conversation about who is right and about the good old days when parts were silver and beautiful.

Yea, that is pretty ugly. Fortunately it is just a sticker and can be easily removed.

[Flying Pigeon]

Here (http://dirty-pages.net/specials/item.php?id=49187&sid=3e9becbdb748b2eeb7dfb4c36a323728) is a good compilation of dumb stuff written on new bikes.

[4Rings6Stars]

Most modern mass production frames fit that category for me...

Lots of deep dish carbon wheels too.

[froze]

That's why I hate a lot of modern bikes, they plaster their brand name in huge gawdy print on their frames, on the wheels, and now the hubs. That just makes a bike look like crap in my book. You may be able to remove the label on a hub but you can't do that on a frame, fork and wheels. I also don't wear jerseys done that way either, because first off I'm no racer so I don't need to pretend to be one, and if they want me to look like a billboard riding around with an advertisement then they need to PAY ME or give me the jersey for free!!!

[Fishbike]

So many graphics -- on wheels and other parts -- have red as a dominant color. Well most of my bikes don't coordinate with red. I spend a lot of time avoiding red.

[Liv2RideHard]

I think some companies are realizing that not all of us like all the gaudiness. Hence ghosted out graphics. One of the reasons I went with Zipp Beyond Black contact points for my current project...Sachs road.

[DHallerman]

That's why I hate a lot of modern bikes, they plaster their brand name in huge gawdy print on their frames...

That's one of the reason's why this Serotta's aesthetics were not to my taste.

Three big brand names on one side, three more on the other.

Also, I just never understood why the decal for the model name was in black, when the rest of the decals for this blue/green frame were in silver that at least coordinated.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/24440195/serotta_full_right_03.jpg

[vav]

This Moots is FS on Ebay. The seller sure knows how to "disguise" the beauty of that frame. :rolleyes:
Subtle branding: find the Moots logo

[froze]

Agree. While that is a very nice bike but why did Serotta have to go and ruin it with all their Serotta brand labels? All they needed was just one brand decal either on the down tube, or on the seat tube and a head badge and be done with it.

I have noticed lately I can find plain jerseys now a lot easier than I could 8 years ago, so that's good, I wonder how long it will take bike manufactures to do the same thing? Problem is if people continue to buy bikes and wheels looking like that then there is no motivation for them to change.

[eddief]

Great fork and I even like their logo. But I'd appreciate smaller, less obtrusive, subtle. Reynolds used to do a nice job.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_7IHuikUmLE/UGdTnk7laoI/AAAAAAAACdY/iVegZEgTlSg/s800/IMG_2172.JPG

[bicycletricycle]

Here (http://dirty-pages.net/specials/item.php?id=49187&sid=3e9becbdb748b2eeb7dfb4c36a323728) is a good compilation of dumb stuff written on new bikes.


some sweet ones in there

[bobhufford]

Here (http://dirty-pages.net/specials/item.php?id=49187&sid=3e9becbdb748b2eeb7dfb4c36a323728) is a good compilation of dumb stuff written on new bikes.
http://www.myfluxcapacitor.com/images/stories/fluxcapacitor/batcave1.jpg

[dancinkozmo]

Yea, that is pretty ugly. Fortunately it is just a sticker and can be easily removed.

That should cut the weight by about half...

[dancinkozmo]

That's why I hate a lot of modern bikes, they plaster their brand name in huge gawdy print on their frames, on the wheels, and now the hubs. That just makes a bike look like crap in my book. You may be able to remove the label on a hub but you can't do that on a frame, fork and wheels. I also don't wear jerseys done that way either, because first off I'm no racer so I don't need to pretend to be one, and if they want me to look like a billboard riding around with an advertisement then they need to PAY ME or give me the jersey for free!!!

