Regular readers of this blog – and its predecessor – will know that I’ve been talking about getting a new bike for ages now. People who know me will not be surprised that so far, other than looking at a lot of pictures of bikes (mostly underneath chic Copenhageners), I have done nothing about it. The problem is, if I’m going to spend several hundred quid on a new bike, it doesn’t just have to be OK, or better than the old one, I have to love it. And all the bikes I see in shops, however expensive are just … OK. They’ve probably got all sorts of fancy alloys and any number of complicated gear things, and be full of all the latest bike technology but I look at them and think … meh.
The problem is, they’re sort of fat looking. Just as the great god of trousers has decreed that women may have waists, but no hips or hips but not waists, and the great god of car manufacturing has decreed that all cars built after 1985 have to have a rear end like a middle-aged banker in cords, the great god of bicycle design has laid down that all bikes which aren’t mountain bikes have to have fat looking tubes. No doubt there are sound design reasons for this and if you tell me what they are I will probably stick my fingers in my ears and start humming, but it means it just doesn’t look like a proper nice-looking bicycle to me. And the ones that do look like a proper bicycle (i.e. the picture in my head that I have when I think of a bicycle) either cost about a million pounds or are fixies (which may be well trendy and all, but not much good where there are hills) or have three gears and weigh a ton. Would it be sacrilege to put some gears and brakes onto a fixie just because I like the stripped down frame? Probably…
So I keep on looking, and meanwhile I keep on tying the mudguards back onto my bike with cable ties and hoping the rust on the forks is superficial and so far, it’s done me fine. And then, of course, I find the absolute perfect bike, and it doesn’t even come in my size.
Thanks to BikingInLA for the link…
Most if not all of the “fat tube” bikes are made from Aluminum…not my material of choice, but sometimes you don’t have the choice. Take a look at the Pashley line up. They are still made in the UK and are a traditional looking bike, but with many modern accouterments. I have bikes made of many different materials, but my favorites have always been the steel. My favorite bike to this day is my 1972 Raleigh Superbe built in the Nottingham works.
Aaron
are yes the good old horse bike, just the thing when you need something to do all the work.
Aaron – yes, the Pashley’s are probably closest to what I have in mind although they’re still not quite there. And your 1972 bike is probably closer – how come you don’t see bikes that look like that any more? Oh, and I’d probably need more than 3 speeds – I use all six of my gears at the moment
John – sadly, those don’t seem to come with any horsepower…
They are out there but not in great numbers. To much modernization going on….says the retrogrouch ;-P They now have internal geared hubs up to 14 speeds. I actually have a couple of old (mid 50′s) 4 speed hubs. The new standard is the Shimano 8speed Alfine, Sturmey Archer is still being sold but is now owned and manufactured by Sunrace in China.
Aaron
I was drinking a cup of tea whilst reading this terrific post earlier but when I clicked on the link I ended spluttering with laughter!
It may not come in your size but does it come in your colour?
Bastard, bastard, bastard. You’ve stuck a pin the size of a Saturn V rocket in my conscience. My New years resolution to myself for 2008 was to get out on my bike more. The poor thing has sat in my bedroom for yet another year (ground floor flat & a long story about not being able to leave it in the hall, which would make it easier for me to use it more. Don’t ask.)
It is my perfect bike & I love it. I should show my love by riding it. So my New Years resolution is to sort the flat out so I can use my lovely lovely bike.
Thank you.
Flighty – sorry about the tea spluttering. I’m not so sure about the pink one, but the all-black has a certain je ne sais quoi…
Cha0tic – glad to be of service. Get on that bike!
Style is everything – surely it’s worth squeezing onto one of those little bikes – I mean sure it’d be uncomfortable and you’d struggle to move at all – but it’d look great. What? You claiming to be practical about such things? Bang goes yer city gal credentials!
Y’know, there’s always eBuy…plenty of good old bicycles looking for homes and usually cheap too. Or try one of the recycling projects, there are links on my blog to the Scottish ones I know of…
If you fancy a rock-solid, classic bicycle with all the mod cons, try a Kronan, they’re based on a Swedish army bicycle – http://www.kronan.com/Cykel – and have great front and rear carrying capacity. The Kronan Lyx Cykel comes in at around £420
Dammit, now I want one!
RB: I’ve looked on eBay, but for bikes you really want something local. BikeStation in Edinburgh is a distinct possibility
Simon – I think with the ponypals bike, my city credentials are shot anyway