As I was passing through Chesterfield yesterday PM on my way home I decided to call in to J E James as I haven’t been in a bike shop for months, to see what 2012 bikes they have.

Have I become sensitized by my only MTB being a steel rigid SS? With the exception of a couple of Whytes I thought they all looked horrible (Giant/Specialized/Cube/Trek). The frames all look massive which just makes the forks/bars/stem etc look totally out of proportion (to be fair the Fox forks didn’t look too bad as their sliders seem to be meatier than RS). The paint jobs and graphics all seem to be too polished an lairy. Look more like Lego than bikes.

Was I having a funny day?

I prefer the old straight tubes. Not a fan of the swoopy stuff. But I think if you took away the horrendous graphics on most they’d probably be ok.

Just building up my new bike ,and it is a thing of joy.
I have tarted it up with lot’s of wee bling bits.
If I get the brakes bled at lunchtime ,I can go for a first test ride .
MMMmmmmmm 😀

I do feel the VERY shiny paint that looked like cheap “plastic” and some of the graphics you could well be right. That’s perhaps why the Whyte bikes looked OK, not as over the top with graphics. Some of the Treks in particular, especially the budget HT’s hurt my eyes. But maybe these are being aimed at youngsters. As said I also felt the parts looked out or proportion to the frames.

When/if I get the money for another bike I think it’s gonna be another steel one. TBF there was always a good chance it would be.

Giant/Specialized/Cube/Trek

There’s your answer. The tacky brands 😉

are new bikes ugly?

Have you seen anything from On-One lately??

That would answer yer question… 😉

DezB – Member
Giant/Specialized/Cube/Trek

There’s your answer. The tacky brands

+ 1 – they really do go for the stripes with logos and logos with stripes and then put stripes and logos on them

That race 29er (Whippet) is eye watering. Def. not a fan of this downtube bulging toward the front wheel look. Just not right.

curved & flared tubes are mostly about aesthetics & change for its own sake.

Stuff like the Nomad stood out as pioneering though and ugly in a good way, like a 4 x 4 or something.

curved & flared tubes are mostly about aesthetics & change for its own sake.

Stuff like the Nomad stood out as pioneering though and ugly in a good way, like a 4 x 4 or something.

Hardtail Kona’s from 1994-1997 are still the best looking mountain bikes in my opinion.

I tend to de-sticker any bike I have these days, from the wheels, forks and frame, I just think they look better without.

‘yes’. generally. IMO.

If you think a lot of shops have a range of ugly bikes with shouty graphics you should wander round Eurobike or Taipei.. I take Aspirin to trade shows )

Agree that Whyte steer the line very well, of the ‘quite a lot of decals’ type they usually look better than the rest. Giant tend to do it well too. And Cervelo. In fact I think more brands do seem to be moving away from the 2008-2009 Euro look at last.

the stripes with logos and logos with stripes and then put stripes and logos on them

: )

I think it’s just nice old nostalgia Gary .
I loved my Explosifs from that era,and I sometimes catch myself thinking “that would look better with a set of Project Twos on it” ,but some new bikes are things of beauty (IMHO hobvuzly) 🙂

When/if I get the money for another bike I think it’s gonna be another steel one. TBF there was always a good chance it would be.

So is your main criteria for choosing a bike how it looks?

fasthaggis – I used to think that too, but the best looking modern bikes all bear slight (or not so slight) resemblances to old Konas.

Cotic’s, NS Bikes, the new steel Saracens, Charge Dusters, those Genesis bikes, they all look the best and are all Kona-esque.

Weirdly, Kona’s have looked awful for the past 10 years in the main…

I’m not too keen on the larger diameter headtubes to accomodate the newer ‘standards’ as they quite often seem out of proportion with the forks.

To me this is a nice looking bike (not mine)

http://www.bikeradar.com/gallery/article/first-rides-2010-trek-remedy-and-scratch-23870?img=18

That Trek would look nicer with straight tubes and all one colour, I reckon. Still, it’s not ugly as such, but not really good looking.