One thing i think escapes alot of jersey designers...keep it SIMPLE....most jerseys i see nowadays are covered with weird fonts too many graphic elements, way too busy....maybe it looks okay hanging on a rack , but in a peloton, just a blur.....you instantly could tell most teams and who sponsored them with just a glance in the past....molteni, brooklyn,renault,la vie claire to name a few all had simple graphic patterns and colours that were instantly recognizable

[beeatnik]

This Moots is FS on Ebay. The seller sure knows how to "disguise" the beauty of that frame. :rolleyes:
Subtle branding: find the Moots logo

Checked out the listing. Yikes! For some reason nothing on that bikes shows well in the pics. But especially, the blue Fizik bar tape (which I had on a bike a while back), blue spacers, Easton components and the seemingly dirty DA parts really diminish the aesthetic appeal of that classy frame.

[froze]

One thing i think escapes alot of jersey designers...keep it SIMPLE....most jerseys i see nowadays are covered with weird fonts too many graphic elements, way too busy....maybe it looks okay hanging on a rack , but in a peloton, just a blur.....you instantly could tell most teams and who sponsored them with just a glance in the past....molteni, brooklyn,renault,la vie claire to name a few all had simple graphic patterns and colours that were instantly recognizable

Right. Also though if a person is a pro racer then their jersey is decked out with their sponsors names because that's who paying them to race, like a Nascar driver's car and their fire suit, those companies logos that appear are underwriting their expenses and serves as advertising for those companies. But for the everyday rider to be wearing such jerseys doesn't make sense to me because their not underwriting my expenses, again I feel if I have to buy a jersey plastered with logos than those companies should at the very least give me free jersey for advertising their product while I ride around.

[dancinkozmo]

Youre preaching to the choir frozey !

The only jersey i own with a sponsors logo is "molteni" and i dont even know What the *** that is !

[Llewellyn]

That's why I hate a lot of modern bikes, they plaster their brand name in huge gawdy print on their frames, on the wheels, and now the hubs. That just makes a bike look like crap in my book. You may be able to remove the label on a hub but you can't do that on a frame, fork and wheels.


This is exactly how I feel.

Silver components look classic IMO

[slidey]

I'm somewhere mid-way in this.

I loathe garish advertising in general (for eg: GAP/:banana: republic, and the lot). When it comes to bikes, I share a similar loathing to such disgusting graphics on components, specifically stems/hubs/shifters, etc :eek:

However when it comes to frames, I quite like the Specialized/Canyon/Ridley lettering. It's huge, but tasteful in my opinion...but I dislike FSA/Bontrager/Pinarello/Cannondale for their graphics. It seems to me that there's a way to be tasteful yet bold, and then there's Pinarello (and the rest) :help:

[froze]

This is exactly how I feel.

Silver components look classic IMO

That's another pet peeve I have too, I can't stand black or carbon components or wheels look. I know all bikes come like that today but I like some shiny aluminum makes the bike stand out and not look like a piece of industrial equipment.

But I'm also weird about cars that way too, I like chrome on cars, chrome gives it sparkle rather than the dull looks of having no chrome like the modern cars of today.

What's weird is I went to the Auburn car museum here in Auburn Indiana and spend about 3 hours admiring all the cars they use to make back then. The weird part was when I walked outside to get to my car I was literally shocked at how dead and lifeless our cars look today. We don't really realize this is happening until you spend some time in a place like the Auburn car museum.

[oldpotatoe]

some of the branding on bicycle components is getting pretty bad. I think that this DT hub may be the worse i have ever seen. (on a road bike part)

http://i975.photobucket.com/albums/ae236/bicycletricycle/Screenshot2012-10-27at80408PM.png

if you disagree then post a picture of what you think is worse and then we can have a nice constructive conversation about who is right and about the good old days when parts were silver and beautiful.

We had a Time frame in the other day and counted ''TIME" 33 times on the frame and fork.

[roydyates]

TREK in a 400pt font on the downtube makes the bike easy to recognize when you're driving by. Trying to identify vintage steel that you pass while driving your car requires a dangerous degree of concentration on the bike. :)

[nighthawk]

I just had my Vamoots refurbished by Moots... I asked them to leave the decals off the seat tube and the seat stays.... Downtube decals were enough for me.. They were happy to oblige.

