For those reading who may not necessarily be a “bike geek” or hold any appreciation at all for a well made bike, you’re probably wondering what the hell this is all about. Well, it’s like the perfectly aged and tempered wine to a wine connoisseur, the Bugatti Veyron to the super car fanatic, or, to a skier, being the first one down a slope covered in three feet of fresh pounder. It’s one of those things that can’t be explained. It’s just understood by those who have a passion for it.Although owning and riding these works of art would be the ultimate, just like that perfect bottle of wine, the Bugatti, or that fresh powder, we can’t always have it and that is the essence of this series of blog entries.
Just like a supercar fanatic will go to magazines or websites to read and look at the Veyron, the skier will leaf through mags or live vicariously through forum entries, I’m attempting to forward that sort of experience to my bike brethren. I hope that helps.
Now back to our regularly scheduled program.
The first couple were taken from the Independent Fabrication blog where I spent far too much time the other day. I hope they don’t mind me posting these. Both of these examples are absolutely breath taking.
The first is of one of their custom commuters built up with old-school XTR cranks, derailleur and brakes. How many of you remember those old Syncros stems? The rims, having been painted to match the frame, is a nice touch and the saddle coordinates well with the decals to balance it off nicely; a great looking commuter indeed.
The next one left me speechless it’s so nice. I have nothing to say still except I wish it was mine. Assembled for Kevin who is part of Team New Beige (IF Factory team) I’m fairly confident that there are guys on the course who will be cursing their sponsors wondering why their bikes don’t look this freaking rad. If it performs as well as it looks (I’m sure it does) there are definitely some podium finishes to be had.
Now, look at this specimen right here! This one was submitted via MTBR and it made me lean forward towards my screen to get a closer look! Yet another great example of what we, as thinking human beings, can accomplish. This would make any trail more exciting to ride and believe me, I’d love to take this one out for a spin. The mix of new and old is perfect and seems right at home on this refinished-and-disc-tabs-added 1998 Fat Chance. An out of this world addition to the collection for sure; thanks for the submission! Very nice indeed. It’s also nice to see it’s getting dirty too!
Lastly for today is a bike that I personally dig a lot. Partially just because I love the Surly blue but I also wanted to post it because I wanted to prove to people that I don’t only select or appreciate bikes that cost more than the average national deficit. This Surly is a real beauty and simple. It really inspired me to consider heavily the possibility of adding a Karate Monkey to my quiver. I’m still leaning towards the Niner M.C.R. 9 but the Surly isn’t out of the mix yet and this bike is the reason for that. I love it. Two thumbs up! Way up on this one!
I've got tons to come so keep checking in if you're into it. Let me know what you think and be sure to submit some pics!
Cheers and thanks for looking.
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