Why are most modern bikes ugly?

[SkipdiverJohn]

Let's face it, all frames are identical other than the colour schemes. In fact there is more variety of design in carbon frames with different tube profiles that there were in steel, monstrosities like the Flying Gate excepted.

I agree with the bit about CF frames having more variation than steel, but I don't think all conventional triangulated steel frames look the same at all. I own several steel bikes, none of which you could remotely call exotic, but nonetheless there are noticeable visible differences between them in terms of frame geometry and construction. One of my MTB's in particular, clearly has some old-school heavy roadster DNA in it's head and seat tube angles; it looks massively different to a steel racing bike from the same era with steep frame angles and a short wheelbase. If all my bikes had their decals removed and were all painted in an identical colour, I would still be able to immediately recognise which one was which just from looking at the frame silhouettes.

 

[Drago]

The sad thing is that by and large it isn't technology moving forward. Most of the changes are driven by marketing and the need to keep selling 'new' models.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

The sad thing is that by and large it isn't technology moving forward. Most of the changes are driven by marketing and the need to keep selling 'new' models.

Rampant Consumerism. The same reason most car manufacturers endlessly make totally pointless changes to things like the light clusters and front grille, so your brand new car looks visibly "old" a year after you bought it.

 

[screenman]

Rampant Consumerism. The same reason most car manufacturers endlessly make totally pointless changes to things like the light clusters and front grille, so your brand new car looks visibly "old" a year after you bought it.

Without which there would be far fewer jobs in the world. I like choices.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

. I like choices.

Do you enjoy being ripped off though? Selling someone a product one minute then cosmetically changing it frequently for no other reason than to make your recent purchase look old hat amounts to a deliberate destruction of the residual value of the thing you bought. It's a very questionable practice., and the "choice" is made for you by the manufacturer not wanting you to get years of service out of your new item.

 

[screenman]

Do you enjoy being ripped off though? Selling someone a product one minute then cosmetically changing it frequently for no other reason than to make your recent purchase look old hat amounts to a deliberate destruction of the residual value of the thing you bought. It's a very questionable practice., and the "choice" is made for you by the manufacturer not wanting you to get years of service out of your new item.

I said I like choice, does not mean I follow fashions. If you all only bought what we needed to live and not what we wanted would you have a job, I doubt many would. Designers and sales people create jobs.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Do you enjoy being ripped off though? Selling someone a product one minute then cosmetically changing it frequently for no other reason than to make your recent purchase look old hat amounts to a deliberate destruction of the residual value of the thing you bought. It's a very questionable practice., and the "choice" is made for you by the manufacturer not wanting you to get years of service out of your new item.

I've had new cars in the past when my job (ADI) required it. My practice now is to buy at under a grand and run them till they'll run no more. Even with an annual mileage of around 20k that practice has stood me in good stead for the last fourteen years (With the exception of a Rover 200 I paid £350 for, another £70 to replace the windscreen and owned for a whole week before the fecking head gasket blew).

 

[screenman]

I've had new cars in the past when my job (ADI) required it. My practice now is to buy at under a grand and run them till they'll run no more. Even with an annual mileage of around 20k that practice has stood me in good stead for the last fourteen years (With the exception of a Rover 200 I paid £350 for, another £70 to replace the windscreen and owned for a whole week before the fecking head gasket blew).

If other people did not buy where would yours come from.

 

[Smokin Joe]

If other people did not buy where would yours come from.

It needs people to buy second hand in order to make new car buying attractive. You wouldn't pay north of 10k for a car that was worthless when you wanted to change it.

The market needs all types of player to work.

 

[Ciar]

Give me a modern MTB over an old one any day of the week, so much nicer to ride compared to the old and i just prefer the look of them.

whereas i would happily take an old style BMX just the one below over any of the new ones

as for Road bikes pass, not my bag apart from the one i thrash to and from work.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I'd argue with that. A lot of recent changes in bike construction are driven by the fact that they provide a more efficient manufacturing process. Bills of materials are reduced, labour is reduced, assembly from a smaller number of stock components. That's just from a manufacturing point of view. On top of that, from an engineering point of view ther are arguments to be had as to whether modern BBs, headsets, freehubs, dual pivot brakes, disc brakes, lights, gearing systems etc are engineering improvements on what came before.

Before you get too rose tinted, I have two words for you: Sachs Huret. Every single bike in the 70s had exactly the blimmin same clunky SH derailleur (below the fancy price bracket where you might have Suntour or Shimano, or the really posh Campag) and the same godawful saddle clamp.

Don't get me wrong, I like old bikes. I've never ridden a bike that's not made of steel in my life. I have an 80s vintage Dawes. I like downtube shifters. I think quill stems can be things of beauty. But to say that modern bikes are purely built on fashion or cosmetic changes isn't really true.

Good post.

And I'll see your Sachs Huret and raise you Benelux

 

[raleighnut]

Good post.

And I'll see your Sachs Huret and raise you Benelux

Or Simplex.

 

[raleighnut]

Now you come to mention it they weren't all Sachs Huret. I remember Simplex derailleurs. I had one on my bike - that was a real extravagance, I bought it from a shop rather than trading it with a mate.

The one I had would end up with the chain 'riding' with the sideplates on top of the next sprocket if you missed a shift, the 105 I replaced it with was 'index capable' which meant that the top jockey wheel had enough 'float' side to side to prevent this happening (even though I used friction levers)

 

[Gravity Aided]

Every now and again somebody (Mike Burrows in this case) comes up with a radical new design concept that not only out performs existing designs but looks rather tasty into the bargain.....

View attachment 392788

....and the UCI promptly ban it, bless their little 19th century hearts.

http://www.velominati.com/2012/05/in-memoriam-the-funny-bike/

 

[wonderdog]

View attachment 394540
http://www.velominati.com/2012/05/in-memoriam-the-funny-bike/

I had to look hard to figure out which way was up. Always was a bit slow.