[svelocity]

Here (http://dirty-pages.net/specials/item.php?id=49187&sid=3e9becbdb748b2eeb7dfb4c36a323728) is a good compilation of dumb stuff written on new bikes. Ha as a kid I used to really enjoy these declarations of technology on the side of my bike. "forced optimized construction" Made me feel like I had something special. As an adult it's kinda dumb but my inner child still likes it :)

[eippo1]

I'd say the kcnc brakes are pretty terrible.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7220/6878687728_5d2a58ec2b.jpg

[vav]

wouldn't proudly roll on these :eek:

[palincss]

Yes, they're certainly right up there in the "ugly is the new beautiful" competition.

[Ahneida Ride]

Note:

HandleBra wrap has NO labeling !!!!!

It's YOUR bike .... not HandleBras ! :no:

[bicycletricycle]

that wheel is so bad

[William]

I get what you are all saying on logo plastered jerseys. But sometimes I think it's better to be wearing a bright eye shielding logo covered jersey just because it sticks out like a flashing neon sign to motorists.

That wheel is fugly. I do wonder what the design looks like when it's spinning though.




William

[LO^OK]

This thread should be made sticky! While the lettering of many modern logos, and the graphics in general, might look fine on paper/display in design terms, in reality most of them turn out horrible: loud, vulgar, and heavily clashing with one another. This in a sense is in conflict with the very nature of the bicycle whose aesthetic appeal lie in no small part in it's utilitarian simplicity and unpretentiousness.

One of the most grating lettering that spring to my mind is that of the Bora Ultra; forget about coherence, it's practically at war with everything.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eDTx9ujM-lM/T08P3Q_yBnI/AAAAAAAAAjc/cbDW4TbbwUI/s640/Pegoretti%20Responsorium%20-%20Campy%20-%20Bora.jpg

[maximus]

Engineer: "we just perfected this component"

Marketing: "great, now lets slap some red and black decals on it"

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . "more outrageously noticeable the better" school of cycling gear because as William says, the last thing I want to do in traffic is blend in and not be seen. It's easy to do that with clothing--as if I haven't already proved that around here! :rolleyes:

Frames generally aren't as bad because there's less space to plaster. But the new generation of deep dish carbon wheels are just out of control.

This site has some decals for carbon wheels that would at least let me coordinate the colors on the wheel to my particular bike and do it without advertising . . . http://www.wheeltags.com/store/

But those Bora wheels and the American Classics . . . Ugh! It's like those Tommy Hilfiger clothes where the Hilfiger names IS the total design. I really have a problem with that degree of pay-us-to-advertise-our-products-for-us . . .

BBD

[Ahneida Ride]

If we get too flashy ... do we look like targets ?

We are the prey ?

[COYO1]

This thread should be made sticky! While the lettering of many modern logos, and the graphics in general, might look fine on paper/display in design terms, in reality most of them turn out horrible: loud, vulgar, and heavily clashing with one another. This in a sense is in conflict with the very nature if the bicycle whose aesthetic appeal lie in no small part in it's utilitarian simplicity and unpretentiousness.

One of the most grating lettering that spring to my mind is that of the Bora Ultra; forget about coherence, it's practically at war with everything.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eDTx9ujM-lM/T08P3Q_yBnI/AAAAAAAAAjc/cbDW4TbbwUI/s640/Pegoretti%20Responsorium%20-%20Campy%20-%20Bora.jpg


Holy cats, is that a Peg? Crap that's hiddy. Agree with most, it would be much much more tasteful wearing silver bits.

[Ahneida Ride]

If we get too flashy ... do we look like targets ?

We are the prey ?

[slidey]

I think it'd be very hard to find people who actually like the graphics on those wheels.

[Joachim]

I emailed american classic to ask if the wheels are available without decals or black decals. Still waiting for a reply after 3 months.

[fourflys]

re: aero wheels... even with them "destickered", I think the wheels above look ugly/out of place on most bikes short of a TT bike... certainly out of place on a small-diameter tubed bike like steel... at least in my opnion...

