Monday, October 13, 2014

Two Wheel Trip Posters - From Velo-Retro

Earlier this month, I wrote about the now-defunct magazine Two Wheel Trip -- notable for having published just two issues in the early 70s before going bust. The cover art on those two issues was really cool, fitting in with the bold colors and graphic style of that era. The plan of the magazine's publishers was to run original bicycle-themed artwork on each issue's cover, and then to release those covers as full-size posters. I had suggested in my article that perhaps someone should reissue those posters.



Enter Chuck Schmidt, of Velo-Retro. Chuck offers reissues or re-creations of all manner of vintage bicycle advertising, logos, and catalogs -- available as posters, t-shirts, musette bags, and more. After reading about TWT here in The Retrogrouch, Chuck contacted me saying he'd be able (and willing) to make it happen. Starting with super high-res scans of my two magazine covers, Chuck cleaned up a few blemishes and flaws in the 40-year-old magazines and turned them into eye-catching, high-quality Giclée prints on high-quality heavyweight paper stock -- suitable for framing.

Two very cool posters, brought to you by Velo-Retro and
the Retrogrouch!
One thing I worried about was how the resolution of the artwork would hold up after being enlarged so much. We were able to get great resolution in our scans so pixelization wasn't an issue, but the artwork on the covers was printed with a "halftone" method -- that is, the different colors were made up of many tiny dots. Enlarging the artwork would also enlarge the dots. I was afraid that when enlarged, they might end up looking like Roy Lichtenstein  pop-art prints. I needn't have worried. The posters look fantastic and the colors are great. Chuck did a really nice job on them.

The posters are available in two sizes: a smaller size, approx. 13 x 19 for $14.95, and a much larger 24 x 36 for $44.95.

The two magazine covers from Two Wheel Trip are bold expressions of the bike-boom era, and would be nice additions to any cyclist's poster/art collection. If interested in ordering one of the posters, check out the Velo-Retro site (www.velo-retro.com) -- if the posters aren't shown yet on the site, contact Chuck through the "Contact Us" link, as they are available even if the webpage hasn't been updated yet to reflect that.
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9 comments:

  1. Justine ValinottiOctober 13, 2014 at 3:07 PM

    See that, Retrogrouch: People are listening to you!

    Seriously, I might go for those posters. I say "might" only because I haven't much (actually, I have no) space left to hang things in my apartment or office. Then again, it might be time to reset my priorities. ;-)

    Seeing those posters almost makes me want to get a saddlebag or some other piece of cycle luggage--or a backpack--with Peter Max-style graphics. I actually had such a bookbag when I was in 7th or 8th grade, or thereabouts. (All right, I'm being vague because I'm trying not to give away my age!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BrooksOctober 13, 2014 at 4:06 PM

      I remember some of that Peter Max work. If I remember right, I think we had some beach towels with his designs on them. Probably some other items, too. I still love that stuff today.

      Delete
  2. N/AOctober 13, 2014 at 3:45 PM

    Oh man, this is great. The "premier issue" cover really caught my eye on your original article. What a cool thing to happen, thanks to your blog!
    I think I may have to make this a Christmas present to myself...


    Wolf

    ReplyDelete
  3. Skip MontanaroOctober 15, 2014 at 9:34 AM

    Great artwork. Excellent job Kyle and Chuck!

    This may be as good a time as any to ask if your "531 Retrogrouch" Reynolds knock-off tubing sticker has been turned into a t-shirt?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BrooksOctober 15, 2014 at 9:40 AM

      Hmmm . . . no t-shirts yet. Might have to think about that, though. I wonder if Reynolds would make an issue of me selling t-shirts with an obvious knock-off of their logo. They are touchy about that, from what I understand. They haven't come after me yet, but that could just be because a) they don't even know this blog exists, and b) there is certainly no money coming in from it.

      Delete
  4. Curtis OdomNovember 25, 2014 at 9:30 AM

    They do some nice work. My own products started as a CAD based art project, then I just made it real.

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownAugust 21, 2015 at 12:19 PM

    Any interest in an original large print of the Two Wheel Trip Bicycle only poster? I am the original owner, and I had the poster framed several years ago. I am interested in its potential value.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BrooksAugust 21, 2015 at 12:38 PM

      No idea what that's worth. I'd suppose eBay is a good way to go, as the price will go as high as people are willing to pay.

      Delete
    2. BrooksAugust 21, 2015 at 12:40 PM

      No idea what that's worth. I'd suppose eBay is a good way to go, as the price will go as high as people are willing to pay.

      Delete

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