Where did it all go sour?

[get a bigger hammer]

It's a big question but when did "cool" start. What constitutes "cool". Is it being different, the exspence or history behind the bike. For me "cool" has always been having something that little bit different and really using it for its purpose. A few cool scars so to say. Cool is also something pioneering that really worked rather than a big fluffy blamanche of marketing hype.

A Ritchey P21 is cool. The bike Isla Rowntree road at Newnham is cool and a humble Orange clockwork is Cool. A Kona or a P7 aint cool nor any aluminium framed spam can is cool.

What do you guys think constitutes cool? But more importantly what started to make things uncool?

 

[orange71]

niche = cool
mass production = uncool

 

[Stick Legs]

Totally agree, it's an intangible "zuzz".

Cool stuff has the Zuzz, other stuff just doesn't. It's that simple

 

[Ziggy]

My P7 is cool cos I said so. So there.

 

[Russell]

nor any aluminium framed spam can is cool.

quote]

Eh???

Pace (take your pic)
Some Cannondales
Klein
My Zaskar LE (! )

Thats like saying that a Raleigh Mustang is a great bike because its steel, but a Pace isn't because its aluminium.

Steel may be real, but only if its the right steel put together the right way.

 

[john]

niche = cool
mass production = uncool

Naah. It's not that simple.

Some niche stuff is sh*te and therefore uncool

Some mass produced stuff is great and deffo cool.

Like russ says it's how it's put together...

 

[kingroon]

But more importantly what started to make things uncool?

Popularity?

I know John argues against the mass production idea but when Shimano started to make "accessible" gruppos like Acera X on a much grander scale than 200/300/400LX ever was, things started to slip..

And when Taiwan realised they were onto a good thing and out priced the UK/Euro/US/Canadian framebuilders..

 

[gump]

its a feeling.

You cannot put tangible measures on an emotion. some things are just cool.

Its why you sometimes get attracted to the weirdest people that you just cannot see why :? Different for different people, which is what makes the cool wall such a hotbed!

 

[mrkawasaki]

More is Less

Bling does not = cool...

eg.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Voodoo-Cycles-Damba ... dZViewItem

:shock:

 

[orange71]

How about cool=appeals to a discerning clientel, uncool=appeals to non-discerning masses?