[vav]

100 % agree. On steel bikes more than 30 mm rims look weird IMO. Those BORAs totally take the beauty of the frame/paint away.
re: aero wheels... even with them "destickered", I think the wheels above look ugly/out of place on most bikes short of a TT bike... certainly out of place on a small-diameter tubed bike like steel... at least in my opnion...

I had this bike for a while and the aero wheels I think matched well with Cervelo smartwall tubing. The downtube was almost 80 mm.

[fourflys]

yeah the Cervelo above almost pulls it off for me... I see the reasoning for deep dish wheels in the right application...

a companies ultimate goal is building brand loyalty... one way marketers think they can do this is by plastering the company name and/or catchphrases all over the product... I guess the idea of just having a great product is lost on a lot of marketers...

[ofcounsel]

Call me a magpie, but I must admit that I'm a sucker the stickers/labels...


http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s81/ofcounsel/photo13-2.jpg

[sevencyclist]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eDTx9ujM-lM/T08P3Q_yBnI/AAAAAAAAAjc/cbDW4TbbwUI/s640/Pegoretti%20Responsorium%20-%20Campy%20-%20Bora.jpg

I think this bike does not look right with the carbon rims, with or without the logos.

However, cycling is about the ride, and not the look. Take this with a grain of salt, because this is coming from someone who is trying to find silvery stems and post without lettering because finding lettering Nitto UI-8EX too intrusive.

[fourflys]

Call me a magpie, but I must admit that I'm a sucker the stickers/labels...


http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s81/ofcounsel/photo13-2.jpg

You like NASCAR don't you? Just kidding... ;)

[LO^OK]

a companies ultimate goal is building brand loyalty... one way marketers think they can do this is by plastering the company name and/or catchphrases all over the product... I guess the idea of just having a great product is lost on a lot of marketers...

By all accounts there ought to be a marketing school of thought which stipulate that the more aggressive and brutal the approach of self promotion the better the results... by the same logic consumers must be regarded as pretty dumb, incapable of any nuanced perception and reasoning. Evidently (almost) no bike industry marketeer consider that this approach could have an opposite effect, resulting in lost sales.

[ofcounsel]

You like NASCAR don't you? Just kidding... ;)

Lol. MotoGP and Le Tour... But pretty much the same thing :)

[LO^OK]

However, cycling is about the ride, and not the look.

Sure, it is. But is deep in our nature to look/aspire beyond objects' mere functionality - that's why for instance we spend so much more on shelter and attire when we could be protected/ deck out for much less.

[vav]

regarding the Peg above, the two-color handlebar tape doesn't do it for me either.

[mo3039]

So many graphics -- on wheels and other parts -- have red as a dominant color. Well most of my bikes don't coordinate with red. I spend a lot of time avoiding red.

+100!! I like red on some bikes, but not on any of mine. Black and red, red and black, big gigantic logos.....boooooring! And my new to me Serotta has too many logos, same as that earlier post, so now to work on being sure the wheels have something more subtle.

[cfox]

On modern race bikes the only silver I like is on the hub ans spokes. Silver stems or posts look jarring to me. And silver rims never, ever looked good, even on older race bikes. A dark ano rim with silver hubs and spokes has always been the best look regardless of era. For me, anyway.

[veggieburger]

Spectrum font....what is that, times new roman?

Not good, IMO.

[froze]

On modern race bikes the only silver I like is on the hub ans spokes. Silver stems or posts look jarring to me. And silver rims never, ever looked good, even on older race bikes. A dark ano rim with silver hubs and spokes has always been the best look regardless of era. For me, anyway.

And that's what we call different strokes for different folks.

My taste run this direction: https://plus.google.com/photos/112190916212042621902/albums/5309620387173033633/5309620498182287474?banner=pwa But alas my expense account runs in a different more southernly direction of $6,000 asking price of that frame and fork, in other words, you won't be seeing me on that bike anytime soon. That Ellis is stainless steel that he painted part of it and polished other parts of it to make it look like chrome.

[ctcyclistbob]

Ha as a kid I used to really enjoy these declarations of technology on the side of my bike. "forced optimized construction" Made me feel like I had something special.

