--- On Wed, 12/29/10, Stronglight49@aol.com <Stronglight49@aol.com> wrote:
The name was a entirely made-up by the two
> partners who
> were contracting these bikes for US import during the
> 1970s. As he
> put it: "...the name Valgan was borne out of combining the
> first three
> letters of both partners last name - Valante and Gance
> (Valgan)."
Stronglight49 Bob,
I once knew a guy named Bob. Bob Yvarra. He operated a little shoe-box bike shop, somewhere outside of Los Angeles, called "Open Road."
One day I joked about the two of us partnering on frames, and our company name woud be: Joe + Bob = JoeBob.
For the down-tube decal, I suggested a shucked ear of corn, with "JoeBob" spelled out in the kernals.
The partnership with Yvarra did not happen though, Bob, so I then envisioned a pig as my silent-partner "Bob." This improved my graphics concept greatly.
I envisioned several head-tube badges of me riding the pig. For the mountain bike, I'd be bronco-riding the pig, tail a-curly. For the road bike, I'd be a-staddle the pig, but the pig and the pig's tail would be straight-arrow aero.
I'd change-up the badges in this every-which-way, so that my pig-riding style would match the bicycle-riding style of each JoeBob model offered.
I have many more ideas, Bob.
Joe "be my piggy bank?" Starck :)
Madison, Wisconsin USA