General Cycling Discussion - Do you ride it or just have it to be pretty?

Allright, I wanna know who out there just has a bike to ride and who has one to be pretty. I look through countless posts about "I got a scratch onthe bike whaqt do I do???!!!" I mean really now.

I'm pretty enough already. My bike is for riding :-)

:roflmao:

I'll be the judge of that, but all right then. way to go.

Not me. Bikes are meant to be ridden.

I have a Serotta Legend Ti that I ride on weekends. My other bike is a Lemond Poprad that I use for commuting and unpaved road/trails. My third bike is an Italian club racer circa 1980 that I will eventually build back up with mostly Campy NR components. Since the chainstays have been coldset to accomodate a wider hub, I don't think I'll be going back to 5-speed.

OTOH, I was very upset when I got the first chip on the Serotta!

Good point. However, there doesnt seem to be anything wrong with riding a bike WITHOUT a scratch... :) I agree, many people are more into getting stuff and carrying about the bike components instead of actually riding it. :)

Bicycle junk yard, somewhere in Europe

http://www.op.spb.ru/aland/images/078.jpg

I ride my bike, but at the same time i try not to beat it up.

I'm a mtbr, if there is a scratch, so what, there will be more scratches in the future.

Scratches=battle scars. That being said, I still try to take care of my babies and don't particularly like when they get scratched.

Would anyone here admit if they only had it for show?

Scratches are like grey hair, they add character.

i will admit I do have some for show (read: just too old to ride) but the majority are for riding. I guess there are workhorses and showponies in everything.

to be pretty.

if the bike allows me to fly, then its beautiful to me.
My last bike had "12 Speed Racer" printed on it... I was able to scratch out the 12.
That bike is now named "Speed Racer".

first of all, I don't like my bike or any component to be scratched or in anyway damaged... I want it to last, it is my investment.. But as you ride it, scratches are inevitable, especially if you crash.

Money is tight, so I would like my bike to last and remain beautiful.. If ever it is damaged in someway, I try to remedy the problem..

BTW, I ride everyday...

Originally posted by Mad Dog JR
I ride my bike, but at the same time i try not to beat it up.

Ditto. My bikes tend to see quite a bit of rain and so on. Big deal. I still make the effort to keep them reasonably clean (although I'm less than perfect).

I seem to recall reading some statistics on the Bike Qld list recently that said the level of bicycle ownership in the general population has never been higher - and the number of kilometres/miles actually ridden has never been lower. The scary part is, I didn't find that surprising at all. :(

i ride my "pretty" bike... lots. it gets muddy, gritty from salt and grime in the winter and covered with blood(cherries and my own) usually spring through fall :) but it still stays "pretty"
i am trying out some mtn bikes so i can be a little more adventurous( bunny hops on a roadie are possible but very bruise inducing) and hopefully this one will be "ugly". however ugly=pretty to me.. sooooooooo how the heck do i get unpretty?

oh.. hehe , my hair after a 4 hour ride :D

Well I have a bike to ride, but see no reason not to keep it looking clean and well lubed (or as you say "pretty").

My 1978 Schwinn letour II still looks good and certainly has seen a lot of miles. we'll have to check on the newer bikes in about 15 years. I'll post back to this thread when I have the data.

Well I have a bike to ride, but see no reason not to keep it looking clean and well lubed (or as you say "pretty").

I agree. I ride off road mostly. Dirt and dings are expected. But after the ride, I still maintain it so that it looks and functions well for the next go around. IMHO, you can ride the wheels off your bike and still keep it looking good if you maintain it regularly. But I see where you're comin' from w\the thread title. There are those (and we all know some) that have a sweet bike, ride it once or twice a month at the park, stow it in the garage, then boast about how pretty and expensive their bike is.

My bikes were meant to be ridden and that's what I do with them. I try to keep them clean and nice looking but if they get a scratch or three along the way so be it.

Zack

Well I guess I will admit to it.

I have a road bike that I ride. It is scratched up so i try to ride where noone can see me. I'd be too embarassed

I have another bike, top-o-the-line frame and components that i strap to the car rack (on nice days) and drive around where cyclists hang out, wearing the hotest cycling clothes, pretending to be a big time racer. I get all the envious looks for these people and oh the ladies just swoon over my bike and my clothes.

I never actually ride the bike cause I may get it dirty or scratched as it was VERY expensive. But I admit it is for looks and that's all. Hey what else am i gonna do with my money. After all, looks are what matters not actually riding.

Oh and for those of you who will say that the lack of skinny legs will give me away. Well I am way ahead of you. i had them surgically altered to look like a cyclists legs. So there!

It's al about the looks not the riding.

Digger

oh brother!:rolleyes: HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

Depends on the bike.
If I had a Confente I'd ride it once or twice a year
on especially nice days.
For a 60's Cinelli, or Pogliaghi I'd ride them
but not as a daily rider.
If I had a curly stay hetchins, I'd ride it (but not in rain).
If its a new bike, I'd ride it all the time.
I believe there were something like 135 Confentes made
before Mario died, so it truely is irreplaceable (last one I
saw sold for over $6k), current owners just aren't selling.
so its less of "its a work of art" (besides aren't they all?)
than "Its really irrreplaceable".

Marty

One big benefit of my Peugeot UO-8 beater is that the paint and decals are already pretty banged up, making it potentially less attractive to thieves, and making it very easy to ride anywhere or park anywhere without worry. It reminds me of my starving student days at UCLA, when I carried a heavy case-hardened chain and rode some pretty ratty-looking bikes.