I think the frame was made in a Chinese factory by a young oppressed worker ... but who at least did an efficient job on it.

[ctcyclistbob]

This logo was mentioned yesterday. As shallow as it seems, a sharper logo could make a difference in popularity, though the frames are top notch:

[cat6]

Middle-aged and middle-class Timothy Love (played by Eddington) is a confirmed bachelor who is nonetheless happy with his marital status and his life; since he has a good job, plenty of money, the availability of girlfriends whenever he wants them, and cherished freedom. Until a mother-of-three, Judy (played by Newman) enters his life. Timothy will find Judy different to all the other women he has courted in the past; in contrast with all the others, Judy is the type of woman with which he feels he can 'settle down'. They become engaged, and Timothy's realising of the effort he has to do to change his life and do away with his old individualism will prove the main theme of the show.

[cfox]

what do you guys think of Kandy Kolored Koordinated Speedvagens? Vagens are cool bikes, but I don't care for the matching hub/stem/handlebar/seat/wheel decal thing they do on their complete bikes. Coat does amazingly detailed paintwork, but the result is too 'My Little Pony' for me. I much prefer a nice modern frame to be built with understated sensible black parts picked for function, not how well they match.

[merlincustom1]

This thread should be made sticky! While the lettering of many modern logos, and the graphics in general, might look fine on paper/display in design terms, in reality most of them turn out horrible: loud, vulgar, and heavily clashing with one another. This in a sense is in conflict with the very nature of the bicycle whose aesthetic appeal lie in no small part in it's utilitarian simplicity and unpretentiousness.

One of the most grating lettering that spring to my mind is that of the Bora Ultra; forget about coherence, it's practically at war with everything.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eDTx9ujM-lM/T08P3Q_yBnI/AAAAAAAAAjc/cbDW4TbbwUI/s640/Pegoretti%20Responsorium%20-%20Campy%20-%20Bora.jpg

Straight from www.howtoruinapegoretti.com

[froze]

I always thought it was one of the better ones. I'm an owner though, so I suppose I'm biased. When I think RL I think fun, and the logo is fun IMO.

It is a fun looking logo, but it's also not very large and not on 16 different places, so I didn't find it gawdy.

By the way, on your lugged steel bike what is the small curved pieces of tubing on the one dropout for?

[djg]

This logo was mentioned yesterday. As shallow as it seems, a sharper logo could make a difference in popularity, though the frames are top notch:

jeeze, I dunno, I always kinda liked the rock lobster logo

[William]

If we get too flashy ... do we look like targets ?

We are the prey ?


Hey brother,

If they want to target us, they're going to target us regardless of what we're wearing. I would rather be an eyesore that's hard to miss visually than blend in to much with the surroundings.






William

[djg]

This thread should be made sticky! While the lettering of many modern logos, and the graphics in general, might look fine on paper/display in design terms, in reality most of them turn out horrible: loud, vulgar, and heavily clashing with one another. This in a sense is in conflict with the very nature of the bicycle whose aesthetic appeal lie in no small part in it's utilitarian simplicity and unpretentiousness.

One of the most grating lettering that spring to my mind is that of the Bora Ultra; forget about coherence, it's practically at war with everything.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eDTx9ujM-lM/T08P3Q_yBnI/AAAAAAAAAjc/cbDW4TbbwUI/s640/Pegoretti%20Responsorium%20-%20Campy%20-%20Bora.jpg

I don't like the Bora decals either -- way huge and the red and white are likely to clash with most of what's out there. OTOH, I'd be plenty glad to have a set and, frankly, would be plenty glad to ride that frame-wheelset combo.

In a different way, the logo thing reminds me of the beautiful spectrum ti super that was reviewed in bicycling. Sweet frame. What may be great wheels (no personal experience with those, but spec'd by the rider I reckon), and these big red and white stickers on the wheels -- I wouldn't even say bad graphics necessarily on their own, as it's a big but at least somewhat interesting arrangement, but they're not likely to fit with many green bikes.

