the road less traveled

Cycling is an expression of precision and passion. The delicate balance of body and machine creates a rolling perspective on the world. To celebrate the launch of its extremely lightweight frameset, New Zealand based CHAPTER2 Bikes collaborated with General Surfaces to create a minimal linear graphic inspired by local climbs. Founded by Michael Pryde, CHAPTER2 is a boutique frame builder focusing on innovation in materials and business models to bring high performance products directly to the obsessed rider. 

Inspiration

Prototype

Inspired by a variety of thin line filigree graphics, the design team created and tested multiple ideas for unique visual expressions on the initial prototype frames.

Inspired by New Zealand Geography and culture

CHAPTER2 frames are works of art – so it was only natural to draw inspiration from the Mt. Ruapehu crater road climb in the brand’s native New Zealand. The fine lines and contours of this rough geography are transformed into a simple abstract graphic on the top tube of the frame as an inspiration centered in the rider’s POV.

Graphic Layout

Scaling the graphic concept for a variety of frame sizes and specific geometries was the final step in delivering a high quality product to the rider. By minimizing the number of colours and size of graphics, we were able to keep this lightweight frameset to a remarkable 5,38 kg.