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When pretty bikes ride ugly - Singletrackworld Podcast Episode 8, 2025
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[Music]
0:21
hello everyone and welcome to the single
0:23
track World podcast I'm Hannah Dobson
0:26
managing editor and today we have with
0:28
us Benji Howard
0:30
Tech nickel editor Tech nickel yeah no
0:34
nickel bikes nope do you remember the
0:36
Santa Cruz nickel anyway I don't well
0:39
there you go moving on get on your
0:41
wikipedias
0:43
okay well so no nickel bikes but we have
0:48
been talking this week
0:49
about whether what a bike looks like
0:54
matters mhm and whether your opinion of
0:57
whether a bike is beautiful enough or
0:59
not
1:00
changes when you rideing what what
1:03
prompted these thoughts in your mind
1:05
Benji I have to remember that do I what
1:09
we talking about um what were we talking
1:11
about then I think weic I think we were
1:14
talking about Ross and his uh Privateer
1:18
gen two one possibly so he's got
1:21
Privateer 161 Gen 2 that he's testing
1:24
yep but he owns the original 161 okay
1:28
yeah and the Gen 2 has a kind of Hump in
1:33
the top tube yeah which the Gen one did
1:35
not have correct and when it was
1:38
revealed was a little bit controversial
1:40
in the comments wasn't it I think people
1:42
were like not many people are fans of
1:44
the uh the look of it the hump in the
1:47
top tube I think the hump in the top
1:49
tube is generally considered
1:52
a like an unesthetic feature of of
1:57
mountain bikes dog
2:00
that's the Forum phrase is it it is the
2:02
Forum phrase yes so Ross has been riding
2:05
this Gen 2 and testing it and has
2:08
discovered that that he now reaches for
2:12
the gen two rather than I think function
2:15
I think he there's not a lot in it I
2:17
would say that because praity Mark W
2:20
wasn't an awful lot wrong with it no so
2:23
I think he would it prefers the uh
2:26
marginally the Gen 2 I think but um but
2:30
now not enough to trade in because he's
2:32
put off by the aesthetic of it I think
2:35
oh but I think he it thinks it's more
2:36
attractive than what you originally
2:38
thought yeah I think that happens a lot
2:40
yeah with bicycles particularly with
2:43
me cuz he
2:45
shallow I don't know just function and
2:47
it used to be the other way around but I
2:49
think after you've been exposed to
2:51
riding loads of bicycles and you finally
2:53
have a go on one that looks good you
2:55
realize oh it's not actually very nice
2:57
or good or pleasing to own um so be
3:01
careful if you're buying bikes by looks
3:03
oh okay and I can't find any bike
3:06
aesthetically pleasing that I know isn't
3:09
going to ride
3:10
decently and not be a pain in the
3:13
workst okay so you let's see you
3:17
thinking of some possibly controversial
3:19
in the comments bikes that have been
3:21
ridden recently you tested the cotic
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ebike which was
3:28
another uh com
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yeah like it's like something from Wild
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Wild West the
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steampunk kind of thing but to ride
3:40
great yeah you know you put an you put a
3:42
motor on a cotic it's like it's hard to
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get wrong mhm really okay and then um
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last week we had the L in yes which I
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think Marite isn't it like people either
3:59
love it or don't I think most people
4:01
don't love it but you're quite
4:03
interested I'm not that bothered about
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how it looks but I like I can kind of
4:08
like the ideas's got into its
4:11
design I think it's got some good ideas
4:14
so are you going to is it going to
4:16
become more beautiful in the eye of the
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beholder because I think bikes do I
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think yeah I think you I remember having
4:23
a
4:24
really happens with ebikes a lot really
4:27
they arrive and they're like oh that's
4:29
horrible and then you ride it through it
4:31
and you really bond with it and then
4:33
they have loads of fun and then you find
4:35
yourself looking at it a certain angle
4:38
and it's not quite like look at that
4:39
bike actually yeah but that's just cuz
4:42
it's got in your mind fond memories yeah
4:46
yeah the rose tinted specks of of Happy
4:49
Times yeah and or I think possibly with
4:52
me I can
4:54
see the function in the form which I
4:58
think makes me like it okay I can see
5:02
what part does what quite like that I
5:05
now have like a mental image of you
5:07
looking at things and Little Numbers
5:09
appearing before your eyes little
5:12
geometry charts and stuff yep Robo Benji
5:17
yep well it's difficult to get a bike
5:20
that looks good and rides well they
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quite rare in full
5:27
suspension terms perhaps I I think like
