Elev12k":1jdbaxre said:
Citoyen du monde":1jdbaxre said:
So in the end my vote went to....
Wait, you commented only 2 bikes. No elaboration on what was wrong with the others this month?
You asked:
Contrary to what the votes would seem to indicate at this time, I quite like the Viscount. The cushy tires look ready to take you on a long comfortable journey. The chainline as it appears in the photo is not very appealing. I guess more than anything else it suffers because it doesn't really excell in anything and doesn't have a big universally recognizable name.
I also find the Bertin to be slightly more nicely assembled than the Viscount. I don't quite see how the large flange hub on the front fits with the other components but it doesn' look all bad. Again nothing wrong with teh bike just lacking a bit of pizzazz.
From what you can see of the Norman Fay, it seems to be a frame with nice workmanship. The BB shell seems very high and the frame angles very laid back, even considering the frame size and touring design. I can see it being a very nice touring bike but would have preferred a lower BB, but this could likely be tied into the intended owner's desire to fit extra long cranks. The downward sloping saddle is likely the culprit brough about the need for the brake levers to be fitted so high on the bars. The brake cable routings both seem stylistically wrong to me. The front one should not go over the stem whe routing to a centre-pull brake. The rear should not be routed below the handlebars.
For the Vitus, the placement of the brake levers super-low on the bars combined with the pedals excluded this bike almost immediately.
For the Peugeot, we once again have a bike with a downward sloping saddle and no pedals. If you can't ride the bike, what is it doing here?
The dynatech is the only one this month that I feel does not conform to what I think of a classic bike. The combination of the frame, brifters, pedals, deepdish radial wheels all preclude me from considering it a classic. I can however well see the same frame being built up with different components being able to squeak in as a classic.
The Gazelle really appealed to me. I like the rather unusual colour combination, including the brown saddle and white lever hoods. I would personally remove the crank dust caps (they serve no purpose and as such putting plastic add-ons on such a beautiful bike is sacrilegious) lower the angle of the bars ever so slightly (the levers are very nicely placed) and search out pedals that have metal dust caps or at least something more in keeping with the rest of the components. I am surprised that I like the deepdish Zonda wheels, but with the aubergine colour frame and multicolour bar wrap they seem to meld right in. As a statement of personal good taste of the one who assembled the bike, I would have given the Gazelle a two thumbs up.
I had already commented on the Raleigh when it was first posted, so I'm not going to repeat myself.
As for the Alan, I think this month's example pales when compared to the one last month both as a bike as well as photo quality. Perhaps larger more detailed photos would help.
