Make Your Own Bicycle Decals

Bicycle restoration comes with a series of challenges. One of the most difficult is obtaining original decals. In this instructable, I will describe how I created the decals for a 1979 Univega Gran Turismo. There are a variety of online sites that sell decals, but the diversity of bicycles is so great that the ones you need may not be available. And videos on making decals seldom involve those that require clear backgrounds. That was my predicament when finishing up my restoration. I demonstrate how I made decals from clear vinyl sticker paper.

Materials

A-SUB Clear Sticker Paper for Inkjet Printers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089W3S3S5?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Masking or painting tape

Goo Gone adhesive remover

Tools

Inkjet printer

Good scissors

Inkscape software. Free download: https://inkscape.org/

Preferably before you paint or powdercoat the frame, thoroughly document the original decals, or what is left of them, by photographing and measuring. Make a sketch of each decal and write the dimensions on it (in draftsman style, if you can). For example, it required repeated measurements of the rainbow Univega logo to get the dimensions of each part just right. Don't forget to measure for final placement, such as the distance to a frame landmark like a lug or braze-on. It would be best not to paint/powdercoat until the decals are done to your satisfaction.

I started out using PowerPoint to design the decals. I know it's crappy, but I'm an educator and I am most comfortable with it. The problem is that you can export from PowerPoint, but only a raster graphic. You need a vector graphic to make good decals. To summarize crudely, a raster graphic is simply a map of each pixel in the image. A vector graphic is a mathematical representation of the image. Hence, if you resize the raster, it will have jagged edges. A vector will maintain smooth edges almost no matter how you change it. My first attempts at decals were terrible, with very poor resolution. I downloaded the free graphic design software Inkscape, whereupon I had to make all the decals all over again. At least I had the benefit of experience! A full tutorial is beyond the scope of this instructable, but if you have a nodding familiarity with how any graphic software works (e.g. GIMP), you'll learn Inkscape quickly. You will only need some basic skills to make decals.

One critical step in the process is to figure out what font your decal uses. A simple trick is to Google search "what font does Univega use," or whatever brand you need. If that doesn't work, you may be able to identify your font using an online tool, such as whatfontis.com. You drop a photo of your graphic on the page, and it will give you a list of candidate fonts. The UNIVEGA brand name was in the Picadilly font, and required no modification. The "gran turismo" model name was trickier. Most of it could be represented with the Typo Round Light Demo font, but the slanted "s" I had to make with the Alio Pro font. So I had to Frankenstein a word with two different fonts, and each font had to be in different sizes to get them to line up. Afterward, I "grouped" the letters so that I could treat the word as one object. All of this text is in a dark brown color, as it had been on the original bike. Univega bikes with other base colors have different colored decals. Example: my Univega Super Ten is black with red decals.

The logo graphic took the longest to recreate. I started with the UNIVEGA brand name, which I had already made, copied it and shrunk it down to the desired size. Here I will remind us that with Inkscape you design the graphic at its actual size. You don't resize at printing, as is often done with raster graphics. To continue, I took another copy of the UNIVEGA brand name and deleted all except the U. I placed the U under the tiny Univega name and sized and aligned it as near as I could to the original. For the upper portion of the decal, I created a long, vertical rectangle in brown at appropriate length and aligned it on the right above the Univega name. I copied the rectangle and pasted it seven times, changing the copies to red, orange, yellow, green, light blue, medium blue and dark blue. I arranged the copies (carefully) above the left side in accordance with the measurements I had taken earlier. Sorry to bother with all of this agonizing detail, but I want readers to understand the lengths that they may be required to go to achieve the desired result.

I combined some of my designs on the same page to save on decal material. I probably could have gotten them all on one page if I had worked at it. I attached the vector files below in case someone needs the Univega or Gran Turismo graphics.

An inkjet printer is required to print the decals. I have to admit that I had one at home and one at work, but neither one would function. The wife had been talking about getting a new one anyway, so I ordered a modest one, the Epson ET-2800. You don't need a very fancy one to get good decals out of it. For this application, I used the A-Sub vinyl sticker paper listed above, although I don't know that it is superior to any other. Your needs may vary, but my background had to be CLEAR, not white or translucent. See the above early effort with accidentally-ordered translucent paper--very disappointing. It also should be waterproof and glossy (or matte if your bike is matte finish). At about $12, it's very inexpensive, and with 15 sheets, you can afford to print some mistakes, or print some extras if you mess up an application. Let the ink dry for at least a few minutes before you touch it. Cut the decals out with the best scissors you can find. But think really hard before using your wife's fabric scissors. Make rounded edges, not sharp corners. You could get fancy and use a Cri-cut to cut out your decals, but it's not really necessary.

This step is the only one in which I learned something from watching a video. I don't know which video it was. Just consider this part plagiarized. If you strip the backing off your decal and try to place it freehand, it's REALLY HARD to get it in the right place, and you only get one chance. It can be done, and I did it a couple of times, but it has to be an easy one. The better way to do it is to stick a strip of masking or painters tape to the front of your decal along the top. Use the tape to stick the sticker to the bike in the spot where you want it without removing the backing. You can repeatedly remove and reposition it using the tape. When you are sure you have it exactly where you want, flip the decal up and remove the backing. Flip it back down and press the decal from the center outward, going from top to bottom. The goal is to avoid trapping air bubbles under the decal. They are unsightly and difficult/impossible to remove. Once the decal is firmly in place remove the tape, pulling up from the bottom edge first. I used two different types of tape, and they both left a sticky residue on the decal. I used Goo-Gone to take off the sticky stuff, which resulted in the clear vinyl turning opaque. I was furious with myself! Fortunately, I waited a day before making any rash moves. The next day the vinyl had cleared again.

The results were not absolutely perfect. The sticker paper even says it is best used on clear or white surfaces. Still, the background is hardly noticeable, especially at the distances that most people will be viewing. Furthermore, this step, like every part of the restoration, I did myself (except the powdercoating, of course), and that is extremely gratifying. This bike is the reincarnation of the bike I had in my college days.