5:31
modern full suspension
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bikes made out of carbon in
5:36
particular is um it's difficult to get
5:40
sort of aesthetically excited about them
5:44
I'm afraid I make conf like make it out
5:46
of
5:47
steel and instantly it's like oh that
5:50
looks nice I'd like to stroke that
5:52
possibly lick it right well do you think
5:54
that's aesthetic or you think that's
5:56
some more of a deep seated aversion to
5:59
the carbon fiber as a material no it's
6:02
an aesthetic thing skinny it's yeah
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something about skinny sh and like so a
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rigid mountain bike SL flatb gravel bike
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SL ATB like there are loads of them like
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oo oo yes so you go to bespoked and
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there's all these handbuilt steel things
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or titanium things and it's like I could
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stroke and lick all of thosee I did a
6:27
lot of them just like
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don't know don't like them you don't no
6:33
you're a wrong and you are they're over
6:34
the
6:35
top over the top I know but they
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pretended to be minimalist and they're
6:38
really over the top
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orate things
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wrongheaded as well as not being very
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good to ride I imagine mostly when you
6:47
look at the
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Geo
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metry oh but but do you not think that
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just like looking at something and
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loving how it looks makes you want to
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get on it and therefore you have loads
6:59
more good times and therefore it becomes
7:01
a better
7:03
bike uh yes but I imagine it's probably
7:05
a lot like human beings just cuz
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someone's nice looking don't mean
7:09
they're not very hor going to be
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horrible so I'm being completely
7:13
distracted at this point by the dog
7:15
defense that's going on thanks so much
7:17
there is a dog in the room that is doing
7:20
its best to sit on it was all right our
7:23
knee between we do know the dog it's not
7:25
just broken in it's not just a random
7:27
dog B it's now going to climb over the
7:31
top of me Arch this dog has separation
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issues just a bit don't you come over
7:37
here if you want okay this is come go on
7:41
go on go through we're going to let the
7:43
dog through so that I can stop being
7:45
quite as a distracted no he's gone all
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the way around that's all right oh dear
7:49
okay um yeah so well so I own a stoe a
7:54
single speed yep Steel Twin
8:00
top tube stooge which I bought after
8:02
testing it cuz I had yeah I rode it and
8:05
I liked it I don't mind
8:07
Stooges okay they're
8:09
long okay big wheel based on them do a
8:12
lot it reminds me a lot of the old
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conera Cruiser they did that was the
8:17
world's longest bicycle right okay so
8:20
fast jying that in numbers again okay
8:22
right I don't why you'd want a pretty a
8:24
nice looking B that's awful to ride I I
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wouldn't want one that's awful to ride
8:28
but but I but like I want to get on
8:31
bikes that look nice yeah so do I
8:36
yeah but you see the world in a
8:38
different way I but it has to also ride
8:41
well yeah I don't want to get not be
8:46
annoying but you see you could get on
8:48
like a proper old school mixd with
8:51
little sweat back handlebars and stuff
8:53
and really like handling probably pretty
8:57
terrible but still loads of fun and you
9:00
want to ride to the shops on it that's
9:03
not mountain bikes though is it no but
9:05
that's what I was saying is that the
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aesthetic thing I think is harder with
9:10
full suspension mountain bikes yeah like
9:13
bikes as oh there's a trying to come up
9:15
with a list weren't we uh earlier we are
9:18
trying to come up with a list of the
9:19
most by time this uh Opus comes out I
9:23
think we managed to get 10 did we maybe
9:25
not quite yet no we're still working
9:27
well cuz we've ruled out hard Tails aren
9:29
we mhm oh so there's a thing like do you
9:32
think that the uh seat stay and the top
9:37
tube need to be in any kind of alignment
9:40
when it comes to uh full suspension
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bikes do you think there's a magic like
