Kaws X Livestrong

Designed especially for Lance’s upcoming run in this year’s vaunted Milan-San Remo race, KAWS’ ultra-Pop graphic treatment was created to respectfully infuse a modern aesthetic into a truly classic competition.

Employing a vintage style paint scheme as his foundation in honor of the race’s storied 102-year legacy, KAWS then transformed the entire bike into one of his trademark characters with two giant spinning mouths for wheels (Bontrager 5.0s) and a sneering row of teeth snaking across the frame itself. His signature XX eyes appear at key focal points of the frame as subtle reminders of his aesthetic hijacking. Screaming yellow paint was employed to heighten awareness of the Livestrong mission at hand.

A painter known for his iconic character design and interventionist tendencies when using existing designs as a base, Lance’s bike proved an ideal opportunity for KAWS to create an unprecedented piece of rolling art. Fun fact: Lance had KAWS hide the legend WNW 2009 “Winners Not Whiners” on the bike’s bottom bracket. It’s Lance’s personal motto tucked out of sight but not out of mind.