Ah you see in photos online and in mags there are a load of bikes that I think look good. Yesterday totally changed my mind. I’m surprised as this is a totally new phenomena to me. I used to go in shops and lust after everything but yesterday was a real surprise. It could well be just the frame of mind I was in.

Do I just choose a bike on how it looks? Well yes (and no). I wouldn’t buy a bike that looked right but that I had no use for. TBH with no car or MTB mates with cars my rigid steel SS is fine for the VAST majority of my riding. I would really like a geared HT too for rides that need a bit “more” bike. At present there seems to be no need for anything else. If I was minted I would like an FS again for taking Lakes/Peaks but after yesterday I’m not sure what I would be going for.

I have to say I have seen the argument in many threads asking why people are bothered about how their bike looks. Personally I believe that in all but the very fewest cases most of these people are self delusional or are trying to paint themselves as some sort of hard core
cycle warrior.

hard core
cycle warrior.

Where do I sign up?

I absolutely HATE the way Specialized’s look with that downtube. Aesthetically, they’re hideous! I think modern alloy hardtails have just got ridiculous too. Waaaaaaaay to beefy! I suspect all of this has nothing whatsoever to do with functionality, and everything to do with the marketing department.

I’ve just bought an Orange P7 and I think it looks luuuuuurverly. As do most steel hardtails of that ilk. They just look ‘in proportion’

I agree with the de stickering. My Orange Evo2 is powdercoated white with no badging anywhwere.

My Kona mid ninties something, is fantastic looking beast (I agree with Glitter Gary) again painted black with no badging.

My other bike is a 1989 Marin Palisiades again poweder coated white with no badging.

Old bikes ust look simpler and better proportioned. Pipedream though do a lovely frame with a simple paint job and graphics.

binners – Member

I absolutely HATE the way Specialized’s look with that downtube. Aesthetically, they’re hideous! I think modern alloy hardtails have just got ridiculous too. Waaaaaaaay to beefy! I suspect all of this has nothing whatsoever to do with functionality, and everything to do with the marketing department.

I thought with aluminium you could spread the same amount of material over a larger area to increase strength in some way, hence why hydroforming or whatever its called works??

binners – Member
I absolutely HATE the way Specialized’s look with that downtube. Aesthetically, they’re hideous! I think modern alloy hardtails have just got ridiculous too. Waaaaaaaay to beefy! I suspect all of this has nothing whatsoever to do with functionality, and everything to do with the marketing department.

I’ve just bought an Orange P7 and I think it looks luuuuuurverly. As do most steel hardtails of that ilk. They just look ‘in proportion’

Don’t think you’re entirely right about the functionality thing – making headtubes/BBs/seatposts fatter is the response to the continued drive for lighter and stiffer – if skinny tubes were the way to achieve that, bike makers would be doing it. As it is, we’re stuck with the laws of physics.

I’d almost go further and say that form is the last priority for designers right now. Which is kind of how it should be – function over form – but how a bike looks matters mote to most of us than we’d care to admit.

Maybe that’s where the Cotic Rocket fits in – not the lightest, but doing something different.

I’m sure it does make them stronger Tim. But do they really NEED to be that meaty for what they’re being used for? But they’re all like that nowadays. I suspect we’e hit the tipping point for optimum strength, and now its an arms race being driven by the marketing departments

Plus, anything that stiff is just horrible to ride after 2 hours in the saddle. I used to love my Chameleon, but it wasn’t an all day bike. Steel (old duffer) frames nowadays 😉

Always liked fat framed bikes – 90s cannondale HTs being the aesthetic pinnacle. Never been keen on skinny-tubed steel mountainbikes. No accounting for taste and all that.

You can deride the designs of the big manufacturers, but boutique outfits are a lot worse as a rule IMHO. The post-your-titanium-HTs threads on here reliably feature some tragic looking bikes.