^^^
Hot.


I'd say put the decals back on. They aren't TOO overdone, and break up the all black a little bit.

Nice.

I'm one of the few that usually likes decals but those Cosmic ones don't do it for me. I vote no decals.

the Guru is HOT. i say lose the decals. ive never been a fan of those wheels.

Thanks. If I lose the decals, and decide I want white on the bike, I can always use it as a reason to just get new wheels.

Here's my bike, I have it coordinated for my red water bottles, and I forgot to take the spare tire off for the picture

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...e/IMG_6513.jpg

My '99 Tommasini Tecno with early 10sp Record. I liked it. Alot.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=204748
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=204749

https://www.me.com/ro/aaronmann/Gall...13072286840001

Trying for better pic, hopefully this does it.

great shot,
what's the trick to have the bike stand on its own ?

Have someone hold the front wheel then crop the image. Or photoshop.

Definitely hot. :thumb:

island rider's Guru. ilovecycling's Look 595. Dean V's Colnago and custom tandem... HOT!!!

In keeping with the much needed nudge back towards a "There Can Be Only One" attitude in this thread, I must say not. Please do not be upset that I am using your bike as an example. It is a proper race bike and no amount of strongly worded suppositions can take that away.

To start, there should never be a need to apologize for presenting your bike with a tubular tire tucked under the seat when you are using tubular wheels. You should bear in mind that there are certain protocols for showing every bike in an equal light that are merely suggestions and are free to be topped once you understand the reason they are suggested. I would suggest adding your red bottles if they completed the effect you desire.

To my eye the addition of red does not go well with the rest of the bike. Debadging the wheels and using either a matching blue or black set of hoods would make the bike more visually appealing and not hurt performance or feel while being ridden. Even with those two things, and the fact that you are already miles past what most achieve, you should be applauded but not lauded as having a truly stellar machine.

Being a mass produced bike with no true custom element, but simply a tasteful assortment of aftermarket accessories is not hot.

I agree that red on a black/white/blue bike decreases the not factor tenfold.

alright, let's see your ride then, if you know so well what is and what is not "hot"....

Maybe I should clarify where this is attempting to be steered. Anyone is free to post a picture and description of a bike they believe is a step above the rest, or clearly wacky and open for discussion. This is not the place to show off your maladjusted Walmart Schwinn or everymans commuter. Numerous people are bound to observe said bike and if it stirs enough emotion to draw a response they are free to praise or lambaste your personal vision of perfection.

My bike is far too common and still is wearing through most of the stock parts in its duty as a commuter. This is well in line with my long term decision to ride the wheels off of it, and only then, rebuild it to match my ideals. I'm no ones boss but I liked the idea of putting this thread back to reality. So I respectfully decline to post my bike as I don't think it is hot. It sees a lot of miles and is treated as well as a workhorse should be but it will never be a beauty queen.

My point is that while you can have an opinion of what is hot and what is not, you don't get the right to imply that he shouldn't be posting his bike because it doesn't meet some arbitrary standard you have set. Your post came across unnecessarily condescending, especially with your last parting shot. Have an opinion if you must, provide constructive criticism if you must, but don't tell him that he failed to live up to your standards because he forgot to remove his spare tubular, or some other such trivial BS.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, hence the title "Hot or Not". Im sure Brian knew this before posting a photo of his bike. Some folks post just to see if they can improve anything on their bike. You dont have to own a cool looking bike to know what one looks like.
I personally think Brian has a cool bike, I would just swap out the red hoods for black and remove the red decals from the rims and use a better camera to take the picture.

Polar opposite point of view:

I appreciate race bikes. Brian's bike is a pure race bike in every aspect. The SRM, the Lightning (I think, might be Specialized) crank, and the "mass produced" S-Works frame have more character than a boutique shelf candy bike will ever have.

Wha**********??

This is all about focusing on trivial perfection and being politely condescending and funny.

True, but hotness is relative. I find race bikes like that Specialized to be the quintessence of function. Function, to me, is hot. I have more love for a bike with a deliberate race type frankenbuild, than one that looks like it doesn't get used at all.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...Incomplete.jpg

14.9 lbs Ti :D

SnowTown, you know it's hot...

+1, what frame is that?

hot.

Hot, but photograph it in even shade. Direct sunlight is harsh and not complementary to the subject.