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A headbadge: The hallmark of any handmade bicycle. The Bike Friday is finally all dressed up with somewhere to go! Designed and executed by Lynette Chiang and Tim Link using Deneba Canvas, cast by Sharp Hand Company, Taiwan. Thanks to Grant Peterson at Rivendell for his advice and contacts. As of March 2004 the RED headbadge is SOLD OUT, and is now an OFFICIAL COLLECTOR's ITEM!
Nameplates (also called head badges' are what manufacturers used to attach to the fronts of their bicycles as a classy signature, not unlike Mercedes hood ornaments. These plates gave the makers a nifty way to differentiate their models from others. This was important because the bikes often looked remarkably similar. (Remember, this was before the era of folding bicycles). But, if your model featured an amazing nameplate, you could win the sale. Imagine how a 10-year-old might be drawn to a bike with a Robin Hood emblem. And, fittingly, the nameplate often survived long after the bike was tossed because it was the main emotional attachment and easy to store. I collect nameplates because each (I have about 700) makes me imagine who might have ridden that bike...
So writes cycling illuminary, authority, headbadge collector and Bicycle renaissance man, Jim Langley on his headbadge webpage.
UPDATE Mar 9, 2005: Mounting tips
For those who are purchasing the badge to apply to their older Bike Friday, Customer Service suggests cleaning the head tube thoroughly, positioning the badge carefully on te tube, pressing the badge to make contact, then whacking it once with a rubber mallet - which will make the badge stick like a limpet. Each badge is curved by hand - which is why there may be some slight discrepancies in the fit. The mallet technique will make sure it fits - LC
UPDATE Aug 27, 2003: Some comments from the Yak! community:
Gotta have one for our Two'sDay! - Brad M
The badge looks great! And the story about how it all evolved, how each piece was of the badge was created, designed and by whom, was interesting and adds even more to the badge. Congratulations to all of you who helped bring this badge to life. - Larry V
I'm holding out for the titanium headbadge. Wouldn't want things to clash with my titanium nameplate. - Jim D You'll be waitin' a while - Ed.
The headbadges are so beautiful! That Bike Friday chose to go get a referral from the maker of the Rivendell badges is a class act. Can't wait until Cycle Oregon where I will be able to get the two of them and attached to both my Bike Fridays. - Franklin F
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. An extra great goodie to get during Cycle Oregon/Homecoming. Bring lots! - Michael R
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WELL, judging from the kind of camaraderie and enthusiasm-bordering-on-fanaticism we've experienced in many Bike Friday circles, emotions about the bike run high - and now there's an emblem to express it!
We asked for design submissions from BF customers as early as 2001, but other large projects like the DoubleDay took over our already stretched resources. So it was shelved for a while...
We received three or four designs, which were lost in an Everest of paper on Hanz' desk (he spends most of his time with a brazing torch in his hand) and an email crash. Appeals to re-send the designs failed, except for one, which may be a future contender.
I'd always had an idea of a suitcase with wings - feeling that a headbadge is not a logo, but can be more quirky, a 'clubby' thing like a secret handshake.
Then Hanz said "I want a headbadge by Feb 2003". So here it is, in August 2003.
We consulted Grant Peterson of the legendary Rivendell Bicycles, whose headbadges are among the most beautiful and desirable bike jewelery you could slap on a headtube.
"Alice Huang (email: sharphand@seed.net.tw) at SharpHand Company, Taiwan, will look after you," he said. Grant even sent us a handful of the fantastic Rivendell headbadges Sharphand turned out, with the proviso we didn't try to stick them on any other bike but a Rivendell. Fair enough.
He also advised us to go for the stick-on (with self-adhesive back) rather than traditional bolt on design. "Too many problems," he said. The stick-on type would also allow owners to retrofit the badge to their Bike Friday without drilling holes.
The design was scribbled by Lynette and executed by salesguy and Mac G4 fanatic Tim Link using Deneba Canvas, a fabulous design package that, at times, makes Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator/Indesign feel like a complex 3-part Swiss Army Knife with a 10" thick instruction book.
Features of the badge:
* Cloisonne technique, where enamel is poured into a raised gold or silver design, in our case gold. This is the classiest style of badge, Ms Huang tells us.
* Two colorways: Red/Gold and Yellow/Gold, both with a navy oval.
* 'Bike Friday' is in the quirky Papyrus typeface, just because, OK?
* Wording is: ~PERFORMANCE THAT PACKS~ and ~BICYCLES THAT FLY~, the latter being a stroke of poetic genius by Alan Scholz
* The simulated 'bolts' are hex-bolts, just like those used on the Bike Friday (requested by Hanz & Alan)
* There is a tiny man riding a tiny Bike Friday around the edge of the oval (requested by Hanz)
* The suitcase is a side-on hardshell with um, wings.
* Badge measures around 2" by 1", with a curvature to fit the Bike Friday headtube on all models (including the DoubleDay). For the Sat R Day, it fits OK here.
* For weight freaks, the weighs 11 grams. You'll just have to carry one less Powerbar.
* There is no specific badge for the SatRDay but here's one way you can mount the existing one.
The badges will be included no charge on each new custom Bike Friday as of September 1, 2003. Unless you request a particular color, Alan Scholz, as part of the sizing process, will personally select either the red or the yellow for your bike based on the powdercoat color you chose. (Generally the red badge for the yellow, power purple and black bikes, and the yellow badge for the green, blue, red and black bikes, but all that could change depending on his mood). Unfortunately we can't have a complementary color for each powdercoat but think of it as Elton John's glitter glasses - standout, right?)
For those who want to bejewel their existing Bike Friday, the price of the badge is $25. Gasp, but remember, this is jewellery, and if you could imagine how much after hours time, effort and cash that actually went into making this happen... Bike Friday Club members get 10% off as with all their putchases from Bike Friday (offer not combineable with other discounts).
We are investigating producing a metal foil version for the economical Stock bikes, but for now, all Bike Fridays, being hand made, get the royal treatment.
For Bike Friday owners who are participating in Cycle Oregon 2003, however, the badge will be available to them for a special price of $10 on the ride. See the Cycle Oregon Update page.
Thanks to all who helped make this happen: Grant@Rivendell, Alice, Tim, Jim Langley, and of course, the Scholz Bros for putting up the cash
Emailable link to this article: http://www.bikefriday.com/headbadge