Cycling Life: Simpsons & State Bicycle Experience
While living and working in Tolleson, Arizona, I found a job with State Bicycle Co. This company was a locally owned-and-operated bicycle manufacturer that sold bikes, accessories, apparel, and clothing. This shop serviced stores across the globe and held 3 internationally operated manufacturers in the UK, Australia, and the United States.
My passion for bikes and cycling led me to apply for a position as the Customer Service and Sales Representative. I had previously volunteered for a local bike co-op called Bike Saviors and developed enough knowledge of product to land the position! In my position, I would successfully serve customers by answering phones, performing live chat sessions, and servicing walk-in customers.
Most of my day was spent doing customer service work by building the experience and correcting orders. I also worked by increasing sales goals and serving as the voice of the brand for this business. I contributed a $1000 sale of parts that allowed the whole team to receive a monthly bonus!
After about a month, I was promoted to work in the Rideshop where employees performed maintenance, sold products, and served as the main flagship brand for the business. One of the most interesting parts of this experience was seeing the work that went into creating each bike.
What grabbed my attention, more than anything, was the release of the Simpsons X bike series. This promotion was a partnership between State Bicycle and the Simpsons that ultimately turned a classic cult hit TV Show into a timeless piece of artwork printed on bike frames. This collector item featured bikes, jersey kits, and accessories that all matched each other. The most notable for this entire series was the Piet Mondrian.
Mondrian was a 20th century painter, known for his passion for simple geometric shapes and colors. His work is most famous for the simplicity of design and has been replicated across new media, such as fashion. His abstract piece, Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow is one of his most famous works. Painted in 1929 (Photo below).
Why is this important? Piet Mondrian moves culture for art and fashion with his artwork, and this has been a piece that was a source for inspiration for many artists since its creation in 1929. One source of inspiration it led to was to create the Simpsons X in the same Piet Mondrian format.
The work pictured below features the classic characters Bart, Lisa, Homer, and Marge from the Simpsons as a simple geometric layout for both shape and color. It’s featured on the frame of the bike and its accompanying accessories. This style is quite genius! This generates a cross cultural phenomenon that is rare and very original. It can be theorized that an unridden, unopened version of this bicycle would increase in value over time.
Altogether, I enjoyed my time at State Bicycle Co and definitely had a pleasure exploring the state of bicycles and art with the Simpsons X collaboration.
All the best and nothing less,
Tyandrah Ashley
