other peoples bikes – BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking

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?

February 20th – An interesting bike spotted on the way to work. Think there’s a bit of a hipster thing going on here – an aluminium road bike frame, carbon-looking forks, titchy short flat bars, and oddly, full derailleur gears. The frame colour wasn’t original and looked to be a good quality powder coat. The rider had good tyres, with no guards and it looked well loved.

An interesting steed. I would have liked to have chatted to the owner, but he was talking on his phone. I love what some people do with otherwise ordinary bikes, to make them their own.