What do you hate seeing on a gorgeous retro bike?

[elPedro666]

So do risers look worse than absurdly high-rise stems? Come on, they fulfil an obviously valid role for many bikes/riders. You really think they're just a marketing gimmick?

Neither particularly float my boat, but (special cases aside) why would you need an absurd rise anyway, unless you've bought the wrong size frame?

I cannot see one possible advantage of them, unless you want to go with looks which obviously I can't argue for anyone but me

 

[24pouces]

I don't really have a list, and prefer things as free as possible. There's no rules or law because some bikes are so differents that if something is wrong on a bike, it's good for an other.
For exemple : riser bar and negative stem. It's a contradiction. I admit. But, on a cannondale with headshok, it's a very good built for a better position on bike and for riding
Another exemple : SS built. I build my yeti FRO with only one gear, and the bike was very funny for rides. Respect of the BMX spirit of the frame. and SS is better for looking the geometry of the frame.

In Germany there's several categories for oldschool bikes : close to the catalog built, retromodern, singlespeed, free built… And I think it's cool.

But, for answering to the thread, I hate :
- when there's no respect of the geometry of the bike (wrong fork on wrong frame…)
- when there's V brake on canti frame
- “fashion built“ or "systematic built" (Grelo Fat Chance YoEddy with anodized parts)

It's subjective but :
I hate red ano parts on titanium bike

 

[elPedro666]

It's subjective but :
I hate red ano parts on titanium bike

My next build!

Think I'm off this thread for a little while, where's the love one gone to...

 

[24pouces]

It's subjective but :
I hate red ano parts on titanium bike

My next build!

:facepalm:


:mrgreen:

 

[Woz]

"I've got a similar beef with OS 31.8mm on XC bikes, but best leave that for another day!"

No, let's have it now while all the dirty washing is hanging out!

OS 31.8mm sucks eggs, is a pointless invention for the majority of bikes.
25.4mm is cool slender lightweight figure enhancing wonder-bra stuff.

Note to DH cliff jumping crowd; use welded scaffolding pipes, but please lay off our 25.4mm!

 

[jax13]

things i'd never willingly use & i think look wrong on a bike are gripshift, turbo saddles...

Really? Turbos look wrong even on old Yetis? Sacrebleu!

yeti rear dropout / stay junctions are also on the list for me. they kind of remind me of early 90's BMX BSO's that littered the streets where i grew up. I will happily state I do not like the look of the back end on any yeti i have seen which is a damn shame because the front 7/8 of them can look as good as any other bike out there.

 

[thecannibal]

So do risers look worse than absurdly high-rise stems? Come on, they fulfil an obviously valid role for many bikes/riders. You really think they're just a marketing gimmick?

Neither particularly float my boat, but (special cases aside) why would you need an absurd rise anyway, unless you've bought the wrong size frame?

I cannot see one possible advantage of them, unless you want to go with looks which obviously I can't argue for anyone but me

Sorry, but I can't understand how anyone can ride even remotely technical off-road and still not see the value in having bars a little higher than a classic '90s MTB set-up. Super-long stems and narrow flat bars are a really bad choice for most riders, most of the time.

Not all developments are pointless money-making scams. If that were true, it'd also be the case with the introduction of flat bars in the '80s

Edit: And in answer to your question: standover.

 

[jax13]

i think the riser bar thing comes about from bikes being put through a lot more by the average rider than they ever used to BITD. risers do seem to suit the shape & style of more modern ali frames with longer travel front sus or full sus frames. on older steel hardtails they do look a touch out of place.

 

[elPedro666]

Standover doesn't come from buying the wrong size frame then fitting a high front end!

I do have bars a little higher than I might have 15 years ago and even my retros go to a minimum of 600mm, usually 620 (and 660 on modern) most of my stems are 80-100mm. But that doesn't necessitate adding weight, removing my bar-ends and losing space with a big ugly riser, why would I do that?

 

[thecannibal]

Standover doesn't come from buying the wrong size frame then fitting a high front end!

I do have bars a little higher than I might have 15 years ago and even my retros go to a minimum of 600mm, usually 620 (and 660 on modern) most of my stems are 80-100mm. But that doesn't necessitate adding weight, removing my bar-ends and losing space with a big ugly riser, why would I do that?

You said "why would you need an absurd rise anyway, unless you've bought the wrong size frame?". My answer is standover. Getting the rise from the bar/stem to give you a good riding position means that you don't have to have a super-long headtube to achieve the same. It makes total sense for a bike that's to be ridden off-road. And I favour riser bars over 15+ degree stems because I think it looks way better.

Also, I've never had trouble with running out of 'space' on my riser bars.