The thing is, these are all in the great tradition of pro stuff: gaudy billboards easily discerned as the peloton flies by. Wheels used to be excepted, mostly, when everything was a low profile alloy rim. Nice that some of them, at least, offer a "dark" version, for customers who don't want to shell out big money to ride a billboard (even as others prefer to buy pro-ish signage).

[Steve in SLO]

Given it's roots, the Rock lobster seems pretty much spot-on, but then I like IF's logo of similar design.

[Ahneida Ride]

This logo was mentioned yesterday. As shallow as it seems, a sharper logo could make a difference in popularity, though the frames are top notch:

I agree .... Should offer an alternative

[d_douglas]

I hated the old Desalvo decals, then suddenly these beautiful script-type ones started showing up.

His bikes appeal to me more now. In fact, he is a finalist for my next bike. I know the font means nothing to the performance of the bike, but it detracted from something for me.

The carbon Cervelo with the deep carbon wheels looks like it is tipping backwards or sinking in that photo - prolly just the perspective, right? yes, that Peg is a stunning bike that has gone wayyyy wrong. My size - I'd treat it right...

[bicycletricycle]

those new waterford script decals drive me nuts.
etching on the king r45 hubs look a lot worse than the classics

i kinda like the rock lobster and the IF but maybe just because they have been around so long


i dont think that peg would be better with silver parts but the wheel logos and two tone tape and white seat look a little crazy.

[Ahneida Ride]

Some builders do offer alternate version of their logo's upon request.
This is a up-charge clients seem eager to sustain.

[fmbp]

I hated the old Desalvo decals, then suddenly these beautiful script-type ones started showing up.

His bikes appeal to me more now. In fact, he is a finalist for my next bike. I know the font means nothing to the performance of the bike, but it detracted from something for me.


100% agreed. The old Desalvo logos were bad - new ones are much, much better.

[choke]

I think it'd be very hard to find people who actually like the graphics on those wheels.Perhaps not......

[rphetteplace]

100% agreed. The old Desalvo logos were bad - new ones are much, much better.

Both are still available. I have both on different bikes plus several other fonts that Mike has let me use over the years. It's all women with purses - you guys know that right? :)

[bluesea]

I guess I'm the only one who sees this as hideous.

http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/1189/producttype28.png

[vqdriver]

i kinda dig the enve logo when it's inside the fork legs. otherwise it's got that tribal tattoo vibe.

that rock lobster logo has grown on me however as my familiarity with their brand and product has grown.

i agree with the american classic and easton logos being too obnoxious. if it's so big you can't even fit it on your product and you have to do negative letters, it's too big. at least they're easy to remove tho...

[Elefantino]

Can anyone tell me who makes these wheels? They might qualify.

http://cdn1.bigcommerce.com/server3900/d2cfc/products/1805/images/11207/easton-ec90-tt-f-10-zoom__12324.1323133255.1280.1280.jpg

[thegunner]

Can anyone tell me who makes these wheels? They might qualify.

clearly a french company called 'ASTONE'

[slidey]

Sorry man! Maybe you'll have better luck across the hall...let me know if you find out.

Can anyone tell me who makes these wheels? They might qualify.

http://cdn1.bigcommerce.com/server3900/d2cfc/products/1805/images/11207/easton-ec90-tt-f-10-zoom__12324.1323133255.1280.1280.jpg

[kohlboto]

Perhaps not......

Oh no, is that Vancouver? English Bay?
I suddenly feel a bit of national shame...

[vav]

Couldn't resist :eek: 4th of July thread revival...

http://images.craigslist.org/3t83G53Id5r45F55qbd6sf71a18398c741ea9.jpg

http://images.craigslist.org/3tf3Gc3L75r15Ef5s4d6s6392121f15d41aca.jpg

[oldpotatoe]

One thing i think escapes alot of jersey designers...keep it SIMPLE....most jerseys i see nowadays are covered with weird fonts too many graphic elements, way too busy....maybe it looks okay hanging on a rack , but in a peloton, just a blur.....you instantly could tell most teams and who sponsored them with just a glance in the past....molteni, brooklyn,renault,la vie claire to name a few all had simple graphic patterns and colours that were instantly recognizable

win on sunday, sell on monday, same for bicycles, it's all about sponsorship $ and it's advertising.

