Suit you, Sir?
“A fine suit is only as good as its lining” once said someone more versed in the art of the clothier than me. They didn’t actually, I just made that up. But it sounds like it could be something that an Italian tailor would say, but I’ve never met one of those either. The point is, a suit, or a bicycle, or even a person, can be shiny and attractive on the outside, but may not be all it’s cracked up to be underneath.
It, or they, may not have any soul. (*Not ‘a’ soul, because that is merely a concept dreamed up by nuts to scare other nuts and their offspring into conforming to and fearing some other nonsensical notion which most kids would see through in five minutes if they weren’t the spawn of the spawn of a long line of morons. But I digress.) I’m talking James Brown soul, not the misogynistic bits, but the funky hip shakin’ do the splits bits. I’m talking Soul Train audience soul. It’s not an entity, it’s a sensibility.
The finishing touch to a nice suit, or jacket, is the lining. You can have a jacket that is so expensive you won’t even tell your friends how much it cost, but if the lining is pink and white stripes then people are gonna notice. It can spoil an otherwise outwardly attractive garment. Sometimes, a matching plain liner can be a bit too boring, so a balance of understated yet attractive is required. Same with a bicycle. The metaphoric suit lining for a bike has to be the inner surface of the fork legs.
Matching the fork to the bike isn’t something that has always been done, in the carbon era at least, with a history of plain black or exposed weave units with whatever brand all over them, totally mismatching and taking away any aesthetic uniformity. Conversely, having every component painted exactly the same colour (and every wheel decal or logo the same) can have the effect of monotony, and depending on the base colour, be a bit dull. A painted inner fork leg gives the counterpoint needed in a subtle way, and depending from the angle the bicycle is viewed has that suit liner quality down pat. It says “I may Look Fantastic, totally relaxed and at ease with my Awesomeness, but take a look inside, just there… yeah, I’m all business, but when it’s party time, I’m on the soul train.”
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@dinosaurJR
Hey, hey! No need to apologize! You built it up yourself? Kudos for that. That you're here and are aware of the Rules means you're on the right path. How do you like those one-piece bars? They look like they've got some serious forward throw to them. Are those spd pedals?
Decals might be a good idea for those of us with bland forks. Might be something fun to look at on those long rides when you sometimes zone out.
I love the rotation of the etching on some of my front hubs, fun to watch over the bars. Also, colored nipples can be quite mesmerizing. Both on and off the bike...
@dinosaurJR
Not a brand I'm familiar with (I'm in USA), but nice looking bike. And good for you for building it up yourself. Nothing better than building your own bike. My first "serious" road bike (Trek 560 Pro Series) was an off-the-shelf bike, but I learned how to build up a bare frame after that. Don't worry about rules violations. Rules are meant to be broken (@frank, of course, will beg to differ). :-)
@wiscot
Thanks, it's a real education, that's for sure. To be honest, the Cinelli Ram is not going to make the final cut; the reach is just crazy (over 90mm if my measurements are to be believed) and try as I might I cannot get the hoods into an acceptable position. I completely miscalculated my fit and threw away a chunk of cash in to the bargain... You live and learn, though, eh? I think they look awesome, though... As a replacement I've just ordered a 3T Ergosum Team at 400mm and a 90mm Deda Elementi Superleggera stem.
Also - guilty as charged. They are Ritchey Paradigm Pros. Nothing to do with walking (Im not a pedestrian, not when I'm in lycra, at least) just economising (one pair of shoes for two bikes).
@chuckp
Thanks. I am trying my best on all fronts. To be honest I actually saved some cash over the built up off the shelf model and got to spec the bike as I wanted so its a win win for me.
@chuckp
Dang - dodgy keyboard again with that punctuation.
@EBruner
Love that! Just awesome!
@Oli
Talk about throwing all the trump cards on the table at once. Purely beautiful right there!
@chuckp
I completely agree about the OEM saddle thing. I bought the same saddle I have on my mtb - my butt agrees with this saddle.
As for the cockpit; I can see your point but I couldn't find a Deda Elementi bar that I liked in stock and the Superleggera stem was just too good to pass up. At least both brands are Italian... Oh, and correct again; the seat post is frame specific.
From the front you see black, from the rear you see red. Same with rear of frame. Kinda cool