Not so great this thread without pictures.

Cool: Steel and ti Kona's from the '90's

+1

Seriously uncool: Yeti 575, any SC (except Superlights and only if they look well ridden), Marin Alchemist (argh!), Whyte full sussers, Any singlespeed (there is no cool way of explaining to non MTBers why you only have one gear)

Uncool: Orange 5 (I own one) – the latest victim of glowing mag reviews pretty much killing anything left-field and cool about it. I'd still buy another though. Any Commencal full susser. Lap Spicys and Zestys (See Orange 5).

Cool: Whyte HTs, Intense Tracer (just)

Subzero: DMR Switchback, Orange ST4, Cotic Soul/Soda BFe, Cove Handjob/Hummer/Stiffie

Is Heckler and Audi the new Cannondale and BMW?

So I'm a bit last year, but cool then?

Swobo uncool trying to hard

My Cove Hummer uncool

My old Steel framed Stumpy sub zero

Raleigh Grifter cool

Manuals: cool.
Rides that involve carrying to get to the good bit: cool.
Falling off and not hurting yourself: cool.
Wiggling your bars to get between a gap in the trees: cool.
Styling it up in a tongue-in-cheek fashion: cool.
Respraying your old frame: cool.

Riding with headphones: uncool.
Selling your new bike after riding it twice: uncool.
Agonising over tyre choice: deeply deeply uncool. 😉

Wrong. If something is very popular and becomes ubiquitous it can't be cool anymore

Of course it can. You confusing cool with rare.

Of course it can. You confusing cool with rare.

I'm not sure, unless you can give us an example of something that is both cool and common.

so old 5's are ok, new ones are poopy

same goes for hecklers? im not sure about that.

the tubeless big earls on my asx make all the hang out kids drool, now that is cool.

I'm not sure, unless you can give us an example of something that is both cool and common.

Ipods.

Good call, people do still think ipods are cool after all this time. Bizzare.

What we need is a huge list of bikes (or maybe just brands to keep it manageable), everyone votes, then plot the results on the definitive STW Cool Wall – surely that couldn't be hard for someone with some computering skills?

Hmmmm, looks at back catalogue . . . my Diamondback Viper X BMX was seriously uncool, I guess the Schwinn Stingray would qualify as uncool as it was a repro. Cool . . . hmmm . . . that'd be most of the rest of them (imho of course 😉 ) with particular mention going to my lovely old Tazer (just tried to buy it back but it was sold on at the w/e 😥 ) and of course the lil red 'bred with its chrome dropouts. Sub-zero . . . does anyone think their own bikes are sub-zero? Watch . . . this . . . space 😉

[disclaimer]beauty is in the eye of the beholder . . . and all that[/disclaimer]

I'm not sure, unless you can give us an example of something that is both cool and common.

The original Mini. (Not so commmon now, granted)

Santa Cruz anything – Uncool (I have Blur XC and love it's ride but it's just not cool. Clunky, complicated and creaks.)
Scott Scale – Cool (Dazzingly light appearance and lightening fast impression)
Seven Sola – Reasonabley cool (Ti Hardtails generally look bling but ooze a kinda 1980s dated-ness)
PR6-XC SW carbon – Absolute Zero. Ugly as a heameroid but rides better with no pain.

The original Mini. (Not so commmon now, granted)

Another good call.

Routemaster bus
Bic Biro
RayBan Aviators
Converse All-Stars
Vespa
Fiat 500 (old and new)

All common as…or were

DL, genius! Definitely agree Converse All-Star are currently both common and cool. Fiat 500 is both too but give it a few months and i think it will go the way of the new Mini.

The only Inbreds that can be cool are the either the original 853 SS ones or the next batch of DN16 ones, again SS. Geared Inbreds can never ever be cool.

Nicolais are weird. The more outlandish it is, only then can it be cool. the Helius especially the skinny XC one, aren't.

The views of people I meet when out riding seem to be diametrically opposed to the posters in this forum.

Understated mass produced hardtails that are actually sheds loads better than all this $$$$$ niche stuff = uber cool.

My Nicolai singlespeed = un cool, though everyone loves it.