9:45
parallel line thing going on or
9:46
something no because what when whenever
9:49
I see that you know when you see um oh
9:52
what's like that is it a transition
9:54
transition spur I think that's lovely
9:56
yeah but I know when you sit on it that
9:57
Line's broken it does that
9:59
I just get some of my Wick but then
10:01
you're on it and you don't care cuz you
10:03
can't see it yeah but you know when it's
10:05
actually been ridden it's
10:07
irrelevant and that's just annoying okay
10:10
well see that doesn't bother me I if I
10:13
if once I'm on it that's fine that's all
10:15
I'm interested in do I want to stroke it
10:18
and lick it and climb on it yes I do
10:21
yeah I only really like but I only have
10:24
purchased or own bikes that are I find
10:27
I've never owned an ugly bike that I
10:29
find ugly anyway okay what bike are you
10:33
lusting after that you wish you could
10:35
ride or own or test an ancelotti Scarab
10:39
29 with the floral yellow
10:43
decals and uh the proper and a formula
10:48
mod shock probably coil okay and don't
10:52
know about the four cup front not sure
10:54
probably a sver again formula yeah not
10:58
in it not an upside down for they don't
11:00
do them no one really does in the
11:02
correct amount of travel that looks like
11:04
might I'd like I'd like one someone to
11:06
make one we need a slim down EXT that
11:10
would would be Italian but it would be
11:12
downhill
11:15
yeah so I would like to go like the
11:18
opposite end
11:19
of mountain biking and have a
11:23
clandestine carrier that's the that is
11:27
so made by by someone called piie
11:31
handmade in the UK and he makes his own
11:34
racks most bikes are handmade I don't
11:37
like the word
11:39
handmade carbon bikes are more handmade
11:41
than any other bikes you go in what stop
11:44
being difficult don't gorgeous okay what
11:47
else just say UK get your reform aspect
11:50
personally made by pie yeah um and also
11:56
it makes his own racks for the bike and
11:58
is it a mountain bike it it can be so
12:01
no yeah it can be right okay you can go
12:04
for a picnic in the mountains on it
12:07
right see I just look at them and I
12:10
think that's gorgeous I want one this
12:12
boat what carrier carrier okay I'll make
12:16
you a full suspension bike if you want
12:19
but this one that I lost after is like
12:23
big tires uh racks with bags that can of
12:27
go with specially designed to fit on
12:30
okay and so yeah you can you could ride
12:32
around a bit like you could the stooge
12:34
it's a rigid mountain bike job or you
12:37
could pot to the
12:39
shops go for an Enduro pnic yeah I don't
12:43
mind a sto at all yeah good so big rake
12:47
big
12:47
bars yeah big
12:49
stays okay well stand over Let's us move
12:53
on colors from judging books and bikes
12:57
by their cover yes well yeah it's good
13:00
if you get a good book and it also got a
13:02
good cover which I bought a book
13:04
recently I might have put it in a fresh
13:06
goods oh you've got what's the the man
13:08
in the High Castle was a great cover
13:10
yeah that's was your book
13:11
recommendations Phil KCK yep yeah I
13:15
haven't read that kind I'm kind of like
13:18
I don't know if I should read it because
13:19
it might stress me out a bit but okay
13:21
not spoiling it it's fine good don't
13:23
watch the TV version that was on Netflix
13:27
I think there you go
13:29
uh judging books by their cover and
13:32
people by their beards I interviewed uh
13:35
braic the other day who you know Red
13:39
Bull athlete throws himself off big
13:42
Cliffs has a giant beard this kind of
13:46
like man Viking his name turns into B
13:49
rage yes in like heavy metal text you
13:54
know that's what his pedals are called
13:55
aren't they B Tech bages I think so is
13:58
he nor
13:59
yes does he rideing
14:02
denims noticed car hearts or something I
14:05
can't remember he does like go to the
14:07
woods with a chainsaw and that sort of
14:09
thing right but it turns out he's
14:10
actually really sweet as well OBS so he
14:14
is on the front cover of the next
14:18
edition of single track issue 161 which
14:21
will be out in May and to which you can
14:25
subscribe today now and you should
14:29
subscribe before the 25th of April to
14:32
get it posted out to you cool so he's on
14:34
the cover is it 161 is it not
14:37
160 maybe it is 160 yes it is 160 well
14:43
remembered you good well done bonus
14:46
points for you yeah yeah issue 160 but
14:48
it is out in May and you do need to
14:49
subscribe by the 25th of April and so
14:52
it's got brager on the cover and an
14:54
interview with him inside which he
14:57
doesn't do many big VI so if you want to
15:00
hear what he's got to say about the
15:01
world mhm you need to read it uh it's
15:04
also got a big snowy Adventure in the
15:07
Lake District in it uh a rather hot and
15:09
Dusty bike packing job in Morocco cool
15:14
um and it's got dual racing duel slem in
15:18
the dark D A L yeah duel duel uh in the
15:23
dark have you ever raced duel have I
15:26
raced you know I haven't no no right one
15:29
