What bikes do we lust over?

http://badgercycles.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/tylers-badger.jpg

ANOTHER BEAUTY...ALSO WITH GOLD PARTS....WEIRD!

so clean

so so so so clean. nerd: look at the welds!

I DONT THINK IVE SEEN A CLEANER FRAME.

prettay

I love how Lightweight manage to be the creme de la creme in their field while making a wheel that looks like Hunter age 3 designed it and using a font you find on wedding invitations.

Tell me why titanium bikes are rad?

TITANIUM = LIGHT + STRONG(ISH)

I thought we didn't like slopping top tubes.

I think that's just me. Plus, mountain bikes = totally different.

I meant the "prettay" bike, but yeah.

Yeah I don't even like slopped top tubes. I just thought it was handsome. Also I have never ridden on a ti frame. AND i know i will never ever ride on a pair of lightweights ;__;

http://www.condorcycles.com/paris.html

this is more o_O than <3

Three triangles is like the platonic form of bike frames and I don't appreciate these smart-ass attempts to try and one-up it.

^^^

ha i looked at it and went 'those lugs are IMPOSSIBLE' and sure enough, the frame is not lugged, they are 'decorative laminations.' cant get with that particular feature, but its an interesting frame.

i lust after the Rapha Leggero in the road bikes section of that site.

Get fun shit in the mail: http://www.condorcycles.com/brochure/index.html

hey guys, does this look like an okay bike? or this, for the price?

Those are two really different kinds of bikes. What are you looking for?

i just want a solid bike that i can take for long rides in town/on trails. i've never ridden fixed gear but it appeals to me, i was never much for adjusting my gears anyway. also it can't have those stupid drop handlebars.

I am not sure how they're measured but 19 inches is a LOT less than 60cm. How tall are you? The first bike is for like 6'2" or so.

oh shit, i was wondering about that. i'm 5'9"ish.

what size frame do i want?

Going back to Condors for a sec - what do people in the know really think of them? Are they genuinely great bikes? Or style over substance? Are there any obvious downsides?

It depends on the bike and it depends on your inseam, but maybe 54.

xp

How about this:

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/thehour.htm

You'd want to put some brakes on that badboy though.

Oh wait, it's got drops. You could swap those out real easy and for not much money.

That looks like a cool site, thx!

hmm, that seems like a good deal. is that a good deal? i have no idea what makes a good frame or about any of the components

The general consensus about Bikedirect bikes is that the frames are nice and the components are decent. It's definetely a good deal. The Kilo TT is also much beloved, and the Hour is actually the same frame as the Fuji Track (http://fujibikes.com/2008/bikes.asp?id=418) and the Kilo TT apparently has the same frame as a KHS Flite (http://www.khsbicycles.com/05_flite_100_08.htm) and a nice fork. All of these bikes are made at the same factory in Taiwan.

Actually the KHS Flite and the Kilo TT have different geometries, so it must be the same frame as an older model Flite

thanks!

I think Condor is pretty good really. I've test ridden a few and their frames are really well put together. Possibly they are a bit over priced (the style factor and the central london store probably account for some of that). I'm probably not the best judge though.

Thanks Ed. I haven't test ridden any, but since I have SO little to compare them to I wonder if it would make any difference. I guess now that I'm beginning to toy with the idea of actually buying a nice bike, I should work out what discernible difference it would make from my Trek 1200, because a worthwhile upgrade is going to be at least in the £1500 region and I'm not rich enough to spend that much without having a pretty good idea why.

Check out Geoffrey Butler down in croydon to compare with Merckx and DeRosa, On Your Bike in London Bridge to try LeMonds and Mosquito in Islington for Colnago and Pegoretti. There's a new shop on upper richmond rd called prologue, which I know nothing about, but they are selling Litespeed.

Quite frankly, mark, you of all people ought to be riding an italian bike.

(Mosquito also do Moots and Independent Fabrication so you might get something really lustful to ogle at)

Also, not sure if this is possible, but could you get say a frame or frame and wheels on the cycle to work scheme and get the groupset separately, thus saving a chunk of money on at least some of the bike?

Hmm, prologue is only about a mile from my house.

Aren't Italian bikes all style and no content?

Possibly that goes for Bianchi (see ddb's problems).

I hear good things about ribble but unless you are willing to travel you would have to buy mail order.

I bought my Marin from Mosquito - their knowledge etc was excellent, but they weren't half snooty

Mark, you should take a look in condor and Mosquito at the moment as there is some good stuff in the sales. (£1000 of a scott all carbon TT CR1 bike, to bring it within your price range, although this would be silly for you). Some ex demo stuff at Condor too.

Always done well out of the clothing in the condor sale too.

http://www.tntcyclery.com/images/pugsley_th.jpg

http://www.rockyroaduk.com/images/ktrak1.jpg

Seems like a total gimmick although this vid looks fairly fun:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP4VwaD7rd4

... but if I'm around that much snow why the hell would I want to be messing around on a bike?

That does look like a huge amount of fun.

OK, while looking for mark I have found my next girlfriend:

http://www.mosquito-bikes.co.uk/images/bikes/pegoretti/luigino%20large.jpg
http://www.mosquito-bikes.co.uk/images/bikes/pegoretti/luigino_04_zoom_2.jpg
http://www.mosquito-bikes.co.uk/images/bikes/pegoretti/luigino_04_zoom_9.jpg

want

What do you guys think of this?