Been looking through some of the bikes being used in the ProTour teams this year, there’s a lot of smart looking kit out there which thankfully seems to have done away with the OTT graphics and explosion-in-a-pain-factory colour schemes they’ve had in the past. These two in particular look lovely:

There’s just something about road bikes – MTB’s (by and large) just don’t look sexy or smart unless they’re fairly minimalist XC ones but road bikes, done well, look beautiful. It’s almost a version of A&A but with bikes…

MTB’s (by and large) just don’t look sexy or smart unless they’re fairly minimalist XC ones but road bikes, done well, look beautiful

I couldn’t agree LESS!

I love road bikes, but those BMCs are gopping.

Yeah, you are so right CRAZY!legs, a pair of black lycra leggings and a touch of mascara, would really set off the bike and your eye lashes 😯 and the right shade of street crawler lipstick, ooh I can see you now.

Flying down the road, the envy of every transvestite in the country,
being all MAGIC and SPECIAL needs!

bottom one is okay

there’ll be prettier ones though surely

I don’t think any bike is really sexy but as a rule road bikes are better looking than MTBs. However those two would not be the two I would choose to make that point.

😀

those KFC’s are ugly!

And why do they have that stupid top-seat tube junction? It’s heavy, un aero and torsionally weak. The swiss should stick to making knives

Those BMC’s really are gopping.

You’ve forgotten your contacts, right? 😉

the SLR-01 is lovely especially in black and white (don’t like red bikes)
not only that they ride well too.
not a generic Taiwanese frame either, BMC invested heavily in their own carbon tube machine.

What’s that weird red bit by the back wheel on the top picture???

Pretty ugly bikes, imo of course. And I usually prefer road bikes (aesthetically) to mtbs, too.

It’s the white decals that get me – mind you, it is quite subtle compared to some…

The swiss should stick to making knives chocolate

Corrected that for you

the SLR-01 is lovely especially in black and white (don’t like red bikes)
not only that they ride well too.

They might ride beautifully round richmond park but they’re still a structurally inefficient design, despite the fact that

BMC invested heavily in their own carbon tube machine.

That “generic taiwainese” statement is an inaccurate too. The Taiwanese are accepted as being the leaders in carbon construction, people only look down on Taiwanese frames to justify their own over-priced european frames. Don’t confuse Taiwan with China.

BMCs are too fussy, all that bumf around the seattube cluster is ridiculous.

NO NO NO, utterly grim! Look at the horrible GTesque tube joinery??

Beauty = http://www.cervelo.com/en_us/bikes/2010/S3/

Those look far too busy. Bleugh.

Gussets are ALWAYS cool though…

Yep seat tube junction looks naff and too mcuh logo going on everywhere.

Woody what happens when you pull up to a trackstand at the lights and your wheels arent the right way up? You’ll look like a right tool! Plus fixie skids and all that you’ll end up with your wheels out of sync, nightmare!

I like the impec frame – now that Time have stopped making lugged carbon frames these are about the only one’s left to really emphasise them. I’m not keen at all on cervelo frames, I think they look pretty ungainly, and of course they’re the de rigeur bike of choice for the mamil.
Not fussed about whether they’re built in Europe or not – but I think a lot of you’ll be quite surprised at quite how many carbon frames are actually made in China – as an example, Argon 18…

You’ll look like a right tool!

You’re right Donk and it wouldn’t just be at the lights 😉

Here’s something a little more practical for the discerning commuter who has more money than sense and a very secure parking spot.

this aero-logo look is a curse, that’s taken over the world of road bikes.

most modern road bikes are bloody hideous, the visual equivalent of the vuvuzela.

unless you think this looks good:

They might ride beautifully round richmond park but they’re still a structurally inefficient design, despite the fact that

well i based my judgment on swinging a leg over the bike in question and the opinion of the journo who was riding the tour of flanders sportive with me (on the slr-01).
i think you will agree that 100 miles over wet belgian roads and pave is a good way of getting a feel for a bike, especially when you (they) have so much experience of riding other other manufacturer’s offerings.

you may design RSJ’s to hold buildings up but it think i’ll trust BMC’s judgment on working with carbon to build bike frames. 🙂

people only look down on Taiwanese frames to justify their own over-priced european frames. Don’t confuse Taiwan with China.

what about overpriced taiwanese frames? like the cervelo’s and italian frames that are painted in italy but made elsewhere

A frame is a frame is a frame and that ridiculous hole is an inefficient design feature designed to make the bike stand out. My silly RP dig aside, I’m sure it rides very nicely but as carbon fibre is infinitely tunable those characteristics could be done much more effectively.

Just because BMC know how to build a carbon bike well, doesn’t mean the design engineers and factory guys aren’t at the whim of some graphics/PR bod insisting on a feature.

I know the bike designer for a popular brand/shop who would prefer that the frames were made in Taiwan but they are made in Italy to appeal to the egos of the middle aged sportive riders who buy most of them. Overpriced frames can be made anywhere, and like most of my waffle, none it stops those bikes being seriously ugly!

most modern road bikes are bloody hideous, the visual equivalent of the vuvuzela.

agreed – i’d rather sh*t myself than ride the bikes in this thread!

middle aged sportive riders are probably the biggest market for road bikes 🙂

I quite agree Mr Smith, and the more cyclists the better 😀

I was just trying to point out that sometimes marketing comes before engineering/quality etc.

I know the bike designer for a popular brand/shop who would prefer that the frames were made in Taiwan but they are made in Italy to appeal to the egos of the middle aged sportive riders who buy most of them.

Wonder if it’s the same brand that I heard that story about…

These are full on race bikes, personally I quite like the look of them. The Specialized’s of High-Road and Saxo-Bank you can’t actually buy; the versions they sell to the public are slightly more relaxed (even the racy ones) cos most people don’t have the flexibility and power to ride the full on pro race ones.

I like the BMC’s. Quirky enough to be distinctive yet still reasonably stealth like. Wasn’t making comments on how they ride.

I beleive that with CF you can* make any shape hold together well enough so even if visually your frame is at the whim of the graphics/PR bods atleast it won’t actually buckle and fail because of it….probably.

*some bloke down the pub said so.