yamura

I too am guilty of just looking at and admiring them. Put in enough work riding, planning for parts swaps and re-fitting 'em I guess, so only natural to stand back and savor the result....and get ready for that next upgrade!

epiking

Ah...the relationship between man and machine. It's been a good one for me, the health benefits. Not to mention the fun I have actually riding them. I love to tinker on them, polish and maintain them, in return they take me places. I guess you can tell I am a mechanic at heart.

flan48

I'm certainly looking at my bike since I'm restricted from lifting weights and riding for 2 weeks as my back muscle injury heals.

Just awful!
Meanwhile, Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Best regards

NOS88

Bummer. Heal quickly.

Timtruro

I have often thought of converting my older Peugeot to a single or fixed gear. But every time I sit, look and contemplate, I arrive at a place that says she looks perfect just the way she is. I only ride her 3 or 4 times a season but when I do it's special. I have also used this one on the trainer which means riding her a bit more often. There is a beauty and elegance to a piece of machinery, shall I say art, that tells you not to mess with perfection.

Rowan

I think thirdgen over in the Road/41 forum has the right idea:

He's happily married to an art student turned personal trainer, who fully supports the concept. He also has done some quite interesting things with wheels and suspension springs from cars such as his Porsche to create some other furniture. Looks quite effective, too.

I always thought that if my original build-up of my Merlin C110 Works carbon bike didn't work, I could hang it on the wall as a piece of art.

However, having said all that, get a bunch of bikes together (like three thousand of them) in an Amsterdam parking station, and they start to look like a big car wreck. The Dutch don't revere bright colours for their bikes, and for me, it becomes too much of a good thing. Some people just don't get that, but that's OK... it's all beauty in the eye of the beholder stuff.

GeorgeBMac

Bill, I apologize for not being clear: That "Form vs Function" thing was meant as a rhetorical question and just didn't come off well.
... Actually, I was agreeing with you by trying to put it in a slightly different way!


But I (and I think most of us here) would strongly disagree with your self-assessment that you are 'not really very bright". Your posts prove you are dead wrong on that one!

Rowan

And now having met the man in person, I would even more strongly disagree with his self-assessment. He is an amazing man, and an inspiration to everyone here and beyond.

El Segundo

I look at my bikes daily and wipe and polish the shiney bits before taking off for a ride. Bikes are amazing instruments for transportation and pleasure with the simplicity of the design. Some are just plain beautiful perfectly proportioned. Case in point, a NOS Hetchins Magnum Opus just sold on eBay, looked like a piece of art with fancy lugs and curly seat and chain stays. Waaay out of my price range though.

qcpmsame 

S'okay George, I was not angry at all, I just did not understand what you were saying. (I told you I was not highly intelligent, or even moderately so, I, unfortunately, know my numbers and I just have to work really hard not to embarrass myself.)

No sweat at all, I would P.M. you if I had an issue with you, not make a public issue of things. Thank you Rowan, you are really kind, meeting you and Machka was a treat, we have to ride together sometime.

Now, lets give Blues Dawg his thread back and talk about looking longingly at our bikes.

Bill

rydabent

IMHO bicycles reached their zenith in the 80s. They had clic shift, and they had down tube shifters. With the down tube shifters, the bike was exceptionally clean with only 2 cables up on the handlebars. Also the down tube shifters had only the small turnaround at the RD otherwise the cable was free. This made the shifting the most friction free it ever was, and the need for adjustment was seldom needed.

Lastly most of the 80s bikes had lugged frames. It made them a thing of mechanical beauty.

Retro Grouch 

To me the ultimate is a well-done beater bike. It not only says what it's purpose is but it's also a reflection of it's owner. I've had the privilege of seeing David Bierbaum's bike. If we can get him to post us a photo, you'll see what I mean.

Rowan

It's odd, but I thought you might have brought recumbents into the discussion.

And on this occasion, I wouldn't have minded, because some of the recumbents, both bicycle and tadpole trike I have seen, have been pretty good looking machines in their own right.

The Cheetah trike out of Britain is one that comes to mind immediately; there are others, too.

To me, much has to do with the balance between wheel sizes... some work aesthetically, some don't (SWB bents don't do it for me, I'm afraid).

I-Like-To-Bike

The day I own a bike whose only use/value is visual aesthetics is the day I get rid of it.

Artmo 

I have too many bikes, both from a space and usage perspective, but I haven't the heart to sell any as I love them all: 1957 Maclean (dismantled in a box and waiting for me to decide whether or not to refurb it), 2004 Trek 2300, 2006 Pinarello Galileo, 2010 Scott CR1 Pro, 2006 Bianchi Pista, and, most recently, a 2011 Co-Motion Macchiato tandem. That beautiful tandem is the cause of lack of usage of the other bikes as my wife always wants to ride when I do. I guess I shouldn't complain about that; stoker is always right, so they say!

