August 3rd – The delights of a client’s bike shed again: this clearly quite expensive Giant mountain bike confounded me. I’m sure it’s a great ride, but the number and quality of joints in the aluminium frame are astounding. Look at the fabrication in the seat tube to accommodate the unusual rear suspension arrangement.  And the joints and design on the upper seat stays where they meet the pivot seem bizarre. And the tyre clearance on that crossmember is minimal.

I don’t know how designs like this come about. Aesthetically, to me, it’s hideous, and I can’t see any engineering or user advantages. 

Is this complication for the sake of it?