Top tube padding or no?
 

do people get top tube pads for their fg/ss bikes or no cause sometimes i would lean my bike against a pole or something and it scratches my bike. if i do will i be judged as a hipster? thanks.

Yup, scarlet H. Sorry. Don't worry, scratches make your bike cooler.

i hear bubble wrap is in

dunno, if i use bubble wraps people might think im poor and make fun of me.

They already make fun of you.
Pipe insulation works well.
Don't worry, no one will ever mistake you for a hipster.
I know. I'm a hipster and I never see you at the meetings.

Worrying about what people will think of you makes you a hipster by default. Ride the bike you want, the way you want and you'll only ever be mistaken for yourself, whatever that may be (I know I have people confused)

The truth about top tube pads.
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lk...zogeo1_500.png

If you want a top tube pad, get one. They are great for a rider who lock up all the time, and they serve other functions as well; they hide unsightly unused cable guides, hide brand decals, protect from some handlebars, protect from bar mounted baskets, and the list goes on.

if you worry if people think you are a hipster,

that makes you a hipster.

and it protects your balls in righteous crashes.

Padding just the top tube will most definitely make people think you are a hipster. The only way way to avoid this is by padding all the tubes. Don't neglect a single tube either or people will think you're just a poser, so make sure you pad the seat stay bridge as well. Hell, even get your saddle rails for max street cred.

max cred


http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=340032

http://i.i.cbsi.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim2/2...9/bubbike1.jpg
Wrap all the things.

ive used one but it just gets stolen

My bike that I've had for less than six months has well over 10 through the paint scratches and a dent in the top tube, ride your bike you feline.

This.

And this. By the way my bike had scratches before it was cool.

Weight savings and less aerodynamic drag without one bro

My kids have pads on tier bikes.... but they are 4, 6 and 8 years old.

The also have my little pony stickers and monster truck stickers, so you may want to get some of those too.

Who gives a ****, honestly? Try doing what you want.

One of my bikes has a top tube pad the rest don't. If you want one put one on. You can also wrap your top tube in electrical tape that will protect from scrathes.

You've got to watch this, there's a whole My little pony culture called Bronies now - yup, teens and adults watching My little pony and talking about it on the interweb just like we do with our fixies.

There are times when I despair for the human race.

I was equally shocked when I was at a hotel hosting the Jem-Con, yes a convention around the "Jem" cartoon from 1988.... luckily, due to children enabled with NetFlix and my childhood, I could play off enough cartoon knowledge to get free admittance to the convention show.

Needless to say, I learned there are many people that have an affection, nay passion, for television programming some of us have merely enjoyed...

To some, My Little Pony and Jem is more than magic friendship.... it's "bro-ship".

I'm kind of getting this "beating up your bike is cool" vibe in this thread. No. Taking care of your tools so they last longer is cool.

Hey bros, My bike has 30 scratches and 3 broken spokes. The seatpost is seized in the frame and I haven't greased or lubed anything since I bought it. How ****ing street cred am I dudes!?

I think it's more of a "riding your bike and not worrying about it" is cool. I doubt anyone would say you shouldn't take care of your equipment, but a bike will get scratches through the course of normal use, there's no sense in getting too wound up over it.

tl;dr - Take care if it, but don't freak out over normal wear and tear.

"Wabi-sabi represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. [...] Characteristics of the wabi-sabi aesthetic include asymmetry, asperity (roughness or irregularity), simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty, intimacy and appreciation of the ingenuous integrity of natural objects and processes."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-Sabi

Note that sabi literally translates as "rust," although we wouldn't go so far with our bikes.

Dunno, we've seen some bikes on here where a solid mass of rust would be an improvement.