http://d2plslj6xljffa.cloudfront.net...CRFF-ZL_P7.jpg
http://d2plslj6xljffa.cloudfront.net...RFF-ORA_P3.jpg

UCI Compliant race bikes are all going to look the same.

I can do you a good price on a home made bamboo bike - if you ride a 56.

It really stands out.

Quote:
Originally Posted by calamarichris View Post
Sometimes the best way to stand out is to let everyone else make the effort; one morning I woke up and realized I was the only one without a tattoo, facial piercing, or social disease.
Get the bike that calls out to you and don't worry how it looks.

There is wisdom in this post.

thats why I posted the pics of the Pashley Guvnor .... class.... well made/hand made, extremely comfortable and a good price. You won't break any strava records though

I'd start with a Habanero frame which comes from xi'an changda titanium products with US quality control and warranty service.

You want

• Unpainted titanium . Almost everything new is carbon fiber or hydro formed aluminum. Almost everything old is round steel or aluminum tubes. Renovo hardwood frames are very distinctive, but out of your price range. Stainless steel is also too expensive and looks too similar to less uncommon titanium frames.
• Campagnolo. Shimano and SRAM essentially split the market now, and before SRAM Shimano owned it by a wide margin.
• Hand-built wheels that don't have the black rims and black spokes popular now or all-silver vintage look. Velocity has 32 hole rims in a rainbow of colors plus HALO retro-reflective.

For bonus points you can use a unique blend of used components.

I like 2004-2006 Campagnolo record derailleurs mixing silver alloy with carbon fiber making them neither contemporary nor retro. Campagnolo also briefly offered the combination for 11 speed Chorus.

Pre-skeleton Record and Chorus brakes with hidden pivots are attractive and distinctive, with 2001-2006 Record having titanium hardware which matches titanium frames (especially bead blasted, which has a dull grey look).

The 1997-2006 Record skewers are nicely sculpted with a skeletonized lever, and the distinctive D-ring on the nut is functional - it's a spring pushing pads against the threads which prevent rotation.

Apart from Bianchi celeste green I can't think of anything distinctive from the major manufacturers, and that difference is just skin-deep.

Agree, a LOOK or Time bike would be unique in a very cool way.

What is going to happen is that this guy will get a really super deal on some really sweet off-brand, oddity bike ... and next year, everyone he sees will be riding one because they liked his so much.

I think a large portion of the people hitting reply are missing the point.

I'll simplify it. Where I currently live there are two bike stores, Trek, Giant, Specialized, and Cannondale are what people ride down here because that's all that's sold. Take a two hour drive north and you've got a lot more options.

Like some had stated, I simply don't want the common bike sitting along the outside patio of the nearest cafe, which where I live are the bikes mentioned previously.

I'll more than likely stick to something along the following brands: Pinarello, Cervelo (yes again), Bianchi, Wilier, BMC, Colnago.

Thanks for the replies. I've had some good laughs while on pain meds trying to recover from my broken collarbone.

https://c6.staticflickr.com/9/8850/2...444b634f_z.jpg

LOOK

Sold my SLATE to fund this build. Ride like a dream. This build is slight heavier than the supersiX but it rides and handles 1000x better.

I ride one of these:

http://www.foldingcyclist.com/Bike-F...lding-bike.jpg

It's definitely a conversation starter, especially on granfondos, cyclosportives and centuries.

Note: They're apparently no longer being made

I vote for BMC then.

It's a free country ... but when I see stuff like that I begin to question whether a "free country" is the best idea ... ;)

It's definitely a conversation starter, especially on granfondos, cyclosportives and centuries.

The power of the free market. :D

(I hope you understand how totally unserious i am.)

You know what the coolest thing is about that bike? Hub brakes. Disc brakes? Pshaw!

Ten years ago I was at the local Trek shop, they had two LeMonds Versailles, I bought one, best decision ever. No one was riding LeMond and to this day I seldom see them. I now have four, my favorite being my 2004 Arrivee, titanium frame unpainted, have yet to see another one.

This
Supercorsa

A frame that isn't in murdered-out black and has a downtube that isn't as wide as a beer can will most likely stand out, based on what you stated as the popular brands in your area.

I like, but in blue or light blue..

I love the look of Rite's If I was in the market for a new ride that's what I'd get. I feel the same way as the OP I could never ride a Trek,Specialized,Giant, fuji etc..... just to many of them, there's something fun about being on something unique.

I have a Blue currently and really love it. Ride Blue

Contact a local upholsterer/saddle maker. Ask what they'd charge to wrap a frame in leather, stitch it up like the steering wheel on a nice car.


If within budget, go for it.


I'd be happy to do it, but shipping would be a right pain.

That's an unfortunate web address.

I was going to suggest getting Workswell with custom paint, but a quality Chinese frame built the way you like with Huffy logos would be even better. There's a guy in C&V who commutes on a Ti bike with Huffy logos and no one looks twice at it, thinking it's a cheapo Al bike.

I a big focus fan, ride an izalco. That's a nice looking bike but that price tag seems steep - focus always delivered quality while keeping the price down but seeing a non-flagship in their flagship price range is worrisome when it comes to upgrade time.

Also, no sram choices but the 1x. :-(

When I was in your condition (pain meds and broken clavicle) I had a lot of time to think too. I finally decided it was time to get my "forever" bike, and go to a Titanium frame. My goal was to stand out in a subtle way. Every detail needed to be my choice, and I had the time to pine over it.

I ended up working with the folks over at Lynskey and selected a semi-custom R240 frame. From there, I ordered a set of Pacenti SL23 rim, gold nipples, polished hubs, and stainless spokes, and built up my own wheels. Cable housings are Jagwire gold braided. Cockpit is Ritchey Classic. Headset is Cane Creek 110 with polished cap. Saddle is fi'zi:k Antares. Gruppo is SRAM Force22 with a compact crank, threaded BB, and 11-26 cassette. Cages are Iris King Cage. I originally had SpeedPlay Zeros on, but switched back to the SPD-SL system.

It all came in about 2 weeks before my doc gave the all clear to ride, so I had time to learn, build it up, and fine tune everything. I spent a bit more than your budget, but not by too much. Also considering that I plan to keep this for life, it was well worth the dough (it also helped that the guy who hit me had insurance to pay me a fair amount for my totaled Scott Addict).

Here's a pic.
https://c8.staticflickr.com/1/585/20...43546ed4_c.jpgLynskey R240 Final Form by silversx80, on Flickr

Old school steel. Especially with a name like Colnago or a handmade. Run modern gear on it but the skinny tubes and lugs will get you attention if that's what you're after and ride better than many might suspect as well.

Suggestion
 

Buy yourself one of the chinese carbon frames, build your own bike. Paint it using Plasti Dip rubberized paint to your liking. Two tone, fade, patterned, whatever. Advantage with the Plasti Dip is it can be removed if you dont like it or get tired of it. Then have some vinyl decals made with a brand name and model of your choosing, preferable something you came up with. For example green fading to gray, with the brand Wildefire on the downtube, and model Smokejumper on the top tube. Other components can be as you wish. With youtbe videos on techniques, and creativity, you can easily have a unique bike.