When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

The Unintentional Consequence of Integrity

  • Thread starter Deleted member 72895
  • Start date
-
Status
Not open for further replies.
My reply:

So here is my "more to follow"!

None of you can show me empathy! If you were dumb enough to try to show me sympathy... I'd probably laugh in your face!

So a couple of years ago I endeavored to make PERFECT original Cook Bros. Racing decals (not stickers), For the naive that would think it would be a reasonably simple endeavor, but not so! The original CBR Cruiser decals were done by a graphic artist LONG before digital technology and the remaining original decals were all cracked and useless to replicate "squat" from! Scanning from a round tube proved useless (honestly we tried)... So it took an "old school" graphic artist with a magnifying lamp over 20 hours to NAIL IT!!! But he did! I then went to the worlds best decal makers (they do the decals for ALL the worlds "top shelf" bikes), and had them make enough decals to replace all the original CBR Cruisers that were made!!!
*********
Forgive me because I am going to "track jump" for a moment...

So in 2002, I got a "wild hair" To ( It was all a was a MISERABLE financial mistake,I HONESTLY should have know better! ) make the 25TH Anniversary Cook Bros. Cruisers. BUT BOY HOWDY!!!! They were sure GORGEOUS!!! Most of them had 14 speed ROHLOFFS! The majority of them were for 28" wheels, though I did make a hand full of them for smaller people with 26" wheels.

And for those bikes, I had my graphic artist (A serious BIG DOG!!!) design a similar CBR Cruiser decal but in no way mistaken for the original! And I had a jewelry artist friend make the 25th anniversary sterling silver head badge!

The sterling silver head "25" badge"!
View attachment 1302083

Here is the 25A decal:
View attachment 1302095

I had a lot of fun giving them unique features like the front tank hanger brackets ( above) and the "iguana head" rear dropouts that featured a lower cutout that could be fitted with a NC machined derailleur hanger and a built in bottle opener. ( below)

View attachment 1302320

And "inside" disc caliper mounts with all the "braze-on's" so the bike could be configured in a hundred different ways.

View attachment 1302321

Building them was a real gas! But a real PITA due to all the details.

View attachment 1302325

I put A LOT of detail and money into making these 25 Anniversary Cook Bros. Cruisers! But more importantly, I made sure that there would be NO WAY TO MISTAKE THEM FOR THE ORIGINAL Cook Bros. Racing Cruisers!!! Even though I had all the original tooling and fixtures to make perfect reproductions (I actually still have the tooling).

Why...
INTEGRITY! Because I couldn't bear the idea of some unscrupulous A-HOLE selling a new CBR cruiser to a naive collector to as an old one!
*********
So now back to the "re-issued" original Cook Bros. Cruiser decals:

About 2 years ago, I get the decals made and was working with some long time CBR collectors to try to figure out how I could develop a "vetting" process to make 100% sure that I can sell the decals to ONLY the CBR Cruiser owners and NO-ONE else! Thus again, guaranteeing the integrity and authenticity of the brand! Then, right when I am about to pull the trigger...
One of the most staunch "big time" CBR collectors contacts me and fills me in on Johnny making "knock-off" (counterfeit, forgery) CBR Cruisers!

View attachment 1302401

And now sadly, due to Johnnies DOUCHE BAG Shenanigans I have no 100% sure way to vet potential Cook Bros. Cruiser owners! So, I'm not releasing them and they will live the rest of their lives in my "lock-up"!
Why...
INTEGRITY! Because I couldn't bear the idea of some unscrupulous A-HOLE selling a counterfeit CBR cruiser to a naive collector to as an original one!
Yeah, I'm out a couple of thousand bucks. In the big scope of things... CHUMP CHANGE!! The real loss that is hard for me to take is letting down the TRUE Cook Bros. Cruiser owners! Sorry Guys!

And that is why this thread is titled: The Unintentional Consequence of Integrity

Kind Regards

Jack Witmer
Solution: Quantum dot security inks. https://ubiqd.com/security/
 
"A Simple Question" thread is now locked down! BUT if you trolls still need to thug on me? Bring it the "F" on! This is not my first "polka"! I honestly wonder how many of you "keyboard badarses" have been ever had a design or a product you owned ripped off from you! Probably none... AND YES, Damn RIGHT IT PISSES ME OFF!!!
But gosh, honestly my bad! I thought that this site was for TRUE collectors of authentic classic bicycles that wouldn't put up with this kind of CR*P! Please forgive me because I was SERIOUSLY mistaken!

Oh, and the joke on Johnny is that him "ripping me off" has sent the value of original CBR stuff through the stratosphere! You CBR collectors KNOW I have always been here for you AND WILL NEVER BACK DOWN!!!

IMG_2306.JPG
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top