Lucky Charms...

[shinomaster]

How is it that it came to be, that ever Italian frame builder and his brother, chose to use the card suits to adorn their logos and lugs? Was it a collective descision? Is it a Mafia enforced rule? Colnago has the club, De Rosa the heart, Ciocc and Quatro Assi have them all. Even our e-Richie lays down the fun shapes on his forks....
Why are certain shaped not done? Fine shapes like half moons, clovers, red balloons, or stars. Sacha White sometimes does a unicorn! How cool is that? Come on guys, there are lots of shapes out there!

[Sandy]

Once upon a time, many years ago, a large builder of bikes decided to use little pictures of me to adorn their steel forks. Unfortunately for this builder, it never sold another one of its large supply of bikes, and it went bankrupt. Needless to say, other builders of the time were afraid of using different logos. The same situation applies today.

Recently I called e-RICHIE to see if he wanted to try my little pictures as logos on his bikes. He laughed, hung up the phone, and changed his phone number. I have been an emotional cripple ever since. :)


Sad Sandy

[shinomaster]

Sandy that worked for Eddy Merckx.

[Bill Bove]

We used to put pictures of Nestor Garney on our headtubes back in the day. anybody from the Savannah area remember Nestor? We'ed take a small picture of him and alter it (before photoshop was around) to look goofy. I had ElvisNestor for a while. SantaNestor, FidelNestor...

[shinomaster]

I glued Mario Cipollini's bespectacled countenance to my head tube back in the day.

[shinomaster]

Really ...no one knows why frame builders use the card suits?

[stevep]

its the law in italy. ask the jerk.

[shinomaster]

Senor Jerk?

[jerk]

there's only one law in italy... "street law" the greatest film of all time; starring franco nero.

[Keith A]

I had my bowl tonight, did you?

http://chronicle.augusta.com/images/headlines/060601/Lucky_Charms.jpg

[lnomalley]

how many shapes can you make out of a drill bit and a file that don't come from playing cards? all i come up with is heart, club, spade, diamond and silloutte of abe vigoda.

[cookieguy]

Mickey..... :D

[William]

The thing is, everyone can relate to card suits. Who hasn't played War, or Go Fish, Concentration, or strip poker? They have a familiar childhood innocence or teenage angst attached to them. Fruit shapes, no, that just didn't quite go over with the overly masculine Euro pro crowd. Vegetables?? Eggplant, cucumber, zucchini?? all pretty much look the same....kind of blobby. There was the short stint with "Tino" the Italian teen singing Idol lugs, but the denim short shorts cut outs were hard and only big with the Gay Vague crowd.....Not that there's anything wrong with that. ;)
Remember the Bridget Bardeaux cut out lugs of her in various sexy poses (I didn't think so)? Unfortunately she hasn't aged gracefully, and add to that the feminist movement and you only have a small section of aging males still stuck in the late 60's and early 70's still wanting these. Besides, trying to coordinated cut out colors with one piece, powder blue polyester bodysuits is just an annoying pain in the a$$. :crap:

Naw, the card suits just make everyone feel all homey and warm and squirty in the stomach. It just won't ever change.



William :rolleyes:

[cpg]

I'm quite sure there wasn't a big sit down and decide. I'm pretty sure it started in the late 60's but maybe earlier. Other builders saw it, dug it and copied it. It just became a trend. Later parts started being made with the shapes pressed or cast into the parts. Like the fork "stiffeners" on the inside of E-richie's crowns. That's a stock stamping from way back. He bought long on those. To answer your question, somebody had to be the first but I doubt anyone knows who.

Curt

[cpg]

Shino,

Lots of other shapes have been done. You've just got to cast a wider net to see pictures and examples. Glenn Erickson is Seattle does some lug carving that will knock your socks off if you're into such stuff.

Curt

[e-RICHIE]

why? because -
http://www.velonews.com/tech/report/articles/5871.1.html
http://www.velonews.com/tech/report/articles/5871.2.html

[catulle]

I don't know why they use the deck of cards. I always hang one or two of these under the Fi'zik, though. You should do it too. It is important to be safe, imho.

