What makes a bike proper?
06-12-14, 02:37 PM
#26
Senior Member
T-Buckets, Fat Fenders, Rat Rods & vintage Ferraris are all proper. Maybe not to an OCD fan of one variety, but they're all appreciated by mechanically inclined folk.
I kinda' like looking at 'em all.... OK, maybe not the hybrids or Thrusters.
I kinda' like looking at 'em all.... OK, maybe not the hybrids or Thrusters.
06-12-14, 03:06 PM
#27
Banned.
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 1,535
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
A "proper" bicycle is one, upon which after mounting, you pay particular attention to your manner of speech, your style of attire, and your public demeanor. Yes! Now that would be a most "proper" bicycle! 
06-12-14, 05:45 PM
#28
Keep calm, Cycle on
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: New England
Posts: 844
Bikes: Pinarello F8, Bianchi ∞, Colnago SS, Niner MTB
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 117 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I think this one is the best definition yet.
06-13-14, 02:24 AM
#29
Full Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 272
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 42 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 35 Times
in
18 Posts
Any exploration into the definition of a "Proper" bike requires a trip to Plato's Cave to contemplate his Theory of Forms and the highest and most fundamental kinds of reality, as "Only knowledge of the Forms constitutes real knowledge." Or, you could just click here on the megathread to see my bike.
Call it predictable and safe, call it lacking a certain je ne sais quoi, but it establishes a baseline reference. Nothing is out of proportion. The tubes are not fantastical shapes. There is no disharmony in geometry, no crass advertising to spoil the view or sensibilities. Observe also the lack of paint, so often a springboard to bad taste.
While it won't be everybody's idea of a pinup, it should be helpful in the larger dialogue to be had about æsthetics and the beauty of truth.
Spot on, old chap. No matter how much money one has to blow on Grey Poupon, one can never truly "own" beauty. We can merely cluck at the absence of it, with tongue relocated to cheek.
Call it predictable and safe, call it lacking a certain je ne sais quoi, but it establishes a baseline reference. Nothing is out of proportion. The tubes are not fantastical shapes. There is no disharmony in geometry, no crass advertising to spoil the view or sensibilities. Observe also the lack of paint, so often a springboard to bad taste.
While it won't be everybody's idea of a pinup, it should be helpful in the larger dialogue to be had about æsthetics and the beauty of truth.
A "Proper" bike is owned by the Rothschilds, ridden in the Hamptons on a sunny summer afternoon, where you can place your fixie unlocked, just outside the Almond Al Fresco Bistro. You can there have your server stand by your side, as he spreads Grey Poupon upon your Oscar Meyer Weiner!
Last edited by 905; 06-13-14 at 02:39 AM. Reason: ligature love
06-13-14, 03:04 AM
#30
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Incheon, South Korea
Posts: 2,835
Bikes: Nothing amazing... cheap old 21 speed mtb
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Umm... All my bikes are 'proper' for the purpose I built them for. I don't care about aero tubing or flashy logos or pretty vintage components. I care that it performs the function it was built for as well as possible. pretty is just a bonus. I can't ride pretty but useless.
Example. This is my most useful and by far prettiest bike but many would call it an abomination of mismatched parts...
Example. This is my most useful and by far prettiest bike but many would call it an abomination of mismatched parts...
06-13-14, 05:30 AM
#33
Senior Member
What makes a bike proper?
A "proper" bike to me, has to be French. With all French components.
06-13-14, 05:46 AM
#34
Member
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Washington, D.C.
Posts: 36
Bikes: Bianchi Pista
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
06-13-14, 08:15 AM
#35
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Arlington, TX
Posts: 1,414
Bikes: 2008 Surly Cross Check, 2010 Fuji Track Comp
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 255 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
Umm... All my bikes are 'proper' for the purpose I built them for. I don't care about aero tubing or flashy logos or pretty vintage components. I care that it performs the function it was built for as well as possible. pretty is just a bonus. I can't ride pretty but useless.
Example. This is my most useful and by far prettiest bike but many would call it an abomination of mismatched parts...
Example. This is my most useful and by far prettiest bike but many would call it an abomination of mismatched parts...
06-15-14, 03:11 PM
#39
Clark W. Griswold
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: ,location, location
Posts: 13,523
Bikes: Foundry Chilkoot Ti W/Ultegra Di2, Salsa Timberjack Ti, Cinelli Mash Work RandoCross Fun Time Machine, 1x9 XT Parts Hybrid, Co-Motion Cascadia, Specialized Langster, Phil Wood Apple VeloXS Frame (w/DA 7400), R+M Supercharger2 Rohloff, Habanero Ti 26
Mentioned: 54 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4357 Post(s)
Liked 3,994 Times
in
2,665 Posts
A proper bike should wear a tuxedo and speak like Sean Connery (Bond, James Bond)
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
SpeedofLite
Classic & Vintage
11
12-12-18 07:59 PM
Unkle Rico
Singlespeed & Fixed Gear
24
01-15-15 07:50 PM
thenomad
Classic & Vintage
16
03-04-12 08:47 AM