At the other extreme is the CyclArt paint job my Capo is now receiving. I still plan to ride the Capo frequently, but I shall be much more careful about how I park it.

I really don't like scratches on my frame due to the fact that I want it to last me for quite a while. Actually, it's not the scratches I'm worried about. If I treat my bike like crap and I let it get scratched, eventually I'll let the tubing get dinged. If I really wanted to look pretty, I'd let my bike get all scratched up so I had an excuse to buy the latest and greatest every 2 years. I take measures to ensure my frame doesn't get scratched, but I accept the fact that scratches will happen. Let me add that I'm only careful when transporting the bike. However, when it comes to riding, all bets are off. I'm gonna ride whether it gets scratched or not.

Besides, how many people out there spend thousands of dollars extra on a car just because it looks better? I'm sure quite a few. Honestly, who really needs a Subaru WRX. So what's wrong with spending an extra grand on a good looking (and riding while I'm at it) bike? To each his own.

Just slightly off topic, I find that most of the scratches on my bicycles are from bike racks and moving it around while working on something else at home. I don't get much in the way of scratches while riding on the road, and only very small chips from the occasional pebble. As for dirt, well it washes off easy enough.

I try my hardest to keep my "pretty" bike clean. However, the scratches that are there are like scars. I earned everyone of them the hard way (literally).:p

I have chips, scratches, dents, half broken deraileurs (they still work and I refuse to give my money away), my seat is partially torn from a crash and my chainstay looks like a beaver ate it. I love my bike thats why I treat it so well. :) Only 1 yewar old and it is alreayd fully grown up :)

my bike is a frankenstien anyway, scratchs are of no concern. I just let half a dozen or so guys at work try it out only one put it on its side. the others where close but i wasnt worried. this thing just hast to last untill i loose enough weight and can save enough money to get my first real recumbent. that bike will be another story. even though it will be just a stepping stone to the even more expensive one that i want. i have to prove to myself as well as the wife that ill ride it enough to make it a good investment...

If I were mostly worried about how other people thought it looked, I probably wouldn't ride something 7 1/2 feet long.

Originally posted by juciluci
...and covered with blood(cherries and my own) usually spring through fall :)

Your own?

Why do I get the feeling I'm going to regret asking that? I thought you would have learned to leave the tomcats behind when you ride by now! :p

I don't like getting scratches on my new Scapin or my '87 Paramount or my MTB. Just like I don't like getting scratches on my car. And its my money, so if I want to spend it on the trickest gear that is my business. Even though I only ride about 4,500 miles a year, I still enjoy doing so and that is also my business. Even if it included sitting around at the bicycle watering-holes and looking good (which I don't - and couldn't look good if I wanted to - ask my wife).

I beat up my bikes as much as my jeep. Don't give two hoots about scratches, just working, smooth components.

Bikes are made to be ridden, but you don't have to beat the living crap out of them. I feel if you take care of them they will take care of you.
Pat

I guess I don't worry about scratches very much, I guess because 1. I always have a backup bike if one breaks, and 2. I like working on bikes to begin with, and painting them is even more fun.

I am pretty enough for both me and my bike, so no ever notices whether or not my bike is pretty or not.

my bikes are too pretty to damage so i just sit in the parking lot and look good on them

Originally posted by KevinG
I am pretty enough for both me and my bike, so no ever notices whether or not my bike is pretty or not.

dude you ride?

You tell me...

I took my bike in to the shop for a tune up. The mechanics know me by name 'cause I'm always breaking something...and they bust me because it's never clean (the drive train is though!), dented and dinged like crazy.

So my response:
"Unlike some foofie boys...I don't sleep with my bike..I RIDE my bike!"

Originally posted by The Toninator
dude you ride?

Not in this weather! Damn I hate the rain!!

Originally posted by jcivic00
Allright, I wanna know who out there just has a bike to ride and who has one to be pretty. I look through countless posts about "I got a scratch onthe bike whaqt do I do???!!!" I mean really now.

Getting a scratch on certain bikes can be a real cause for concern (ie. carbon fibre) especially if it's being used. However, I regard wear and tear on a bike as secondary to the pleasure of actually riding it.

Me. Pretty.

Bike. Pretty.

Trails. Dirty.

Therefore: Me and bike also dirty.

I ride a bike to ride a bike not to have it sit and look pretty. But I like bikes that look nice and would only ride one that does. I like mine, but I also like most lugged steel bikes such as Colnago Master X-lite, Cinelli Super Corsca, Tommasini Tecno, Waterford with stainless lugs etc. Would I ride any one of those bikes? Sure and without any fear over getting it scratched. I have an excellent condition 67 Ford Galaxy 500 convertable, do I worry about it getting scratched or dented in a wreck? No. because the love of driving that car outweighs the disappointment of having it wrecked; the same is true for the bike. In fact, I would be more disappointed if I did not drive or ride it due to fear of damage!!

Did that make any sense at all?

Pretty bikes are meant to be ridden. Car and Driver mag had a recent article who has an F-40 Ferrari. He drives it every day around town.

I've got an old Pinarello Montello with Campy C-Record that once restored will be my sunny Sunday afternoon bike but my other bikes I ride every day. Naturally if you commute your bike will get scratched and dirty, I clean my main rider every week and keep it perfectly tuned.