The bike is hot (as much as a Cannondale can be), but this nuance of brand-matching these pieces escapes me, beyond some vague aesthetic improvement perspective. Yeah, okay, its consistent with the color scheme and all that, but for me doesn't make real difference. Maybe if it wasn't FSA it would, I dunno? I went through that once and outfitted my bike with Zipp bar, stem, and post, but no longer feel the need.

Yeah, it's all aesthetic, but to me it shows intent. You could have all different parts, but it seems like a simplicity in design type thing. You could have all different parts, but it adds that extra little bit of hotness by thinking through the design of your bike, and getting the same stem/seatpost.

If you're trying to do things well, I think that your cranks should either match the rest of your group (shifters, derailleurs and maybe brakes) or can possibly be matched to your stem/seatpost if the manufacturer does all three.

Just my $.02

I'm not a big fan of white bikes, but this looks good.

While I'm at it... The exicution of this bike is very nice! I love the green!! Hot!!!

I'll add 2 more. I personally like to match the cock pit as much as I can. A hodge podge of parts on a bike makes it look like it was put together with spare parts from the bin. Maybe a brake set or even a crank set of different brand would be ok, but stem, bars and post that match in brand looks much better as a well thought out plan setup.
Cheers

Get a life, weirdo. You've got serious issues if you're lusting after 'white bikes.' :)

+1

Maybe to you it looks better, but personally I focus on things like weight, comfort, or effectiveness for my use before I worry about whether the pieces all have the same white stripe or logos or brand name. In reality, everything is supposed to be plain unadorned black anyhow. It goes faster. Feel free to keep your opinion, though.

Huh?

Intent? The primary thought that ought to take place in regards to designing a machine to perform is not whether brand matches but, whether components come together in a form that serves the purpose best.

Anything else is poser bull****. ;)

While I appreciate the sentiment, I think it's a wee bit extreme. We are talking about bike stuff, here - despite the religious zeal that some display, a lot of is it is mechanically simple, which leads to a fairly level playing field with lots of valid choices. In the frequent event that parts from Brand A and B are functional equivalents, it's not surprising (or bull****) that aesthetics would tip the scale one way or the other... I think it's pretty expected, actually.

Personally, I'd like to see more places sell stem/bar/post sets instead of as individual matching pieces. The only place I've seen them sold as a set is on Chinese knockoff sites. With that said, mine don't match brands only finishes.

All of my bikes have 3t cockpits...mostly because I like the ergonovas and got a good price on the LTD's and they make the all black team stealth stem. I wouldn't hesitate to change them if something else came along that suited me tho.

I agree with you here. I would definitely go with the aesthetic I prefer all else being equivalent.

I'm in the process of stripping down and rebuilding my bike. I would have liked to had gone all Zipp with the cockpit, but that won't be the case because the stem geometry just won't work out as well as the Thomson I bought in lieu of the Zipp. The Zipp stem(s), no matter which, would not place my bars where they belong for me, close maybe, but not right. In that case it would have been silly to let brand matching take precedence over function.

Agree 100%.

We have enough petty rules to this thread and to bike posting in general to add more.

You look at the bike and you can tell at a glance whether it's hot or not, whether it appeals to you or not. It's simple. It's a gut reaction.

You guys are starting to treat this crap like it's a dog show or something. Not only is it silly, but it's mean-spirited. I'm not having it . . . enough with the silly rules!

Maybe you guys lost sight of the fact - or maybe never realized it - but the original rules like the white garage door and such were in fact a joke. The fact that a plain white background has considerable merit eventually lent credibility to the custom. It just makes the bike stand out better, aiding viewing. But all the rest of the so-called rules are crap, and we sure don't need new ones.

Don't take this to mean you can't make comments about a bike. It's not my intention to stifle the worthwhile merits of this thread. Constructive criticism is valuable and encouraged. But you don't need to get nasty about your comments. You don't need to get mean-spirited. Maybe it would help to use this simple exercise - Ask yourself if you would make the comment to that person's face. If not, then maybe you should keep it to yourself.

And please don't hand me the BS excuses about somebody has "thin skin" or they need to "grow a pair", this isn't junior high school. I won't tolerate thinly veiled bullying or thuggery in here! You can take that meanness to some other forum!

90% of this thread is poser BS... LOL

Oh, the irony.

Yep! ^ What he said. As far as white bikes go, that CAAD10 is probably the best looking one to grace this thread. And I STILL wonder if it would look better without the white saddle and bartape? The stem and seat post look great in black!

haha

Dammit, there are rules!

Velominati ? The Rules

:)

yo! someone needs to post a hot bike!

Smoking hot!

Hot

Hot doesn't seem to cover it. Absolutely stunning.

^should've went with all ENVE then bro! That would be HAWT.

Your bike took my breath away.

https://31.media.tumblr.com/efb62ec0...ltN1qk52jj.jpg