Now I guess I have my own ideas on what makes a good looking and functional bike. I find it funny when I see builds like this that have all the ‘bling’ components, but for some reason or another, they just don’t ‘work’.
Some ideas that I have (others are more than welcome to disagree)
-coloured chains. Why? As soon as you use the bike for an extended period of time, surely the colour will fade to grey
-Ridiculously technical looking Miche Supertype seatpost that doesn’t suit the period of the rest of the frame. Worsened when matched to a vintage saddle.
Some might say I’m being overly harsh, but I think you’ll agree that this scenario happens quite a lot. I think many of us don’t realise that bling components like Chris King or Brooks saddles can look silly when they’re matched with other cheap components. Where is the balance…
I sympathise with where you are coming from, and certainly bling components can look silly when paired with bad components. Having said that, coloured chains are pretty cheap and anodised chains will most likely be the same colour when the chain is worn out. Also, I ride a Brooks on an old beater - sure it might look silly, but it is there for comfort.
if its any consolation i think that the American scene is a lot different than the Aus scene.
it seems that the Seps like a more superficial aesthetic ie unnecessary flashy expensive components, whereas i think the english and Australian scene there is a more pragmatic approach, ie shit that works, and looks good.
Also i think that the sep scene is more interested in adopting a trend (NJS walking and trackstanding) rather being genuinely interested in cycling and riding.
not entirely sure i agree with the comments on the north america scene… but i can understand why people think that (and my comments are limited to predominantly the west coast - SF to vancouver, plus toronto).
parts are cheaper/more available over there (and get cheaper if you make friends with your local shop) so its easier to put nicer parts on your bike.
plus everyones opinions are skewed by what they see online… and people take more shots of, and remember, the flashy/bright looking bikes they see.
lets face it, nobody really posts shots of bikes when they are well ridden. that represents quite a percentage of bikes everywhere ive been. ive seen a lot of thrashed bikes in each city, heck ive ridden a couple bikes into that condition. add in a proper winter (with snow/salted roads/endless rain) and you see ‘winter bikes’ or some ‘tired’ components. t-rex/prolly/HKFixed/etc rarely put shots of beat up bikes up.
ive seen some very flashy bikes since i got back… in fact id never seen a naturally pink potato til i got here. the closest was a rattlecanned lilac. the sheer quality/quantity of some of the homegrown frames in this country is awesome.
im not saying it doesnt happen (and ive also seen some impractical/eye-burning combinations)… more that when you factor in the above reasons and the reality that there are more people riding fixed over there it can seem that way.
true, that is the impression i get off the net, and yes because of the increased numbers of fixed riders there is a natural increase in the number of fixster douches.
anyway, fuck it, who gives a shit about the Freds of the fixed scene. do your own thing.
A Thomson seatpost looks less ridiculous than a Miche Supertype Pistol :evil:
Well I need a new saddle for it, that I admit. Damned SLR XP saddle is possibly the most uncomfortable saddle ever invented… Need to get a couple of Rolls when they’re back in stock on PBK.
where i was living (vancouver) they were a natural reaction to the incessant rain/cold of the winter months, and a throwback to the lumberjack/farming heritage of the area. theres nothing like the feel of a freshly shaved face when its hovering just below zero and raining, beards give you a nice natural face protection.
they are a lot more acceptable in professional jobs too, to the extent that if your ice hockey team makes the quarter finals there is a superstition that it is unlucky to shave. cue guys in suits/smart business clothes looking like they just walked out of the jungle/woke up in a dumpster.
a lot of people shaved them off come spring… especially inland where it got hot.
but to be fair its mainly just another trend, like moustaches and tight jeans…
its pretty amusing that with the rise of flannel/plaid print in streetwear you now have a group of kids that grew up wearing flannel and beards now finding that their culture has been co-opted. same as everything else… but something i saw up close having had friends from small logging/rural communities. i can remember one of them telling us about his parents visiting him from the country and them commenting that the city was struggling/regressing when they kept seeing all these kids dressed like their neighbours rather than the inexplicable fashions they were used to.
When it comes to “upgrades,” most of them are pointless–especially for the sort of non-competitive riding most fixters do. Really, most “upgrades” just involve substituting one component for another, nearly identical component made in the same Taiwanese factory but priced significantly higher because of the logo that’s been placed on it. Still, if you insist on “upgrading,” at least follow some sort of logic in your upgrading. Putting a $700 front wheel on a bike with Truvativ Touro cranks is like wearing an Old Navy sweatsuit and one Prada shoe.
Now I have nothing against inexpensive cranks, but if you insist on spending money pointlessly at least “upgrade” the cranks before buying a stupid front wheel like that. If people are going to make pointless fashion-based upgrades, I strongly believe they should at least follow some sort of mandatory order, kind of like PEMDAS in math. There also definitely needs to be a rule prohibiting more than a $400 differential between front and rear wheel cost, as well as one banning both tubular and clincher wheels on the same bike. Instead, judging from the bar and stem, this rider simply seems to be working from front to back. Hopefully by the time he reaches the bottom bracket he’ll either have gone broke or come to his senses, thus sparing us from yet another overwrought bike.