[DoubleButted]

Here (http://dirty-pages.net/specials/item.php?id=49187&sid=3e9becbdb748b2eeb7dfb4c36a323728) is a good compilation of dumb stuff written on new bikes.

Some great ones in there. Still trying to figure out why the acronym for Sector Lay-Up Technology is SLT.:confused:

[jr59]

Straight from www.howtoruinapegoretti.com


link doesn't work. :p

[sc53]

As someone mentioned above, White Industries hubs have always appealed to me with their elegant curves and subtle engraving of the logo. I have two sets of wheels with silver WI hubs. Last night at my LBS, I was looking at a display case of hubs and to my horror saw that the new WI hubs in black now have the engraving etched in WHITE for a hideous, garish (http://aspirevelotech.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=HUB-T11-36R-S-BK&gclid=CPP99q6Bh7gCFUqf4Aod-W8Azw) look! Before, you could hardly see the engraving/logo on the black hubs. Now you see nothing else.

[dawgie]

As consumers, we should not buy products that we find distasteful and overbearing. Maybe the companies will get the message.

However, I suspect that companies use the logos because they sell. Many people are very brand conscious and want to show off their $1,000 wheels. What better way to do that than with huge logos? A lot of people have not progressed much beyond high school, where you had to wear certain brands of clothing to be considered cool. I was a nerd, so I guess that explains my aversion to overbearing brand names.

I am of the minimalist camp, but I don't mind logos that are tastefully designed and subtle. I simply wouldn't buy many cycling products that I think have hideous graphics -- namely most Treks, Specialized

[54ny77]

i'm not sure, but i think this is called a stradalli.

http://www.carbonroadbikebicyclecycling.com/sites/www.stradalli.com/files/imagecache/product/stradalli_napoli_bike_campagnolo_campy_super_recor d_ti_11_50-85_carbon_wheels_1.jpg

(and this is the most-safe-for-work photo i could find.....google the name and look at images & you'll understand what i mean....;) )

[XJBaylor]

I'll throw these two in the ring. Both awesome products with terrible branding.

http://www.rotorbikeusa.com/images/biela_3d_cranks.jpg

If you seen a custom painted black rotor crankset it looks amazing.

https://johnhowardsports.com/FiTTE-Shop/image/cache/data/stinger_9_rear-500x500.jpg

Almost as bad as the EC90TT, but not quite.

[alessandro]

i'm not sure, but i think this is called a stradalli.

http://www.carbonroadbikebicyclecycling.com/sites/www.stradalli.com/files/imagecache/product/stradalli_napoli_bike_campagnolo_campy_super_recor d_ti_11_50-85_carbon_wheels_1.jpg

(and this is the most-safe-for-work photo i could find.....google the name and look at images & you'll understand what i mean....;) )

Ugh. Fake bikes, fake name, fake boobs.

Count 1: OK, many companies buy frames from China and slap a label on them, so these aren't any more fake than others. But Stradalli is not a word in Italian--it appears to be a bastardization of stradali, which is the plural of stradale, meaning road/street, or of the road (strada).

Count 2: Their logotype looks like a ripoff of Ferrari's.

Count 3: Well, I'm done. :butt:

[MattTuck]

Couldn't resist :eek:

http://images.craigslist.org/3t83G53Id5r45F55qbd6sf71a18398c741ea9.jpg

http://images.craigslist.org/3tf3Gc3L75r15Ef5s4d6s6392121f15d41aca.jpg

Not a fan of those in particular, but I actually thought that Dave Z's Captain America rear disc wheel was well done.

