The Thin Man 

I've got this stately Motobecane branded cankset I'm planning on using but the stickers have lost some pizazz over the years. Are they legible? Sure. Could they be better? Absolutely. Especially the drive side.
I'd love to find some replica (or NOS) stickers to give the crank some punch but have accepted that replacements likely do not exist. But... stranger things have happened.
Does anybody know if there are replicas somewhere out there in this big, wide world?

Vintage_Cyclist

Lattz

Possibly not, but since it is on a flat surface, it is easy to scan, unlike the frame decals, and it is also a rather simple one. Since you have it, once scanned you can trace it in a vector graphics program like Inkscape (free) or Adobe Illustrator ($$) and size it. Then off to the closest print shop or online service and you have it. Alternatively provide the scanned images and dimensions to the print shop and let them trace it. Beside this, yours are not that bad so the Sharpie suggested above may be the best option.

Vintage_Cyclist

The best option is to leave it be. Patina!

The Thin Man 

Good suggestion, Lattz. I have Illustrator connections and print shops in my area so if a replacement sticker can't be found (not looking good!) then reproduction could be a good option.
As my son, who is way into Minecraft would say, "this is pro, not noob", so I appreciate your suggestion.

RustyJames 

The kids have their own language. My little cherub has said things like “kinda sus bruh” or “what a bot”. Every now and then I actually understand what he is saying.

The Thin Man 

Ha! "Sus" is a new one for me, too! I won't be using it in a sentence but I kinda like that one...

bertinjim 

The Thin Man -

Cyclomondo offers Raleigh and Carlton versions of that decal. It is quite possible that he will do a custom repro for Motobecane.

https://www.cyclomondo.net/raleigh-a...Item-kbqiqn324

cudak888 

I can't help with finding someone who can make foil replicas, but if you can get a flat scan of the crankarm along with length and height measurements, I should be able to do an Illustrator Live Trace on it. Should get you a few steps closer to getting replicas made.

Incidentally, that's got to be one of the coolest typefaces ever to grace a crank. Sublime.

-Kurt

The Thin Man 

bertinjim and cudak888, your replies are both fantastic. Thank you! It is reasons like this is why our group remains the best resource I have for vintage news, camaraderie and assistance.
As luck would have it, another kind forum member has contacted me directly to help with creating an Illustrator file I can use to have this reproduced. But, I didn't have that giant lead about Cyclomondo creating something similar. I'll absolutely purse that. I'm thrilled to have your replies as they both get me one step closer to a proper reproduction that these cranks deserve.
If things don't work out with the already-in-progress Illustrator creation, Cudak, I'll drop you a line!

zandoval 

Here's a close facsimile. Certainly not exact but it will allow you to make a decal using the Helicopter tape transfer...



Cannot attach .pdf file???
Saved the .pdf to google drive, here's the link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ji9...ew?usp=sharing
Tape transfer method on YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=bNsQGbkPAB8

The Thin Man 

Thank you, zandoval!

The Thin Man 

I want to thank everyone for the posts above. Many good suggestions and in the end, I suppose I'm just the kind of guy that likes to do a job right, or not at all. That usually means it costs more and takes more time. So, I went this route and brought in the big guns. Many of you know Mr. Greg Softely and his phenomenal decal work. He's done small, one-off, custom jobs like this for me in the past so we worked together to create yet another.

Two months later, there we have it! These are absolutely perfect in typeface, size and substrate. The chrome foil is just... :: Chef's Kiss::
Details matter!

Greg mentioned that in all his years of decal creation, he's never been asked for a Motobecane crank sticker like this. So, he made a few extras in case someone comes out of the woodwork looking for a few, though he said he expects them to not sell in his lifetime! My hope is that someone comes to this thread through a search, contacts Greg Softley and buys a set. I'd like to make him eat his words.

Before and after images below.

SJX426 

Greg is great!
I want to put a plug in for him on a specific decal. The Colnago "Superissimo." He was the only one I could find that had this specific decal for 1983 Colnago.
I recently contacted him and mentioned this decal set. He thinks I am the only one that has ordered it. That was maybe 15 years ago!
All you Colnago Superissimo owners need to get the decal set, which he recently updated to match the dimensions of the original.
If your Colnago has chrome head lugs and is a 1980's vintage, it is likely a Superissimo, a Super with chrome head lugs.
P9161245 on Flickr

Kabuki12

Another heads up for Greg and what he does for our community. For over a year I had wanted the pantographed chainrings for my Colnago and his machinist was out. I had seen used ones and anything I found looked well worn or over priced. He finally convinced his machinist to make another run and they are fantastic. I have not installed them yet but they look great and fit on a spare crank I had. The bonus is that they are the perfect 53/41 count that just works for me but the 41 is hard to find.

The Thin Man 

Agreed. Greg is a treasure.
I was happy to pay him for work since 1) it's top notch and 2) I want to support "local" work and keep our artisans in business. The last thing we need is another hit from a decal manufacturer going under (IE: VeloCals)!