POISON FROG $70
“I’ve learned some things in the
past 20 years,” says Edwards.
“And one of them is that people
like frogs.” To date, Primal has
produced more than 30 jerseys
featuring whimsical croakers, a
trend that began with a design
called Easy Rider, which starred
a frog flashing a peace sign
while hugging a seatpost. Baker
describes the inspiration for the
now-iconic Poison Frog jersey as
“NASCAR meets fairy tales.”
SAKURA $70
Edwards says the company has
always encouraged the design
team to express international flair.
In 2006, Layla Ashouri, a young
Iranian-American intern at Primal,
visited the Denver Cherry Blossom
Festival and sketched the branches
above her. Back at the office, she
digitized her art for a modern take
on a classic Japanese symbol.
DARK SIDE OF THE MOON $80
In 2004, Primal began producing
jerseys celebrating classic albums
from Pink Floyd, AC/DC, and the
Rolling Stones. None have proven
as popular as this design. But when
the Primal design staff scanned the
original 30-year-old cover art, they
saw it lacked the proper resolution.
“We wound up having to remaster
the art,” says Edwards, whose team
used Adobe FreeHand and Photo-
shop to recreate art with sharper
edges while retaining the spirit of
the 1973 album.
BONE COLLECTOR $70
Designers carefully referenced
medical textbooks to bring extra
detail to this classic, and added
a cog heart inside the rib cage
(plus a fractured collarbone and
two broken ribs). Years later, a
cyclist who was wearing the jersey
crashed and broke those exact
bones, and, while at the doctor,
discovered he had potentially life-
threatening arterial plaque. After
the customer shared the story, the
jersey was updated with a quirky
homage inscribed inside one of
the back pockets: “I have cogged
arteries.”46 BICYCLING.COM • ISSUE 5