Well...submitting for the criticism once again. Yeah...I know, the bike positioning is off, this is the only picture I have a the moment. This was taken in the spring, went to a 5800 group with some new cables and bar tape...

Fire away...

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42...psdroskn2n.jpg

I have generally ambivalent feelings about all newer Specialized bikes-- they all look inoffensively similar-- but there's something too matchy-matchy about this one. I'm a big fan of the accent color, and fully understand red-black-white as a theme, but this is taken perhaps too far. Ends up "busy." It is neither hot nor not hot, but something in between.

Nope. This is the thread I am thinking of.

Bad ass wheels!

Whoa. I was not aware of so many pic requirements. Thanks for the info.

Now I know never to post a bike pic without my pro photographer. :)

By photographing it correctly, it shows off how nice your bike really is. They are not rules set in stone, but I have seen people chastised in both Hot R Not threads for not following it. Some of that stuff is just normal stuff, like tires lining up with the valves.

Even a plain bike will look really nice when properly shot. Not my bike, just used for an example.

http://brimages.bikeboardmedia.netdn...er_Full_DS.jpg

I can definitely see that...the red is a thing some don't like. In person, some compliment the package, some criticize it. I either get the "Man, I really like that red on there" or "Not so sure about that red accents..."

The frame was an odd duck Team Saxo race frame replica (given that it's not the S-Works)...so it is very busy, that's for sure. That's why I just ran with it and will openly admit that it is super busy...

I actually agree with you.

I will be back for redemption later :D

Eat it lightweight boys :p

http://i.imgur.com/HXOAV.jpg

Not.

The red is too much...I'd go all white with black tires and stop trying to match the little red in the frame. Nice bike, but way too much red. Nothing can help this look good.

Nothing speedy, nimble or graceful (common characteristics of gazelles) about that.

The couch or the bike?

Get rid of the 2 color grip tape either red or white, but not both and red tires? Seems like you really like the color red and are really trying to add it to the bike so it just comes off as desperate.

Has potential, but it’s a NOT as is.

"desperate"? Nah, I don't think I'd call it that...it's a bike, I like having fun with it. The bar tape is something I can screw around with...I started out with white/black tires orgingally:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42...psc0f37f5f.jpg

It just didn't pop much so I decided to have fun with it. I ran this tape last year:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42...psf6c75c03.jpg
It was "loud", I got a kick out of it.

This year was the Supakaz red/white transitioning tape...just for the heck of it. I'll probably go back to white next year.

Wow that was so much better. I hear you on the make it "Pop" thing that seems to be the fad now and days. Lots of kids die their hair funny colors, and buy bright colorful clothes. Some even get jobs at clowns in a circus ;0)

LOL...I don't take myself too seriously. I'm a 38 year old guy with slight man boobs that dresses in cycling clothes that may be illegal within 50' of a public grade school...I gave up on fancy cars years ago, my bike is my only real "toy" I can mess around with.

On a side note...while the Supacaz tape is really neat stuff (the red portion is actually a completely different material than the white so the drops have more grip/less pad then the tops), I won't get the red/white again...It's not my favorite.

I'm not sure I'd all that a "plain" bike. Hot.

Also, regarding the specialized...the new crankset looks fantastic, the red tires not so much. I won't fault the bar tape because I'm a fan of the supacaz stuff myself (still, I might opt for the black with the red print option for next time).

http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/...2017.20.48.jpg

The wifes bike.

I dig this! Hot!

Da bike☺

I think this is hotter than hell. I wish it was mine, but it is just something I found on the interwebznet.

I disagree.
It seems to me that the purpose of standardized, static and clinical photos like this is that they make for fair comparisons. They present the frame, wheels and components in a way that makes them as clear as possible in a single view, to facilitate scrutiny. However, these views often fail to capture a bike's overall appeal, and often make bikes look more plain than they would when experienced normally.
What we can tell from the photo above is that the bike has a finely constructed frame, expensive components, and gorgeous red paint. The set-up is classic, but frankly, aside from the paint, it's not the least bit eye-catching or charming. The photo may reveal it to be a high-quality bike, but it's far from 'hot.'
And by the way, the tires are misaligned a bit - valve aligns with 'M' in 'COMPETITION' in the rear, and is between the first 'T' and 'I' in the front - not centered in either case.

Not bad, but not hot. The bike, I mean.

He's from the Netherlands so that's actually a picture of his car.

I like how the branding says Gazelle, when it is anything from light, fast and nimble. To each their own though.