My old year 2000 Inbred singlespeed = cool

cool – chumba hx1 and ns bikes surge.

Can I just add that I thin Marins should be cool, they're ugly, never get rave reviews, don't seem to try too hard, aren't the darlings of any of the bike mags, just seem to get on with what they're meant to do.

Whytes on the other hand………………

Marins = Volvos

sunn bmix – uber cool. still want one even though they havent been made for about ten years.

sunn = cool +1
any curtis = cool +1

may i also suggest

Pace rc200 = cool
gt zaskar = cool
Kona Ute = sub zero!! 😀

My Orange Alpine 160 was cool until I pulled up behind a guy on one who was telling our gang how rare it was and you wouldn't see another like this. (hopefully still cool)

Anything by Orange is cool cos it's from t'God's country tha noes.

Anything you've built yourself. Cool

All Spec are uncool regardless of history as the definition of 'Cool' is something that is of the time now not yesteryear.

Cannondale lefty?????? what's that about? Uncool

Singlespeeds on mountain bikes, why? there for track racing. Would you drive through the Alps in 3rd gear? uncool

Riding bikes=seriously uncool.
Lets face it, nobody looks cool sat astride a bike, and trying to defeats the purpose of riding it.
If you ride a bike to look cool/nichecore, theres something worng with you.
If you ride a bike because you enjoy it, and have a good time doing it, now that is cool.
This whole thread is nonsense. 😉

uncool
Marins. didn't like them back in the early 90s, don't like them now.
Bikes with sexually suggestive names (I'm looking at you, Cove…) Except the Pompino, 'cos I quite fancy one for commuting.
Most Specializeds, Scotts and Giants.
Recent Konas.
29ers

cool
Old-school GTs (pre-2000)
Most Yetis
any Fat Chance
Longer-travel Oranges (Alpine 5 and upwards)
Banshees
Mondrakers

sufficiently far below zero to be in their quantum groundstate
Sinister bikes

Nicolai – as PP said, uncool because the stickers are backwards.
Ellsworth – uncool because of the font they use for their logo.
Intense – cool
SC – uncool
Turner – were cool, are now uncool
Orange – slightly chilled
Specialized, Giant – tepid
Cannondale – uncool, as they have lots of weird parts and Jon has one

My bikes:
Original Scandal 26" – was cool, has warmed up a bit now
853 Inbred SS (in pompino blue) – cool
EBC Revolution Courier SS with rack and full guards – cool, like a landie
Marin Rift Zone – uncool (but the Stans Olympic/American Classic wheels are cool)
Orbea Orca road bike – absolute zero

Shouldn't the cool factor be related to how impressed Kristen Scott Thomas would be if she saw you riding your bike?
Maybe there's a STW equivalent?
my vote; http://images.starpulse.com/pictures/2008/02/11/previews/Katherine%20Jenkins-CSH-038484.jpg

Custom frames are cool.

Street trials bikes are cool.

Nice one backhander – but Im stumped if I can think of someone who is cool, rides a bike & is hot..Ok there is plenty of totty who do ride & a lot of them a damn sight faster than me but who would be cool enough to judge the cool wall???

Got to agree with Swiftacular. MTBs are uncool full stop.

Maybe dirt jumpers are a bit cool, but that's more BMXing than MTB really.

proper BMW bikes – sub-zero

69'er/96'er – seriously uncool
29'er – uncool
24"/26" – cool
20" – sub zero

😉

Kona anything cool, Unless its the Humu Humu Nuku Nuku Apu'a 06(i hope that right), that is a Single Speed Coaster.

stw bike forum = "the cool wall" does it not?

any bike ridden by a fat middle aged accounts manager is automatically uncool.

Anything Brooklyn Machine Works -sub zero +1. I'd sell my internal organs to get one of those. I enquired about their "Shinburger" pedals once and was told that the importer was "some guy in Manchester" who "might be able to sort me out" with some. Cool.
I did see one in Huddersfield Halfords, a guy was looking around at the bike stuff with his Mini-Link. I wouldn't lock it up outside either!!!!

Inbreds I think can be cool, if old and battered, in the same way an old Toyota pickup is cool. Maybe?

Anyone obviously riding the wrong frame size = deeply uncool!!