“Well it’s a war, isn’t it? You’ve got Glider planes… and they’re fighting the Wingtip planes… and they’re the logos… I dunno! It’s a quick bike though.”

Jules explains the Wingtip (kind of) to Tour of Britain race doctor, David Hulse.

On the wall behind Jules’ head there’s a giant chalk-drawn cross section of Mont Ventoux, a bright yellow traffic sign stolen from the Tour, and a £12,000 Serotta. He tells us he’s got an idea for a time trial bike called Wingtip, like the black and white shoes… the pointy ones. It’s a good brief: short and entirely random. We nod and say we’ll design a bunch of stuff for it.

A few weeks later, sitting in the baking office upstairs, there’s the dull thudding of someone being fitted on a jig below. It is stupidly hot up here. We’ve got a load of crazy-looking drawings spread out on the floor. We’re smiling. No-one else has said anything yet. Forget EPO. Based on the evidence it looks like we’re on a lot more than that. Most bikes are designed on fear: Fuck the rider. Fuck aesthetics. Just make that logo big so people remember who we are. Oh, and once you’ve done that, stick it on at least four more times.

The Wingtip is based on one thing: what would we be happy to die riding?

The bike’s a parody of standard industry design: two logos going to war. It’s everything the mainstream isn’t: asymmetrical, illegible and totally out-there. “You decided not to do it like the shoes then?” Jules asks us, completely deadpan. “Uh-huh,” we say, “this was funnier.” Phil walks in, bends down to look at the drawings, and asks what he’s looking at. We tell him it’s a logo war. He looks up smiling. “I love it.”

He goes back downstairs to get a couple more people to come up and see the designs. We chat about bike aesthetics, and are in general agreement: most bike design sucks. Our exception was the RVCA x Cinelli collaboration. Jules likes classic Colnago. Everyone wants the Wingtip built in Italy. Oh yeah. Let’s make some art.

Tony Corke finds religion.

Warrick Spence contemplates using fluorescent green bar tape for the Wingtip’s race debut. 2 days later he loses half his chin to tarmac… the frame remains intact. Justice is served.