Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Growing up?

A thought occurred to me today. Is it possible one's taste in bikes matures? If so how would that maturation be defined? If you look at m-w.com, mature is synonymous with "slow careful consideration" or having "completed natural growth and development".

Is this how one comes to singlespeed bicycles? The removal of unnecessary additions to the purity of the most efficient machine? 2 wheels 2 cogs and a chain. Where does it end? fixies? Rigid forks? Both?

Certainly it mirrors my development, but I s'pose in writing this I am hardly objective. It is, afterall, what I want to ride. Well, not fixed yet...

The other aspect to all this is appearances. Is there anything more beautiful than the unfettered appearance of a minimally adorned bicycle? Does it not hint at the grace of the machine and the rider and indeed the experience? Hopefully I cry!

Then again, the last definition for mature is "belonging to the middle portion of a cycle of erosion". Take from that what you will...

As part of my aesthetic maturation curved top tubes seem to be the thing for me at the moment. That and rigid forks. Very 'Bauhaus'. Will post a few pics lifted from various sites, mostly mtbr. If anyone is keen for me to delete em as I have not asked, I apologise and will do so on request...In the meantime ponder, consider, mull over and cogitate the beauty of a curved top tube...

4 comments:

Alex said...

Hmmmm, I have been progressing in a similar direction (ie getting older) and find that simple, clean lines appeal. "Performance" "improvement" and the latest gadgets don't interest me.

Give me a fixie, pref a 29er, with one brake, "odd" bars that are designed from a function point of view....not gram counting / profit chasing.

I am working on a "do everything bike" at the moment (the Ferrous was the Mk1 trial) which will handle MTB, cross and road duties. I will never be "fast" or a "contender" so trying to wring the last little bit of performance out of my bike (at the expense of fit, function and fun) is a bit daft.

As to the curved top-tubes being "Bahaus" I'm not sure. The first two Willets frames, while beautiful, are sacrificing stand-over and weight (extra tube) for what....

I understood Bahaus as finding beauty with in craftsmanship and design / function. Compramising function for a curved tube seems a little at odds with this.

The other Willets, Jones and Wily with the drop-curved tubes serve a function (greater standover) with nice flowing lines as an added bonus. Have a look at the pink Solitude on MTBR.com 29er forum, form follows function.....its ugly but it fits a treat :-)

But what do I know :-)

dRjON said...

yeah, i agree it looks much better built up...


whos painting the beasts for you?

Alex said...

A powder coating place in Birmingham who normally do motorbike / car parts.

Just reminded me I have to take a couple of bells down for the gaffers kids...and an old pair of forks for a "test" paint-job....Candy colour flames anyone? :-)

Anonymous said...

"In the meantime ponder, consider, mull over and cogitate the beauty of a curved top tube...


yehbut yehbut yehbut... no.

Of those phoaties only the retrotec has any consistency of design... If you are going to go to the trouble of bending some tubes it needs to be carried through the whole bike, curvy forks, too preferrably (although I would compromise form with function and bung on a set of boingy forks). Just having one or two wildly wiggly tubes makes for a clangy design... Your choice is a Schwinn ballooner or a Raleigh Safety. Straight or Bent.

Bi-curious has no place in the aesthetics of a metal tubed bicycle frame. : )


-Chris