Decal ideas, and Choices...

As I wait for my files and my woodblocks to arrive in the mail, and as my body slowly re-adjusts to life post-class, I have been working on some ideas for decals.

The downtube logo is "inspired by" one of the Reyhand logos — it wraps around over the top of the downtube. The name "A. Hammond" is also French-ish, like C. Daudon. But it's also like W. B. Hurlow a bit. Well, I think it looks pretty nice, but I'm wondering about the size of the lines and how close together everything should be. I think I want to place it lower on the downtube than is usual — I don't have a water bottle boss there, so I can go low.

The headtube logo has gotten a lukewarm reception from my friends. It's based on a cool shape from Wyndham Lewis's 1914 magazine Blast. I think it's supposed to be either an inverted spinning top or else a bell. Well, the idea for my logo is that the top part of it is the A. Originally, for 3D effect, I had "Hammond" written upside down, but it looked pretty awful.

Finally, colour-wise I'm back to thinking a red-magenta-fuscia colour with gold decals and single box lining. Basically, I want it to look a lot like this Rene Herse.

The other thing I've been driving myself crazy about is the issue of which tires and cranks to use, given my bottom bracket drop issue. All would be well if I used 700x32 or 30 tires — the Grand Bois Cyprès, for example. Tires of that size would raise everything off the ground enough to permit me to use the cranks I really want to use, some very cool 170mm-long Stronglight 93s that came with a Raleigh I bought for my sister and converted for her into a city bike. Unfortunately, tires that big won't fit. My Tektro 521ag brakes aren't well shaped for wrapping around wide fenders, 30s would require wider fenders than my 32mm-wide Honjos, and the tab of the Velo Orange rack is quite fat, and severaly limits clearance at the fork crown. Also, the geometry of the bike was designed around 26s. So I've got to use either Grand Bois Cerf 26es or else Pasela 28s, which measure 26mm wide on my rims.

I do have some nice 167.5 Dura Ace track cranks that I got very cheaply on eBay, presumably because they have a scratch on the non-drive side arm. I like them, they're pretty, and they're short — and they would match the Dura Ace aero levers I'd like to use — but I'm not sure they'll match the bike. Polished, non-anodized aluminum would look best, I think.

Well. I do plan on using those GB randonneur bars, which also came with my sister's Raleigh. The Mavic lever on the left will end up on my Alan cyclocross bike. I like the Dura Ace levers, but they'll look odd unless I use the Dura Ace cranks. Which I suppose I will have to.

I would appreciate comments on all this!