From Italy, With Love
SOMEWHERE OVER THE ATLANTIC – We move today from our Great Pacific Garbage Patch Special Earth Day report to the Atlantic where we just got this Macchina Fotografica di Carico (I think that means Cargo Cam) shot from a very special Alitalia charter flight. The Capo Custom, Michael Brown-designed I. Martin Bicycle Kits are en route from Italy and are set to arrive here in Los Angeles very soon. You can see that they’re the gen-u-wine article from It’ly because it says fra-gee-lay on the crate.
For some reason, an entire Italian Deli has hitched a ride aboard the charter and of course we have to drop them off in the Big Apple before proceeding to LA. 
Welcome to B.L.O.G. for those of you who’ve been following the design process. If you want to keep tabs on this kit’s availability, you can always check back here at B.L.O.G., or follow I. Martin’s blog or, even better, follow @imartinbicycles on Twitter.
The kit design was heavily influenced by the Belgian National Champion’s jersey, especially the beautiful Quick Step kit as worn by Stijn Devolder last year. I liked the way the kit stood out among all of the other kits in the peloton. For the I. Martin kit, I started with the chainring logo as a medallion, added a couple of lions (again an homage to the Flemish – the lions have nothing whatsoever to do with LA), created a new Helen’s Cycles retro logo, put a Euro filter on the store’s name, and added my own FX icon to it (no words or URL, it just works almost as a beer bottle cap). Hope you like it.
Hey Michael!
Just came across your B.L.O.G. via imartins twitter. Can’t wait to see the kits in person! Consider yourself “followed”
mikeyp
Hey hey mikeyp!
Glad to have you on board! I haven’t told many about the B.L.O.G. yet. I guess I’m doing a soft launch. Oooh. That sounds too pleasant. Tell whomever you wish. I have to go – it’s almost time to push the Italian Deli out the cargo door! (The kits really are on their way)
The custom uniform kits (how does one assemble the kits?) may be on the way but that plane looks kind-of slow. With Fiat now running some major American automobile firms you’d think the Italians could find a faster and more modern plane to get over here. Perhaps your Dad has some Fiat bumper stickers to give you. That would be cool because Ansel Adams owned and drove a 1972 Fiat 128. He had the trunk retrofitted to house his large format cameras.
I hope the plane arrives and does not end up in the Atlantic seafill which is smaller than the one you discuss earlier, but still it’s a lot of garbage.
And your seafill post refutes your stance that garbage is boring.
Mr. D.,
The Capo Custom kits (as in ‘clothing used in a sport’ as opposed to ‘a set of all the parts needed to assemble something’) have been lovingly assembled by a team of talented Italian kit-makers.
Rest assured, the plane is fast enough. The small inset shot was taken somewhere over Paris by the pilot of a Mirage F1 Interceptor aircraft. Our pilot had just dropped off French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy (notice the open door), who had been in Italy visiting relatives, and had inadvertently caused jets to scramble by his alarmingly low sweep of the capital.
It’s curious you should mention Fiat and American automobile firms. I have a post for New Content Monday (tomorrow) that you may find interesting.
As always, thank you for your comments.
[...] those of you following along at home, you’ll remember the “From Italy, With Love” teaser post I did in April. The beautifully-made Capo Custom kits really are coming over from [...]