Ranger63

I come back from places like the north american hand built bicycle show or the cirque du cyclesime and another retro build begins or a current ride gets a mechanical facelift.
That said: I'm probably considered a heretic because: If it ain,t being ridden,it ain't stayin.
('course the closest I've come to a colnago has been the Kellog Built Columbus tubbed,campy equipped Ross Signature 294)

Rowan

So if you've had a bike that has seen you through, say, 30,000 miles of adventures as well as plain old commuting, you wouldn't consider keeping it for old time's sake? You have no emotional attachment to any bike?

eja_ bottecchia

I couldn't get rid of a bike that has seen me through thick and thin and has taken me through many adventures.

IF, however, I knew the bike would go to someone who could use it and would cherish it as much as I did, then I would

Ancient Mariner

I currently have 7 bikes out in the garage, and I love most of them. Two of them, not so much.

Only two are relatively modern:

1. 2012 Giant Defy Composite, my primary ride,
2: 2012 Specialized Rockhopper Hardtail 29er. I have no idea why I bought this bike. I don't enjoy riding it, and don't much like looking at it. I suspect it will be for sale soon.
The others are:
3. Mid-90's Specialized Stumpjumper, no suspension. A great example of early mountain bike design. Nothing trick about it except for the M2 metal matrix frame.
4. 1986 Fuji Opus III. Elegant in spite of the garish color scheme. I'm in the process of collecting the bits and pieces to restore the bike. It's completely original, and except for the normal perishables (tires, cables, etc.) in very good condition.
5. 1987 Miyata 912. Actually my brother-in-law's bike, but effectively abandoned to my care. I'm going to restore it to riding condition even though it's too big for me. I love the proportions of this bike, and can even ignore the pink trim.
6. 1988 Miyata Terra Runner. This is another orphan from my brother-in-law, and like the 912, I'm going to restore it mechanically. It's also too big for me, but I love having it around.
7. A 21-speed Townie I bought for my wife. She rode it once, and it now sits largely ignored in the garage. This is a bike I wish would just go away, but I don't know how to make that happen without offending my dear bride.

Anyway, the bikes I love most are the older, simpler, relatively low-tech machines that represent a high water mark of evolutionary design just before all the space-age materials and super gee-whiz crap took over things. There is an intrinsic beauty to a relative simple lugged frame with tidy welds and quality fit and finish. None of my bikes are exceptional, but in their day they all were solid examples of proven design.

StanSeven

I've got several bikes just like most of us hooked on cycling) ranging from my FG track bike to a CF road bike with Di2. Sure bikes are simple but the Di2 compared to the SS FG reminds me simple is relative. I'm not sure I know how to do anything other than simple adjustments with the Di2 so that likely is a trip to the LBS at some point. On the other hand, there's nothing I can't do with the FG, not that it needs much work at all. Even the track chain is so large and sturdy, I probably won't have to replace it, at least for a long time.

But as simple as bikes are, we can make them complex.

Rowan

There is one bike I would love to have, but never will. It is a Maruishi which belonged to my father-in-law, but I borrowed it and rode it as a single speed to do a century from Jasper to Ithabasca Falls and back on the day Machka and I got married. My FIL passed the bike on to a nephew to use as a commuter, but sadly, it was stolen. It was a lovely lugged steel-framed bike... at least I have pictures of it.

NOS88

You know, I was thinking that some guitar players and some cyclist have some similar traits - we own more than one. I've got more bikes than I can ride at once and more guitars than I can play at once. Each has a different voice and feel. Each has a place in what I want from my participation in the activity. Some get used more than others. Some were purchased, in part, because there is some eye candy involved (yet they still must be functional). And, the thought of giving up any of them makes me wince.

Last night I got all the guitars out and lined them up. As I looked at each one, I had thoughts and memories flood back about when and where it was used. The particular songs that sounded best on it, etc. This morning, drinking my coffee, I did the same with my bikes. I wheeled the two bikes into the sun room that were in other places, and just looked them over. The 80s Specialized Sirrus brought back memories of my first ride where I could keep up with the big dogs. The Jamis Eclipse reminded me of the leisurely rides with my oldest son as we talked about the meaning of life. The Colnago MXL brought back memories of wrenching next to 70 year old mechanic named Harold in the early 70s. He went on and on about this beautiful Italian bike in saw on the road a few weeks ago. Of course, it was a Colnago. And so it went. Each bike brought back moments that are treasures. Yes, some get more time on the road than others. But they do all get out and about every year.

billydonn

Count me among the appreciators too. For all the wonderful "utility" of riding them, it is just as enjoyable to admire their graceful lines, colors, etc. and think about changes that might make them even better.

There is a certain parallel with cars here I think, but it is easier for me to think only of utility in cars than in bicycles.

eja_ bottecchia

There is always that risk...that a cherished bike might be stolen.

Are you including your bikes in your will...with specfic instructions on what to do and/or how to dispose of them?

Rowan

That is a really interesting question. I don't have a will, although I should get one done. At this point, everything would go to Machka, and I think she would keep them all just for my sake (yes, we do love each other and cycling that much).

But then, the sentimental attachment to the bikes would end if I died, and therefore it wouldn't make any difference what happened to them. If Machka decided to sell them for one reason or another, it wouldn't upset the world, nor my ghost.