Inertianinja

i'm the first to admit that i understand very little about bike geometry.

but i saw this and i was like....uh.... wat.

Inertianinja

another:

CCrew

Second one is a vintage TT bike. See a guy riding one every time my son goes to a particular race series. Definitely strange. But imagine both with base/aero combinations for handlebars.. That's how they originally came.

Inertianinja

so what's the deal with that geometry? is that just really aggresive? these seem like bikes people would be using for every day, but it looks uncomfortable to ride.

JohnDThompson 

The first bike looks like a pursuit frame, with an extremely short wheelbase to allow close drafting in the team pace line. I agree that it is unlikely to be comfortable for everyday riding; with the risers especially it shouts "poseur" on the street.

The second bike, as mentioned above, is a time trial frame; properly built, it should have drop bars or bull horns, not risers. While not as aggressive as the first bike, it's still unlikely to be very comfortable on the streets. Once again, risers and such on a full-on track frame shout "poseur" for me.

bbattle

These bikes aren't for riding distance, mostly around town, campus, etc. Track geometry looks cool but you're right, not the most comfortable ride.

The gold bike looks particularly jackass; if you'd like to see more, go here. ==> LINK

Your fixie hipster often prefers risers because that's what his bmx or mountain bike had and you can do barspins with risers. You'll see risers cut really short on some bikes. Ridiculously short. Bike suitable only for low speed riding, tricks, and posing.

Sixty Fiver

This has been something that has been going on for a very long time and it once seemed to be a case of folks wanting to emulate their perception of what a messenger was... as an ex messenger I can rightly call these folks posengers.

The messengers here do not ride bikes like this as when you spend a day in the saddle and really need to fly this setup does not work.

It has taken on a life of it's own and personally, if a person enjoys riding their bike who cares what it looks like ?

I have ridden bikes like this and do not like them in any way... the position is bad, the hand positions are limited (1), you can't get aero, and track bikes are probably the worst choice for an urban bike that is going to see some miles. But for tricks and impressing people..they seem to work pretty well.

For a short trip it would be okay... almost any bike is good for that.

Inertianinja

these pics are from https://www.brakeless.ca/ btw.