Bontrager brand book
In response to a lack of existing brand guidelines or documents, a sprawling and unfocused product line, and the continually asked question "What is Bontrager?" I self-initiated a project to create a foundational brand book.
The result was a two part set, researching and cataloging the rich brand history in the first, and articulating brand tenets like mission, promise, and tone of voice in the second. (All quotes are Keith Bontrager.)
research
One of the first things we did was take a trip to Santa Cruz, CA, to see some of the original places important to Bontrager history, to talk to the man himself, Keith Bontrager, and to capture some photography for the book.
BONTRAGER STARTED IN A GARAGE. KEITH WAS KIND ENOUGH TO SHOW US HIS CURRENT GARAGE.
“We made bikes for people who broke other bikes.”
IN THE BEGINNING THERE WERE FRAMES
Unsatisfied with US-made options, and too cheap to buy an Italian-made frame, Keith built his first frame (a road bike) in 1979.
In 1980, Keith improved on the primitive frames locals were cobbling together to bomb down California fire roads, building his first off-road bike. Soon, he was building and selling custom frames out of his in-law's garage, putting his own last name on them in the custom of European framebuilders.
I created this brand mark, "Since 1980," not because we were especially proud of being around 33 years, but because it marked the fact that Keith was there—in that seminal moment in place and time— where mountain biking was born, helping to create the sport and its equipment.
we procured an early bontrager race lite frame (made in santa cruz) from the trek archives.
WE BORROWED THIS FROM A COMPOSITES ENGINEER AT APPLE. STAR OF INTERBIKE ‘87, THIS COLLABORATION BETWEEN KEITH AND PAUL TURNER TELEGRAPHED THE FUTURE OF MOUNTAIN BIKES. TURNER FOUNDED ROCK SHOX A YEAR LATER.
keith as engineer
Keith uniquely combined a frugality, a no-nonsense engineering approach, and an innovative creativity. In 1984 he "rescued" a couple road bike rims from a dumpster at Specialized, cut them down with a hacksaw, and re-rolled them to 26" rims. They were the very first lightweight MTB rims.
“I just looked at it, and went out with a hacksaw.”
road bike rims cut down and re-rolled to 26”.
BONTRAGER OUTGREW THE GARAGE, AND MOVED INTO THE FORMER SEABRIGHT CANNERY IN SANTA CRUZ.
brand identity history.
FRAMES TO COMPONENTS
Shortly before the sale to Trek Bicycle, Bontrager began producing components, around 1993. The sale to Trek allowed Keith to be freed from the challenges of the business side of Bontrager, while still be involved in design and engineering. It also allowed a lot more investment in design, engineering, and manufacture, much of which happened right in Waterloo, WI.
wind tunnel evaluation is a critical design tool for high performance carbon wheels.
rim durability testing in waterloo.
aeolus wheels have been manufactured in waterloo, wi, at trek headquarters.
“There is no room for optimism in engineering.”
TO APPAREL, FOOTWEAR AND MORE
Bontrager as a Trek brand also began developing comprehensive lines of apparel and footwear. Like the components, everything is developed to help make a cyclist's next ride better than their last.
BONTRAGER APPAREL DEVELOPMENT IN WATERLOO, WI.
FORMER BONTRAGER YOUTH PRO RIDER LAWSON CRADDOCK (CURRENTLY OF EF PRO CYCLING) KITTED OUT IN BONTRAGER APPAREL.