Bike & Design // Gage + Desoto
For Bike Month, we’re bringing you a series of conversations at the intersection of cycling, art and design. We spoke with Mike Spriggs and Brett Cleaver of Gage + Desoto, who specialize in marketing, branding and design services for cycling companies. Catch Mike out ahead of the chase group while fashion blogging for Rapha's Survey.
This Friday night, check out G + D's new location, shared with Trimble Racing, at Trimble's Red Hook Criterium Photography Exhibition Benefit! 70 Van Dyke, Red Hook Brooklyn, 7-10pm.
3rd Ward: What is Gage + Desoto?
Mike Spriggs: G+D started as a design outlet for me. And where else to start but with t-shirts? I've always had a love of typography and logos, and I was able to bring a little of that to my friends in the cycling community.
Brett Cleaver:
Mike and I met at a bike shop, hit it off and have paired up on cycling related projects since. By pooling our resources we've turned his T-Shirt company into a unique marketing, branding and media experience.
3W: Why bike? Do you think cycling has changed you physically, psychologically, or philosophically?
MS:
I grew up in the suburbs of Boston, and biking was just something we did, we didn't even think about it. My friends and I would map out routes all over the city. Cycling connects you to a place unlike any other mode of transportation. You can certainly get that same benefit from walking, but in a city this size it would take you forever.
BC:
It’s certainly changed me in many ways, the most obvious being mentally and physically due to the hours and miles I log each year from training and racing. Also, the cross country honeymoon journey my wife and I undertook last summer saw us both overcome numerous tests of will on a bike. It's been a true progression that is more for me than anyone else.
3W:Tell me about cycling and design. Does design bear a new relationship to cycling right now? Has there always been a strong nexus? Why?
MS:
Cycling and design have always been intertwined. From an industrial design perspective, cycling is constantly evolving. Newer, faster, lighter, more efficient - that has been the dictum since the invention of the safety bike. And that draws in a certain type of individual - the tinkerer, the inventor. As bikes become more lifestyle-centric, it makes sense that there's a new wave of products to fit a new user group. Whether it's the perfect mini-pump or the brightest flashing light or the sleekest helmet, people will always want to update the look (and hopefully the functionality).
In relation to graphic design, I have always been drawn to its strong presence in pro racing, (particularly in Europe). Whether it's trading cards, downtube logos, team kits, or posters, graphic design is everywhere in professional cycling. Pro teams are rolling billboards for various brands that come and go. Bicycles themselves are often made to be replicas of what the pros use, right down to the lettering and decal placement. Vintage european bicycles are currently eclipsing fixed gear bikes as the must-have accessory, and what people are responding to are the colors, the designs and the evocation of an era.
BC: I've always been a fan of bold designs and colorways. I pride myself on unique and outspoken accessories - having that one item that everyone comments on. The pro peloton really takes hold of that premise - being able to spot your teammate or your logo on television or having that slight bit of graphic edge over a competitor. Granted some of the designs are gaudy, but they all serve a purpose and some of the worst designs are looked back at in reverence. So, there has always been a strong bond between design and cycling. It's certainly why a Mapei jersey will always bring a smile to my face.
3W: What's exciting to you at the intersection marketing or design and cycling?
BC: All of it. If there is a rule book or limitations we're not bound by them.
MS:
I am truly excited about the idea that someone will actually make a practical, durable, and affordable city bike that anyone can use, every day. In the daily ride category we currently have: crappy bikes from China that literally fall apart in weeks; "hybrid" bikes, which is a mountain bike crossed with a road bike, and is therefore practical as neither; we have fixed gear bikes which exclude anyone new to cycling who just wants to get around town; and we have bespoke handmade bikes that no one in their right mind would lock up on the street, ever. Missing from that is a proper townie bike. Upright and stable, relatively light, with a coaster brake, rack and basket. Nice, but not so nice that you can't lock it up to a pole while you go to the movies. Very low maintenance. We are starting to see brands like Linus, Civia, and Public fill this void a bit (the magic will be when the price v. durability issue is balanced), and I hope that niche keeps growing.
3W:What are some of the unique aspects of your business?
BC:
G+D offers companies a fresh approach, often on a grassroots level paralleling a punk rock band or streetwear brand. If bike brand x needs to meet record label y, we bring them together. If we think an event would be cool at a coffee shop, we make it happen. We take what some may think are absurd ideas and run with them, because no one else is going to. At the end of the day, we want people to say "Gage + Desoto did what? Oh snap, that's a great idea, actually!!"
MS:While the bike industry is small, it's still pretty far flung geographically, and a lot of deals are made over a handshake with a trusted partner.
3W:What's a cycling story you like to tell?
BC:
The most memorable isn't very positive, but somewhat humorous. It involved a series of punctures on a 18km climb in a stage race, Vuelta Nicaragua. I double flatted without realizing it at the time and stopped with the team car to fix the front wheel. Of course, only one guy on the team brought a spare set of wheels and they were his time trial wheels. So, the spares were a deep dish carbon front wheel and disc rear wheel. Guess which gringo went up part of the mountain with a disc wheel before getting his original wheelset back? Yup, I then proceeded to close a 10-minute gap that had come out of my three stops with the team car. The week didn't get much better, unfortunately.
3W: Who are a couple of your favorite people in cycling and why?
BC:
Those willing to take a risk and pursue something because they think it's rad.
MS: My favorite people in cycling are actually the folks who get on crappy bikes and ride to wherever they are going, every single day. They do it without pretension, not expecting any recognition, not as part of any group or fad. They have been riding the same bike forever, they have no need for bike lanes, or advocacy, or fancy accessories. They just ride. And they are everywhere in NYC.
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