of those things I haven't had a go at I
15:31
haven't done bite Polo either that's
15:35
fine but you know that's what a lot of
15:37
the uh B spoke bikes around me off is B
15:40
Polo bikes some of them probably play B
15:43
Polo they do I probably going to be
15:45
spoked actually is it the one in
15:46
manester in Manchester right yeah hope I
15:49
will do I'm going to go definitely when
15:52
April I can't remember the date but
15:54
there'll be a story on the website about
15:55
it cuz that's on my list to do as well
15:57
this week it is yeah about that um I
16:01
might build an apocalypse
16:03
bike I might we'll see they've got like
16:07
to build your own apocalypse bike with
16:09
certain things like must have a means of
16:11
lighting a fire on it and that kind of
16:13
thing okay sounds quite fun right um
16:16
we'll see see if I feel like we just sc
16:18
one of those AliExpress
16:20
ebites for
16:24
fire where would you charge it burn
16:26
Forever After the apocalypse yeah
16:29
speaking of apocalypse and everything
16:31
gone black oh yes oh look we're so slick
16:35
I love the Segways but too slick this is
16:38
too slick all right sorry because we
16:41
need to take a break for a moment yes we
16:51
do okay we're
16:54
back and and just be sold off yes been
16:58
pointed out the not only do I not know
17:00
what issue we're on but I also don't
17:03
know what month we're in so we are
17:06
currently in March you need to subscribe
17:08
by the 25th of March in order to get the
17:11
magazine delivered in April that's
17:13
correct yeah I'm already working on 161
17:17
that's what's going on um I'm like put
17:19
this one nearly to bed so yeah 25th of
17:23
March you can buy delivered in April
17:27
what we were just told so yeah you can
17:29
also by issue 159 which is already out
17:34
now yep uh with a Night Rider that one
17:37
you can just pay for the postage and
17:39
we'll send you the magazine for
17:41
free Whit woo even if you live in a very
17:45
far flung place we just work out careful
17:48
what you're
17:50
promising but we have like Antarctic
17:52
research people aren't we and all that
17:55
well do you know there's going to be a
17:57
feature on the folkland which is not
17:59
very far from the antic in the one that
18:02
I'm mixing up my future with okay yeah
18:06
good not in issue 160 right in issue 161
18:10
what am I
18:13
holding uh well some some bombers
18:17
bombers you going to you're going to
18:19
defend your property you can um this is
18:23
a raffle yeah shall I explain why so so
18:27
the Forum has a long Affinity with Moki
18:31
bombers not just because they're good
18:34
folks but because there was somebody
18:36
that was on the Forum who was like
18:38
working in their basement on their bike
18:42
when they heard somebody breaking in to
18:45
their house and they ran up the stairs
18:47
and chased them off with a set of
18:49
bombers in their hand they did and so
18:53
forever ever more they you yeah they
18:56
have been known as like own it with
18:57
bombers so legitimate source of uh
19:00
self-defense and how could the casual or
19:03
invested listener own their own bombers
19:07
they could go to single TR world.com and
19:10
buy themselves a raffle ticket or indeed
19:13
buy four raffle tickets for the price of
19:15
three okay yeah one raffle ticket costs
19:18
£5 you how much these are
19:20
worth 650 quid oh you do okay yeah
19:25
bomber z1es air sprung 150 mil 29
19:29
boost axle black all over all over with
19:33
some uh mazaki silver decals on yep
19:37
rebound rail adjustment just very nice
19:41
nice yeah really good really good uh 29
19:44
or 275 plus or 27 and just higher it's
19:49
fine you know if you want to jack up
19:52
your front end a bit you can run there
19:53
that F trying to think last time I saw a
19:55
275 plus bike set to suppose you could
20:00
go you could mullet it couldn't you be
20:01
like 275 26 at the back or
20:04
something for like a park bike
20:09
jumpy oh yeah thing Free Ride there's
20:12
some free ride machines coming out 2726
20:14
mullets I
20:15
think yeah I think so and of course
20:18
braer rides
20:19
Maries yes he does on a GT rip you're
20:24
still riding on a GT though apparently
20:25
so yeah there you go so good well that's
20:31
it from us for this
20:35
week and we're not going to do anything
20:39
else this week because we're actually
20:40
recording this last week oh
20:44
God because I am as you listen away
20:47
somewhere
20:48
secret oh yes you're in a factory are
20:51
you yeah so uh we may learn about
20:55
Secrets next week so join us again then
20:58
thanks for being here this week well
21:01
confused
21:02
everyone
21:04
[Music]
21:17
[Music]
21:26
bye that's not a clue just throwing some
21:30
French that's not where I'm
21:33
going what cow ARA
21:37
diry God V saying throw them all in
21:40
that's all that's all of them that's all
21:43
language is it that would be terrible if
21:45
I went on holid not if I went not on
21:48
holiday if I went away on a work trip
21:50
it's not holiday definitely not and met
21:54
Mark there where are you going
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