Bike Aesthetics

For discussions about bikes and equipment.
reohn2
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Joined: 26 Jun 2009, 8:21pm

Re: Bike Aesthetics

Post by reohn2 »

Final touches:-
Image

I always was a red at heart.......
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
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CaptainSlow
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Joined: 13 Jan 2015, 12:45pm
Location: Wudeton, Gloucestershire

Re: Bike Aesthetics

Post by CaptainSlow »

I admit to being a bit of an obsessive when it comes to my own bike's aesthetics. Every single component of "my baby" has been agonized over at some point. My Wife thinks I need therapy...

Image
Image

Cheers
Touring Rig: .....2013 Surly Long Haul Trucker 700c
Sunday Best: ...2013 Colnago Master 30th Anniversary
Foul Weather: .2010 Kinesis Racelight T2
Commuter:.......1958 Holdsworth Zephyr Fixed Gear
reohn2
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Joined: 26 Jun 2009, 8:21pm

Re: Bike Aesthetics

Post by reohn2 »

That's one nice looking steel Master! :)
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
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foxyrider
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Location: Sheffield, South Yorkshire

Re: Bike Aesthetics

Post by foxyrider »

Or maybe if you are very rich some of these?
Campag bar end.JPG
Campag bar end.JPG (9.59 KiB) Viewed 1570 times

:D
Convention? what's that then?
Airnimal Chameleon touring, Orbit Pro hack, Orbit Photon audax, Focus Mares AX tour, Peugeot Carbon sportive, Owen Blower vintage race - all running Tulio's finest!
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foxyrider
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Re: Bike Aesthetics

Post by foxyrider »

CaptainSlow wrote:I admit to being a bit of an obsessive when it comes to my own bike's aesthetics. Every single component of "my baby" has been agonized over at some point. My Wife thinks I need therapy...


Bit too modern for me!
Convention? what's that then?
Airnimal Chameleon touring, Orbit Pro hack, Orbit Photon audax, Focus Mares AX tour, Peugeot Carbon sportive, Owen Blower vintage race - all running Tulio's finest!
Tangled Metal
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Joined: 13 Feb 2015, 8:32pm

Re: Bike Aesthetics

Post by Tangled Metal »

Well I saw a bike thgis weekend that put paid to my thoughts that a silver rack and guards was needed for my new silver bike. There was a man and woman touring through part of Northumberland and the woman had a silver bike with silver rack but a black set of full mudguards. Now that doesn't look too bad because they were kibnd of shallow in profile and the side bits were mostly reflective material that looked silver. So it was really only from above or behind that the black looked like a highlight. I thought she had an ugly bike but the guards worked like nothing else did IMHO of course. Sorry but I do not see how a step through bike can look aethetically pleasing. Well I have set myself up, perhaps, to be proven wrong. Perhaps I should amend that to not seeing how many step through bikes can be aesthetic.

PS I'm nearing the delivery day I reckon for my silver bike. having to replace the pedals as I bought the wrong ones. A digit wrong in the part number and it is single sided pedal now and not flat one side SPD touring the other. D'oh! Still Halfords can supply them next day for about £4 more. Sorry I said the "H" shop name.
Tangled Metal
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Re: Bike Aesthetics

Post by Tangled Metal »

Got my silver bike today. Looks good. The black tyres have a silver paint layer on the rim which sort of ties it into the silver frame. The blue is a light blue almost green tinge to it. I think Tortec reflect mudguards in black as they have a reflective edge to the black guards which mirror the tyre and link the black into the silver of the bike perhaps.

Note I am useless at interior design and colour matching so for me aesthetics seems a bit like that. If my choices are naff then that'll be my lack of discernement with colours and matching them.

I am torn between black and silver rack. looking at one of the Tortec ones with the lower side rail. I really rate lower pannier rails so have to get it on this bike. Not too keen on the alternative which is the excellent Topeak super tourist DX (non- disc model as the disc brake mech is inside the stays and do not interfere with a normal rack = a few pounds cheaper).

Then I think a very unimaginative silver alloy bottle cages x2. Purely because i can not be bothered sourcing the blue colour matched cages (think there are a few options but too lazy so will have them silver.

