Those of us who have been riding a long time notice, not only a cyclist's riding style and what kind of bike he or she is riding, but also his or her bicycle aesthetic.
Some prefer the clean, classic lines of, say, a silver Cinelli or a bike from one of the classic French constructeurs or British or Italian custom builders. I'm in that camp, almost all the way. I like to spice up the classic, classy look just a bit, with some touches of color. You probably could tell that from looking at the photos of my bikes.
I'm not a fan of V-shaped rims in clashing neon colors, or of bikes or parts with graphics that look like they were lifted from a Japanese anime version of Star Wars. I liked the all-black look during my punk rock phase--now, not so much. I also once liked the black-red-and-white combination; now that it's nearly ubiqitous, I'm sick of it. Also, it marks a bike as one of this decade just as neon pink-and-aqua fades scream '80's and purple-and-teal don't let you forget the '90's.
Still, every once in a while I see a bike that's so over-the-top that I admire it, even if I never would ride such a bike myself:
If this bike were ridden on the Ho Chi Minh trail--or a few streets I've ridden in the Bronx and southeastern Queens--could it induce seizures? Or would it start a revival of Op Art?
Some prefer the clean, classic lines of, say, a silver Cinelli or a bike from one of the classic French constructeurs or British or Italian custom builders. I'm in that camp, almost all the way. I like to spice up the classic, classy look just a bit, with some touches of color. You probably could tell that from looking at the photos of my bikes.
I'm not a fan of V-shaped rims in clashing neon colors, or of bikes or parts with graphics that look like they were lifted from a Japanese anime version of Star Wars. I liked the all-black look during my punk rock phase--now, not so much. I also once liked the black-red-and-white combination; now that it's nearly ubiqitous, I'm sick of it. Also, it marks a bike as one of this decade just as neon pink-and-aqua fades scream '80's and purple-and-teal don't let you forget the '90's.
Still, every once in a while I see a bike that's so over-the-top that I admire it, even if I never would ride such a bike myself:
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| From Uncovet |
If this bike were ridden on the Ho Chi Minh trail--or a few streets I've ridden in the Bronx and southeastern Queens--could it induce seizures? Or would it start a revival of Op Art?
