Bike Aesthetics

[mercalia]

For the first time since buying it my Dawes 1-Down has been given some new mudguards - this time black as the original silver ones used the silver of the alloy to give its colour and had got the dreaded lurgy. The frontt had in any way broken at the stays and was held to gether with some ties. SO now the bike is black with a burnt orange colour of the original frame - I think it looks nice.

[Vantage]

Any pics of your bike, Vantage?

Nothing recent I'm afraid. This was around late Feb early March when we had all that lovely snowy weather. Front and rear racks have since been removed in an effort to get it down to 41lb. Still a hefty lump but I love it to bits

[Brian73]

Now that's a well equipped bike garage Brian!

Don't have a garage , shed is full of brother's crap as he's moving house. Bike lives in hallway

Maybe this is better:

[reohn2]

Vantage
That front mudguard looks about long enough
BTW is that the L&L canal somewhere around Chorley area?


T/Metal
Black M/guards are the only real option IMHO,contrast beats trying to match colours and just missing,nowt looks worse IMO.

I'm into the bikes function over form.
Within that principle I then work on what I consider stylish,I'm not much bothered what other people think so long as I'm happy with it but form does matter quite a bit to me.
Form is a very personal outlook:-

[DarkNewt]

Just finished my new bike build:

steel frame (fairdale weekender) Surly Forks, Koga atalanta handlebars.. airbrushed frame, surly front rack tubus rear, brooks saddle, stainless steel mudguards

Double Stem
gps
mobile
ortileb front and rear



ready for my tour

[Vantage]

Vantage
That front mudguard looks about long enough

BTW is that the L&L canal somewhere around Chorley area?

You're half right
It is indeed the L&L, crossing it via Arley Lane at the back end of Wigan Golf Course. One of my favourite local-ish rides

T/Metal
Black M/guards are the only real option IMHO,contrast beats trying to match colours and just missing,nowt looks worse IMO.

You mean silver guards really. Much nicer

I'm into the bikes function over form.
Within that principle I then work on what I consider stylish,I'm not much bothered what other people think so long as I'm happy with it but form does matter quite a bit to me.
Form is a very personal outlook:-

The Salsa's a fine looking rig, but I have to admit I have a soft spot for your Kona. If you had the Hoff sitting on it, it'd be Knight Rider but with two wheels

[reohn2]

You're half right
It is indeed the L&L, crossing it via Arley Lane at the back end of Wigan Golf Course. One of my favourite local-ish rides

Ah!
This bridge:-

The Salsa's a fine looking rig, but I have to admit I have a soft spot for your Kona. If you had the Hoff sitting on it, it'd be Knight Rider but with two wheels

This one:-

Now sold to make space for the Genesis Longitude

[foxyrider]

I have been described as going overboard on aesthetics! For me a bike has to look right, that can mean just making sure its got matching tyres (colour wise) or spending time and effort to find just the right bit of kit for the 'look'. My otherwise all Campag race bike used to use a Dura Ace front mech as it was more aesthetically pleasing than the Italian kit.

It certainly gives me a bit of a lift to be on a bike that others admire, a bit of ego massaging!

[CREPELLO]

Contrast, rather than matching is usually a good idea. The exception to this would be an all silver bike. Although I quite like the stealth look of an all black bike I wouldn't wish to own one, or I couldn't be bothered to source all the matching parts.

With my Spa Audax, I've used a mix of silver and black parts, though mainly silver. Black seems to be one of those colours (colour? ) that is brilliant for setting off against any other colour. In this case I've contrasted with brown handlebar tape and Brooks Swallow and used the Gold of the Spa branding to carry through with the headset spacers and lining on the mudguards. It all helps break up what could be a very over bearing and heavy appearance. But I will mention I'm very pleased with the black carbon look vinyl chain stay protector.

[pga]

I have just commented elsewhere on getting the bike looking right - saddle and racks horizontal, for example, but also trying to match frame colour to kit.
In the old days we could specify frame colour and contrasting lug linings. I have a black Rourke tourer with red lugs and a red Rourke racer with black lugs. The former has black handlebar tape, saddle, pedals and mudguards and red bottle cage. The latter has red handlebar tape and bottle cage and black saddle and pedals. Both have other fittings in silver anodised aluminium, mainly the wheels. However I have recently acquired a set of black Mavic MA40's and I still the black MA4's from when I raced.

Further advice can be found in The Rules - the Way of the Cycling Disciple. Not everyone's cup of tea I know but recommended for those, as stated on the back of the book, for whom cycling is not just a pastime or a means of travel, but as a way of life - as obsessed with style, heritage, authenticity and wisdom as with performance. Read on!

[tiuq]

Hello to everyone.
I noticed in the pictures posted here that many of you moved the downtube shifters on the handlebar. Can you help with some detailed pictures or a link to the related topic (topics)?
I have a rather old road bike (~1984) and i would like to make that mod .
Thank you
Ride safe

[gaz]

Welcome to the forum.

The thread contains pictures of a number of different handlebar mounted shift levers; Bar-end levers, Ergo/STI combined brakes and shifters and Kelly Take-Offs.

[tiuq]

Glad to be here.
Thank you very much for the link, when i will have some spare time i will get my hands dirty.

[Tangled Metal]

Well my bike is due to be put together tuesday next week and hopefully delivered wednesday or thursday. Once received I will take a look at the exact look and decide on the guards, rack and bottle cages. I can get silver or black rack and guards. I have silver pedals. I can even get a few different shades of blue for the bottle cages (as well as black, silver, red, etc.). Those can be matched against the blue of the logo and features. I have yet to see that colour properly. I have even seen a white bottle with the similar blue colour in a pattern on the bottle.

This all allows me to customise it with contrast, colour matching (all silver or with some blue picked out from the logos). i am thinking say silver bottle cages with a bottle that is the same blue or blue cage and silver bottle or another contrast. The options are actually quite wide. I've never had this mindset before of trying to get the aesthetics right. A wierd idea for me.

[Brian73]

These are good value if you want to move from downtube shifters to bar mounted shifters but don't want STI. You retain your original brake levers. They can be used in friction mode for all multispeed cassettes and freewheels.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shim ... lsrc=aw.ds