Now I am wondering, where can I get those bar end caps in a metal alloy of some sort with a sort of light blue colour to match the features on the bike. Alternative a high polish silver. i know there are makes out there to supply a bit of flash to your drops but who sells them? The PX ones are plastic with a silvered coating (worn off on one before I got it - will be letting them know). Also I supsect it was a rush job with the bar tape. Doubt my attempt would be better but the guy doing it should be better since it is their job. I can see that tape unwravelling in no time. Where is a good supplier of bar tapes with shock absorption? What brands to go for if not wanting to spend a lot for the flashy brands??

I think I could get into this aesthtics lark you know, money permitting, it seems to be a bit infectious. Although I doubtI could pimp a £650 PX London Road workhorse and only bike for all uses. Or at least it would not stay pimped for long.

Any way to pimp a solid and sold secure gold rated D lock by any chance?? Probably end up with one permanently attached as I do not want another bike stolen even insured one.
RogerThat
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Joined: 9 Dec 2014, 2:47pm

Re: Bike Aesthetics

Post by RogerThat »

Silver and black are without doubt the most elegant combinations on a bicycle. And I say that as an ardent campagnolo carbon and alloy fan!
mercalia
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Location: london South

Re: Bike Aesthetics

Post by mercalia »

RogerThat wrote:Silver and black are without doubt the most elegant combinations on a bicycle. And I say that as an ardent campagnolo carbon and alloy fan!


nah silver and black is cheap and nasty :wink: Burnt orange and black now thats real class :lol:
Tangled Metal
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Joined: 13 Feb 2015, 8:32pm

Re: Bike Aesthetics

Post by Tangled Metal »

If black.and silver is naff what goes with silver? That's the one fixed colour, plus a light blue. I'm thinking of guards and rear rack (must have lower pannier rails like topeak super tourist or tortec transalp). That's black or silver. If black is naff then I'm left with silver overload. Naff contrast or silver blend? Which is worse? Was thinking tortec reflect guards in black but they have silver reflectives on sides of guards. Got the idea from a woman's tour bike I've recently seen. It was completely silver except for these guards. They looked silver from the side but black from above or behind only. Looked good way to break the silver overload.

Look at the PlanetX London Road Tiagra drop bar bike to see the bike's silver design.
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kylecycler
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Location: Kyle, Ayrshire

Re: Bike Aesthetics

Post by kylecycler »

mercalia wrote:nah silver and black is cheap and nasty :wink: Burnt orange and black now thats real class :lol:

You might like this, then, mercalia - the Pronghorn, from Quixote Cycles:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/quixotecycles/7887563290/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/quixotecy ... otostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/quixotecy ... otostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/quixotecy ... otostream/

Also this, from the same builder (his entry for the 2009 Oregon Manifest Challenge, a competition for all-rounder/transportation bikes):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/quixotecy ... otostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/quixotecy ... otostream/

They're practical bikes, but classy, I think, and the colours do it for me too.

The builder is Jonathan Reed. He built a very clever cargo bike with Clever Cycles - the Xtravois 2.0 - for the 2011 Oregon Manifest Challenge...
http://clevercycles.com/blog/2011/09/22 ... fest-bike/

...and his Quixote bikes have a cool head badge:

2347819234_5fef54caac_o.jpg

A bicycle without a head badge is like a head without a hat... :)
Tangled Metal
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Re: Bike Aesthetics

Post by Tangled Metal »

Nice bikes, but the first one I especially like. Not cheap neither I'd bet. Quality is worth it but does rule out a lot of us from owning such beauty.

That leaves me making the most of my silver blue and black monstrosity, I mean beauty. Well it ain't a pageant winner but it does look nice for the money so far, let's see if I can ruin it or not when the necessary commuter kit gets fitted.
Brian73
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Joined: 11 Aug 2010, 10:32pm

Re: Bike Aesthetics

Post by Brian73 »

mercalia wrote:
RogerThat wrote:Silver and black are without doubt the most elegant combinations on a bicycle. And I say that as an ardent campagnolo carbon and alloy fan!


nah silver and black is cheap and nasty :wink: Burnt orange and black now thats real class :lol:


Nowt wrong with burnt orange and black :oops:

Image
mercalia
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Re: Bike Aesthetics

Post by mercalia »

Burnt Orange is what my Dawes 1-Down has - used to have silver mudguards with the dreaded lurgy - now changed them to black, much better
reohn2
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Joined: 26 Jun 2009, 8:21pm

Re: Bike Aesthetics

Post by reohn2 »

mercalia wrote:Burnt Orange is what my Dawes 1-Down has - used to have silver mudguards with the dreaded lurgy - now changed them to black, much better


Another convert :wink:
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
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