My wife owns a coffee shop and wants to hang a “cool” bike on the wall that is in the window.
Her idea of cool and mine are different...so I am curious as to what YOU think would be cool to see hanging on the wall.

This would NOT get ridden, and she prefers Patina to a true wall queen.

Suggestions and pics pics would be great.

Linn's Restaurant in Cambria has these Bianchis. Not sure what the tandem is. Linn's is a sponsor of Eroica, and the owner is a collector.

You've answered your own question in the first two sentences. Neither our input nor your input are are at all relevant to the party who owns and presides over the establishment in question.

First thing that came to mind was a British 3 speed.

Grungy, rusty, balloon-tired heavyweight. A 1930s - 1960s Schwinn, Wards, Hawthorn, etc. Something with a dorky "gas tank" sorta useless decorative appendage and ridiculously elaborate chain guard. Coffee people are not generally vintage racing bike people.

(Although many vintage racing bike people are indeed coffee people; but that is a a very small subset.)

His and hers.

Either a Schwinn Varsity or a Pee Wee Herman balloon tire bike, i.e., something lots of customers would recognize and relate to.

This.

I could think of a lot worse things she could hang on the wall.... Actually sounds kinda cool.

These are too new for her...

This is what started it, we have a Woman’s British 3 speed, that has been painted Army Green on our fence and that was what she was talking about. But...

THIS!!!! I know will be what she likes. That is exactly what her mind wants but didn’t know existed...perfect. Thanks.

You are sort of correct...we are both owners of it, but in the end it is her shop. Hanging a bike as decoration is in honor of me....while I don’t have a LOT of say about what happens, I do get to “offer advice” and nudge in some directions.

Admittedly, the hoi-polloi would probably go nuts for it.

-Kurt

Certainly better as decoration than mode of transport.

Maybe a Penny Farthing?
Jon

lower end french bikes look cool and can usually found for short money on CL. I think they're cool looking.

A teal English three-speed, ladies' model.

Because somebody has to be "that guy"

Edit: But seriously, working in Architecture, I can say no one here has the first darn clue. What's the vibe of the place when standing in the middle of the room ? What's the clientele ? What demographic is she trying to attract ? Is she looking to be active in attracting the bike crowd ? A rusty bike from the 20's could be all wrong for the space, or just perfect. Does it feel like Brooks Brothers or Chipholte ? Worlds apart.

The more I think about it - an older Trek may be the best neutral choice. Made in the USA. Speaks to all generations. New enough to be current and not outdated. But still.......without seeing the space .... a bright red 330 could be perfect or stupid

For example - not gonna hang a 100 year old bike in this space. It just wouldn't work. This space has that hip urban feel. Nice choice in bikes. Current. Speaks to the clientele. It just works. Also be careful about hanging anything dirty and or rusty in an establishment that serves food or drinks, especially with tables nearby / under / next to. Unless you are gonna give it 30 coats of clear. Especially in California where you can barely open a carbonated beverage without a permit. Yea, I've done some work out there. Your codes are nuts !

Hang up this mutant eyesore at closing time, you'll have no problem clearing the place out😲

You are correct. Nobody knows what will work best in her space...except her. The whole point of this thread, my goal, was to get suggestions of different possibilities to SHOW her so that she can make an educated decision about what to oook for. She is not using this piece to attract a crowd, but rather to decorate the place. She has a strange little nook that is completely useless, space wise, other than to have some sort of window decoration. It is about the perfect size to hang a bike and because I like bikes, she thought it would be cool.

I showed ger her several of these, and she is still for an English 3 speed. Go figure.

Thanks for playing.

Well that bike certainly gives off a very specific vibe - and she probably does know best. Browsing google images can be very inspirational. "Bikes in restaurants" "Bikes in coffee shops"

Well, I think an old English three-speed would be good for a tea room, but not a coffee shop.

I like the idea of an old clunker with "patina". If it's not going to go anywhere, you might as well get something that can get dusty and no one will notice.

FWIW: the owner/operator of Kinetic Koffee: https://www.kinetic-koffee.com/ is an old friend and former bike shop manager. He's definitely a "bike guy" and a "coffee-guy".

Thanks. I will keep looking and making suggestions.