Bertin bicycle decals for restorations

The obtaining of accurate and complete decal (transfers) sets for any bicycle can be difficult. For bicycles like Bertins produced at the rate of a maximum of 10,000 machines a year, at most, it can be a vexing problem indeed. Periodically, I receive requests to direct other Bertin owners to someone who can provide or make decal sets to complete the final detail of a restoration.

Usually, I direct them to firms I have linked to in the Restoration sidebar like H.Lloyd Cycles, Velocals, Velocolour, Velographic and such like. Sometimes, the request is more specific and difficult. For Bertins from the 50s and 60s there simply has not been any option for decals. The original, script and arrow downtube decals were unavailable and there were no clear, reliable photos to form the basis of reproduction. When I restored my 1960s Bertin C 37, the only useful decals were the 1970s version I eventually had reproduced and used.

Recently, an email request came in from Stuart W. in Britain. He had found a Bertin like his original bike from the late 1950s and he was hoping to get a photo image of the downtube decal which he needed to have reproduced.

Thankfully, I was able to supply him with an appropriate, high resolution photo which had been unavailable to me when I did my restoration several years ago.

Shortly thereafter, I got an email with an inclusion. The decal maker, Cyclomundo, had come through in a big way and had created the appropriate decals for these early Bertin sport and racing bicycles. So, for those of you who had despaired of period correct for your Bertin, rejoice because Stuart’s request has opened up your choices. You now can contact Cyclomundo and ask about these decals:

As you can see, the set is not fully complete. You will also need the A.B. decal for the downtube and the Made in France banner for the top tube but those are currently available. Combine them and you have a perfect, period correct graphic package for your beloved old Bertin be it a road or a track frame. So, no more excuses, get that restoration done and get back on the road!

Intro to Decals & Transfers

There have been many inquiries regarding the topic of decals. Specifically, Bertin owners of older, classic bikes want to know where and how to get period-correct decals to restore their framesets. In most cases, the bicycles they own are anywhere from 15 to 50 years old and usually in poor cosmetic condition. Paint is chipped, decals are missing, tubing decals are rubbed partially away but the bikes themselves remain as viable and desireable as when they were made. The need to mechanically and cosmetically renew the bike becomes obvious but it is the “how” of restoration which is the problem.

Sources for Painting

The owners who will have already made the decision to begin that restoration (see this Richard Sachs source on restoration) often have located persons or companies able to do the sandblasting, repairs and repainting. For example, Argos and Bob Jackson in the U.K., Velocolour in Canada, Joe Bell and Cyclart in the U.S., all do superb restoration work as do many local or regional framebuilders.

Sources for Decals

The difficulty arises in trying to find frame art for less well known companies such as Bertin. Cyclomondo and H. Lloyd are two valuable sources for transfers but even they do not have a universal availability of decals or what they stock may not be period correct. As well as these two, there are others suggested in the Restoration section to the right of the main posts on this page. Some restoration shops will custom make decals from originals on your frameset. That was not the process that was done for the restoration of my personal Bertin – the decals had been stripped away in a previous refinishing. Replacing/locating decals is time consuming and can be expensive. The art work for my frameset took six months for the graphics to be finished. That was after I had located and downloaded the images to be used as the basis of reproduction by the graphic artist involved. Due to the wide range of Bertin graphics and decals, and the widening range of reader interest in other than just the 1960s and 1970s Bertins, I have decided to expand and revise this section. The availability of these on line categories may allow decals to be more readily and speedily produced. The new format will follow that of the Road Bike Galleries. Each decade will have a discrete section and the graphics will be illustrated with the best examples available to me. There will be one or more bicycle photos showing a profile shot of the representative graphics. A head tube badge/decal/graphic will be included as will details such as seat stay caps, if available. Road and track bikes did not differ significantly during the years Cycles Bertin was in production so, where applicable, they will be used interchangably for illustrations.

Bicycle decals (transfers) for classic framesets

I have received several inquiries regarding the topic of decals. Specifically, cyclists interested in old classic bikes want to know where and how to get period-correct decals to restore their framesets. In most cases, the bicycles they own are quite old and in poor cosmetic condition.

Sources for Painting

They will have already made the decision to begin restoration (see this Richard Sachs source on restoration) and often have located persons or companies able to do the sandblasting, repairs and repainting. For example, Argos and Bob Jackson in the U.K., Velocolour in Canada, Joe Bell and Cyclart in the U.S., all do superb restoration work.

Sources for Decals

The difficulty arises in trying to find frame art for less well known companies such as Bertin.Cyclomondo and H. Lloyd are two valuable sources for transfers but even they do not have a universal availability of decals or what they stock may not be period-correct.

As well, some restoration shops will custom make decals from originals on your frameset. That was the process that was done for the restoration of my personal Bertin. However, it is time consuming and can be expensive. The art work for mine, for example, took six months for the graphics to be finished.

Decal Templates — Making Your Own

Moreover, sometimes it is not possible to reproduce the decals because the frameset has already been stripped. I have scanned and photo shopped some graphics from Bertins which I have found online, which may be helpful.

Visitors to this site are welcome to copy these images and use them as the basis for printing their own decals.

 
Decal making materials are available from Bel Decals, who can supply various types of transfers, including blank ink jet printable decal stock.

Note the vertical display of the word “Bertin” above. That is the format which you will need to make up your seat tube decal. The font is “Myriad Web Pro” in bold and the 70 pt. size will give you the correct dimensions for your decal on the frameset.

Printing Issues

Ink jet inks can be problematic because they are prone to fading in sunlight. If you make your own decals, you will need to find archival quality inks for your particular ink jet printer. A detailed discussion of the process of making your own decals can be found in Steve Maas’ article at this Carlton site in the fifth article down the page titled “Frame Artwork.”

Seattube & Headtube Bands

World championship decal bands for the seat tube and some head tubes are available through Cyclomondo (link above). If you have the misfortune to have foil-type decals, I wish you good luck because I know of no way of reproducing that format.

Feedback Welcomed

Hope this article on decals (transfers) for classic framesets is helpful in getting your old Bertin back out on the road. Leave a comment here or e-mail at bertinclassiccycles@yahoo.ca to let me know how you make out. I would be glad to display any of your photos in the gallery section on the header bar.

Note: This information is also on the header bar.