Thought Experiment: What if bike brands made cars

Just. No.

indeed, ‘argh my eyes’!

Amusing, but the creative and environmental threats of this ‘AI’ slop are too problematic.

Orange...

That Hope car looks awesome ?

The new Cotic.

Ouch... As an orange owner I have to protest 🙂 the welds are beautiful

Would specalized be BMW ?

What would Pinarello be ?

Would specalized be BMW ?

What would Pinarello be ?

I feel Pinarello would be BMW.

On One as Dacia?

As a Transition owner, I've always thought their current 'blocky / polygonal' and slightly overbuilt design language looks similar to a typical American muscle car.

Job jobbed by Honda. Good job too.

Brompton = Morgan

Pinarello  would be alfa romeo (after it had rear ended a heavier vehicle)

Specialized would be VAG (wide range of models, always at least slightly overpriced for the spec)

No Morgans have a vintage elegance, Brompton are a disjointed mess.

That Hope car looks awesome?

Hope + Lotus

Oh yes 🙂

Would specalized be BMW ?

That was always my reference. Giant used to be Toyota - dull, affordable, dependable, but I think they've morphed into Honda. Trek are VW.

I have wondered about this. You see a lot of 'superbikes' about, compared to the number of supercars.

So while you lot are riding about on your Ferraris and Lamborghinis and Paganinis there will be us singlespeeders over here claiming that our Caterhams are even more fun.

You see a lot of ‘superbikes’ about, compared to the number of supercars.

Well, for 20K you can buy all the parts mail order to build a bike capable of winning WC races. See how much of a supercar you can buy for 20K.

Brompton = Morgan

I think Brompton are more like a Mini Moke

My car feels like its been made by Carrera

Look how good the posts in this thread are with images that are not soft unreal slop. The original story could have been entertaining if it had taken this path… humour, cars, bikes… it’s possible without the crutch of blended and regurgitated “AI” imagery. Using an illustrator, or photos, it could have been great. Hell, just using words could have worked okay.

Yes, all that slop is built on the backs of artists' work, stolen and repurposed. Poor show.

Using an illustrator, or photos, it could have been great. Hell, just using words could have worked okay.

though I think that some of the idea behind this post was seeing what AI would come up with, I agree with your comments. it would be interesting to see submissions from the bike companies themselves. I doubt Santa Cruz see themselves a the mtb equivalent of a leased a4 estate.

Giant used to be Toyota – dull, affordable, dependable,

another twist would be what mtbers in other countries would come up with. Toyota in other parts of the world are loved for their  ruggedness.

Trek are VW.

i suppose trek had lance and vw had the diesel scandal.

orange

very good.

Sick bikes 

Rocky Mountain

My car feels like its been made by Carrera

Could be worse, could be a Saracin

Brompton = Morgan

Not really. Pashley = Morgan.

Lapierre = Peugeot

Orbea = Seat

Rourke = Caterham

Specialized = General Motors

Giant = Honda

not really a brand

but pretty much every ebike ever ..

Rover, Sunbeam, etc... I could drone on 🙂 They've been there done that and cars were more profitable.

Lets not tempt fate and encourage our good bike makers to give up on us. Worse still, they may decide to build planes...

Kimbers +1

BMC (the other one) would have to be the Holdsworthy brands (formerly great, died out in the 70's, now badge engineered and made in China).

BMC (the other one) make me think Weismann?

Nicolai clearly the commercial / g wagon / unimog end of mercedes.

There must be a joke about Ellsworth or Mountain Cycle and poorly suspended American cars.

"singlespeeders over here claiming that our Caterhams are even more fun."

As a Cotic fanboi, I was wanting to claim Caterham for us...

And Morgan's already been claimed...

Hmmmnnn, so Cotic must surely be TVR - performance focussed, ploughing their own furrow, aesthetics that split opinion, pigheaded mix of traditional and forward-thinking.

Hopefully they don't go the same way.

Years ago I briefly worked in a classic car garage and got to look around an old TVR GT. A weird mix of ideas. The front suspension was basically two anti roll bars, one normal one and one on top locked in the middle to be a torsion beam spring.

The chassis was a truss down the center of the car that enveloped the engine etc.  But the bodywork just sort of sat outside that. If you had a crash in it I can't imagine it'd go well. You'd basically be squished between whatever you were crashing into and your own chassis.

“singlespeeders over here claiming that our Caterhams are even more fun.”

As a Cotic fanboi, I was wanting to claim Caterham for us…

I stand by my first assertion. But two of my singlespeeds are Cotics

Pashley = Morgan.

They've actually done it, thankfully sticking with their own product expertise and not swapping. I'm not much keen on the styling myself, but that's completely subjective. Reynolds 631 frame probably should have been made of Ash for a proper homage.:-)

Hmmmnnn, so Cotic must surely be TVR

Would they not be an Arial Nomad? TVR  were never modern beyond the styling,  arial use 853 and the nomad is made for going fast off road.

There'd a million different standards, no part would fit any other brand. Oh! Wait...

LAT is spot on if you want a bike thats reliable out in the sticks it should be built in a Land cruiser factory.

As a Cotic fanboi, I was wanting to claim Caterham for us…

Sorry, they are obviously more aligned with Orange.

Might have been worth a few more goes at some of those images in the article, eh?

Orange are basically Porsche.

Same car for 60 years, just different colours.

Surpisingly rapid daily drivers.

occasionaly venture off the tried and tested, but it never lasts.

Orange are basically Porsche.

Same car for 60 years, just different colours.

Surpisingly rapid daily drivers.

Haha, and they'll spit you into the undergrowth if you're not paying attention.

I did get a bargain one for £500 last year, so there may be something in this.

Peugeot, Singer, Morris, Hillman, Skoda, Rover and no doubt many other car brands made bikes before they started making cars. Peugeot is the only one I can think of that has continuously had a bike branch running along side car production.

Orange are basically Porsche.

Same car for 60 years, just different colours.

Surpisingly rapid daily drivers.

occasionaly venture off the tried and tested, but it never lasts.

1000s of owners that think theirs is rare/unique

Pashley = Morgan

I think the Royal Mail have bought more Leyland Sherpas over the years than Morgans 🙂

Peugeot is the only one I can think of that has continuously had a bike branch running along side car production.

I think as of 10-15 years ago Peugeot is just a licence to use the name to another cycle manufacturer