Monday, October 26, 2009

Questions I got asked



Why do you name your bikes YiPsan?

Some customers had asked about my name - Renold Yip, and how I named my bikes YiPsan. YiPsan , rhymes with Mr. Yip in my native tongue – Cantonese, and I thought a two syllable name might be easier to read. Plus, the word yip really does not carry a particularly good meaning in the English language.

How about your first name, it sounds so western?

Well, yes. There is a story to it. My father named me Renold for a very important reason. My father had been a long time motorcycle enthusiast, especially Triumph, Norton and BSAs. During that era, a famous motorcycle chain was made by Renold (they made bicycle chains too). He believes that a motorcycle chain is small in size but very efficient and important to the operation of a motorbike. There you have it. I was named after a motorbike chain. And if I follow this custom, I may have to name my child Shimano, SRAM or Wippermann!

Are there any meanings to the logos and motifs?

Quite some customers had also asked me if there are any meanings in the logos. The circular one (my headtube badge) is a stylized version of my last name, Yip, in simplified Chinese. It is common to put ones last name on items that they are proud of, e.g. the front of red packets (a tradition during Chinese new year for married couples to give well wishes to singles, it usually contains cash in modern times). This is quite similar to the use of the coat of arms.

The square one simulates an approval stamp used by ancient kings to signify their approval of policies and legislature. The meaning of the 4 Chinese words is “Hand made in steel”.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Peter is riding strong





Wow, another lapse in updating this blog. Things are moving along fine in the past couple of months. A bit of relaxing after the Rocky Bike Show and some riding in the nice fall weather.

Fall is always too short and we already had our first snow a couple of weeks back. I am busy building bikes, fitting cyclists and planning ahead for 2010. Looks like I have to put my infra-red heater to use soon.

A recent update from my friend and YiPsan bike rider, Peter, makes me feel great for making bikes that get ridden and enjoyed. Here is a few pictures of Peter racing at the 2009 Collegiate MTB Nationals in Truckee, CA.