[Ozz]

...Glenn Erickson is Seattle does some lug carving that will knock your socks off if you're into such stuff..
Calvin & Hobbes?
http://www.sandsmachine.com/a_eri_r2.htm

[Kevan]

it's a flower:

http://www.insidetri.com/train/bike/articles/2147.1.html

http://www.cs.nyu.edu/courses/fall05/V22.0005-001/newcards/images/Ace%20of%20Clubs.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/25/62697988_3eb5ce204f_m.jpg

[nobrakes]

I thought I read a very long time ago an interview with Ugo DeRosa, and vaguely remember his explanation of using a heart as his symbol, while Ernesto Colnago used a club. It was that during their off-time in the back of the shop, they would play card games to pass the time. Ugo's lucky suit was hearts, Colnago's was the club. Quattro Aso uses all four to cover all the bases, (4 aces). Italian frame builders are funny that way. Didn't Irio Tommassini use a diamond? Japan had 3Rensho. (SanRensho). Don't know what a Rensho is, but I'd guess it has some kind of lucky connotation.

[e-RICHIE]

it's a flower:

http://www.insidetri.com/train/bike/articles/2147.1.html



it is a flower - that's never been debated by the cogniscenti.
funny, though. i always thought that anecdote was related
to dancelli's win at the tour of lombardi, yet the zinn quote
mentions milan san remo.
doh.

[e-RICHIE]

I thought I read a very long time ago an interview with Ugo DeRosa, and vaguely remember his explanation of using a heart as his symbol, while Ernesto Colnago used a club. It was that during their off-time in the back of the shop, they would play card games to pass the time. Ugo's lucky suit was hearts, Colnago's was the club. Quattro Aso uses all four to cover all the bases, (4 aces). Italian frame builders are funny that way. Didn't Irio Tommassini use a diamond? Japan had 3Rensho. (SanRensho). Don't know what a Rensho is, but I'd guess it has some kind of lucky connotation.

this is how rumors start! quattro assi is a made up name
from bill lewis. ciocc, otoh, is an italian dialect for 'poker
face', which is why that company used all symbols.

[nobrakes]

...It's been around for years. Is this bad?

[e-RICHIE]

...It's been around for years. Is this bad?
no. it's not bad.

...I thought I read a very long time ago an interview with Ugo DeRosa...
where did you read it?

[Kevan]

Sandy's a real card.

Sign me,

The Joker

[MartyE]

is thought to have started it all in 1949 with this poster/advertizing
http://www.vintagevelos.com/images/Pokerissimo_poster.jpg
image from vintagvelos dot com

"Pokerissmo: no matter how you deal the cards, Bianchi and Coppi are
victorious."

Marty (imho atmo)

[shinomaster]

Thank's everyone for the great info! :banana: :banana:

[e-RICHIE]

Thank's everyone for the great info! :banana: :banana:


hey - it's okay!

[Grant McLean]

http://www.pearlizumi.com/product.php?mode=view&product_id=415&type_id=2&sport_id=2&category_id=1&color_code=813

get one for yer gal pal.

-g

[Grant McLean]

it is a flower - that's never been debated by the cogniscenti.
funny, though. i always thought that anecdote was related
to dancelli's win at the tour of lombardi, yet the zinn quote
mentions milan san remo.
doh.

Colnago site says SanRemo... but I think there are other errors there.

http://www.colnagonews.com/prova2/storia/1970.htm

-g

[e-RICHIE]

Colnago site says SanRemo... but I think there are other errors there.

http://www.colnagonews.com/prova2/storia/1970.htm

-g

he shoulda stuck with the rooster that was on the headbadge.
remind me again - what race was that chosen to celebrate?

[manet]

http://www.kenbondy.com/images/SEAsia/VietnamSaigonChickenMan.jpg

[e-RICHIE]

talk about flippin' someone the bird atmo

[Grant McLean]

he shoulda stuck with the rooster that was on the headbadge.
remind me again - what race was that chosen to celebrate?

quote from colnagonews.com
"1970: After Dancelli's victory at Sanremo, Colnago creates the famous Asso di Fiori (Ace of Clubs) logo, now known the world over."

I'm not sure if it's a translation thing,
but how does the "Flower" explaination
fit into the "ace of clubs" logo?

g

[e-RICHIE]

quote from colnagonews.com
"1970: After Dancelli's victory at Sanremo, Colnago creates the famous Asso di Fiori (Ace of Clubs) logo, now known the world over."

I'm not sure if it's a translation thing,
but how does the "Flower" explaination
fit into the "ace of clubs" logo?

g


it doesn't fit. it's some idiot's translation
that flew under the radar love atmo. we
debated this shet to death on cr. it's a
freakin' flower. infinity.

[zeroking17]

I'm not sure if it's a translation thing,
but how does the "Flower" explaination
fit into the "ace of clubs" logo?
g

It's a three-leaf clover (italicized).

[e-RICHIE]

agreed, '86 celtics rule btw.