[alessandro]

This doesn't quite fall under the category of stamping GIANT LOGOS on every square cm of components, but it's still branding. Stradalli seems to have a knack for shamelessness:

Stradalli Cycle Believes in Redemption as it Offers Lance Armstrong Consultancy Role
Stradalli Cycle condemns any kind of substance abuse or cheating, however the carbon bicycle manufacturer is looking ahead to a time when Tour de France Champion Lance Armstrong can be redeemed.
October 19, 2012 (FPRC) -- Pompano Beach, Florida – In an unprecedented move, Stradalli Cycle, the high performance carbon bicycle manufacturer, has today offered Lance Armstrong the role of testing and design consultant for Stradalli's 2014 product line. Although Stradalli Cycle wholly condemns the use of banned substances and any form of cheating, the company believes that Armstrong’s many years of professional cycling experience would make him an excellent design and testing consultant.

Guess that didn't go so well. If Big Tex ain't available, how about Bottle?
Stradalli Cycle Sees Possibility of Redemption as it Offers Consultancy Role to Levi Leipheimer
Stradalli Cycle categorically condemns all and any kind of substance abuse or cheating, however it also believes in second chances. In an unprecedented move the carbon bicycle maker has offered Levi Leipheimer a job.
May 22, 2013 (FPRC) — Pompano Beach, Florida – In an extraordinary gesture of redemption, Stradalli Cycle, the high performance carbon bicycle manufacturer, has today offered Levi Leipheimer the position of testing and design consultant for Stradalli’s new product line.

Where's Michael Ball when you need him?

[Keith A]

After doing a quick Internet search on Stradalli...I'm not sure exactly what they are selling :eek:

[CunegoFan]

Stradalli Cycle, the high performance carbon bicycle manufacturer


I am not aware of Stradalli manufacturing anything other than photoshoots.

Where's Michael Ball when you need him?

If you can find a pic of Stradalli's owner, you will find that by comparison Ball looks like a class act.

[d14vd_h]

+100!! I like red on some bikes, but not on any of mine. Black and red, red and black, big gigantic logos.....boooooring! And my new to me Serotta has too many logos, same as that earlier post, so now to work on being sure the wheels have something more subtle.

Same, I dont understand the need to include red, surely it can't be as abasic as 'go faster'

Also FSA are criminal for over branding, as well as their brand name. BMC is comical 'Bicycle Manufacturing Company' but 'Full Speed Ahead' not so much...

[Keith A]

Hard to miss these wheels...

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/1010784_10151690242904530_1035061438_n.jpg

[ultraman6970]

+1... well I believe the owner of the company is an Argentinian and they love to believe they are 100% Italians.

At least sounds better than scattante.


Ugh. Fake bikes, fake name, fake boobs.

Count 1: OK, many companies buy frames from China and slap a label on them, so these aren't any more fake than others. But Stradalli is not a word in Italian--it appears to be a bastardization of stradali, which is the plural of stradale, meaning road/street, or of the road (strada).

Count 2: Their logotype looks like a ripoff of Ferrari's.

Count 3: Well, I'm done. :butt:

[Formulasaab]

Count 2: Their logotype looks like a ripoff of Ferrari's.

It does.
Also like another Italian classic... Lambretta.
http://belatednerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/2Hjul-Lambretta-61.jpg

[d14vd_h]

Rotor has grown on me I must admit.

RockLobster was great from the start!.

Anything that includes a .com or web address is bad. Canyon and Dolan are guilty of this.

I wish Cannondale would bring back their headtube badge with the barn...

[Ahneida Ride]

HandleBra has no logo .... This is good !!!! :banana: :banana:

[torquer]

After doing a quick Internet search on Stradalli...I'm not sure exactly what they are selling :eek:
Any chance they offer a test ride program?

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . I better not try this at work. :rolleyes:

BBD

[Gatorfreak]

Citristrip does wonders for removing decals and won't affect anodized aluminum. My bikes are almost free of all branding.

[josephr]

I am not aware of Stradalli manufacturing anything other than photoshoots.



If you can find a pic of Stradalli's owner, you will find that by comparison Ball looks like a class act.

they advertise in Bicycling magazine (comes free with my IMBA membership, so don't crack on me for that). The owners are pictured with their bikes. I can't say I've ever or would ever ride one.
Joe

[bicycletricycle]

http://i975.photobucket.com/albums/ae236/bicycletricycle/04b41782001ea989eb1745434fc95f67_zps124518c9.jpg

These r terrible looking