# Ugly bikes



## Monk (Jan 28, 2012)

I'm not questioning the quality of American bikes, just their appearance. I see so many ugly color schemes/logos on high end American bikes today (Trek, Giant to name a couple). Apologies to those riding said bikes, I'm not trying to offend, but I've never seen one I'd be caught dead on. The huge name badges plastered everywhere, cheap looking color schemes, outdated logo fonts and expensive price tags blow me away. I admit being a bit of a petty snob, and certainly there are others outside of US brands that fit in this category, but the market is over-saturated with them. Rant over...


----------



## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

1) Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
2) Giant isn't an American bike company.


----------



## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

You think American bikes have a bunch of logos you should check out some of the foreign brands.


----------



## Cooper1960 (Oct 14, 2010)

I agree with the ugly bikes comments but it's across the board, I think a lot of it has to do with cost savings and mass production. Heck I just bought a 2009 Colnago C50 because I thought it was pretty, they just don't paint em that pretty anymore.


----------



## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

Companies need to make money. So if they did their marketing homework, the design of their products simply reflects what they think the vast majority of buyers want. With the companies you mentioned, they got it exactly right.

As to the logos: With status goods like high-end bicycles, it's important for the owner to display brand and model to gain status with others. Hence, the ever-larger logos and typefaces on those status goods. When I was very young, if the public could see the brand of the trousers you wore, it meant that you had put them on inside-out. But times have changed.


----------



## Randy99CL (Mar 27, 2013)

It's really just a matter of individual tastes, isn't it? 

I love some of the wild and gaudy color schemes makers are painting their bikes today. There are some unconventional color combinations that I think look good together even though their description sounds strange.
And with all the choices some makers offer you are less likely to see another just like yours in the group ride.

Having been a lifelong motorcyclist, I appreciate the increased visibility you get with a light-colored, bright bike.

So guess what I ride? A matte-black Trek.


----------



## Monk (Jan 28, 2012)

Of course it's individual taste! Just my opinion. As I pointed out it's not limited to American bikes, Ive seen plenty of Euro bikes that fit the bill here. (Btw, lumped Giant in as America, the US only solely distributes.) Cooper, your Colnago is what I love in a bike, a real beauty!! Hey, it's your money, buy what makes you happy, right?!


----------



## 9W9W (Apr 5, 2012)

My LOOK is the most obnoxious, flashiest piece of carbon, 'evah.


----------



## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

Who cares how they look? They're meant to be ridden. How do logos look at ~20mph?


----------



## Favorit (Aug 13, 2012)

My Ridley Excalibur (Belgian company) has huge logos, and maybe because I'm a little older, I find the huge downtube in particular ugly, yet I wish I had a bike like this when I was racing back in the '80s; there's nothing I don't like about it when I'm actually riding it.

The American bike I keep saying I'm going to buy, but still can't decide on the model or colour is the Wabi (now available as a road frame too):
View attachment 288481


----------



## headloss (Mar 3, 2013)

spade2you said:


> Who cares how they look? They're meant to be ridden. How do logos look at ~20mph?


Yes, but how good does it look hanging on my wall while I'm browsing PO? 

@OP, I agree... I like a muted look. Perhaps the decals hold the high modulus carbon together while simultaneously enhancing the rider's package.


----------



## stevesbike (Jun 3, 2002)

This is Trek's top of the line model on their website. Like a lot of other makers (e.g.,Specialized Venge) there is still a lot of 'stealth' finishes these days. Trek actually as a pretty nice lineup in terms of finishes. If you want flashy, take a look at Ridley or Fuji or the popularity of high vis kits....



Monk said:


> I'm not questioning the quality of American bikes, just their appearance. I see so many ugly color schemes/logos on high end American bikes today (Trek, Giant to name a couple). Apologies to those riding said bikes, I'm not trying to offend, but I've never seen one I'd be caught dead on. The huge name badges plastered everywhere, cheap looking color schemes, outdated logo fonts and expensive price tags blow me away. I admit being a bit of a petty snob, and certainly there are others outside of US brands that fit in this category, but the market is over-saturated with them. Rant over...


----------



## otaner142 (Jun 16, 2013)

I have also notice that some brands like scott,treck and others have come out with ugly bikes.


----------



## Jwiffle (Mar 18, 2005)

Bright paint schemes don't bother me, but having too many logos is annoying. Some manufacturers put their names on the frames over a dozen times! One on each side of the down tube is sufficient to identify which brand of bike it is, in my opinion.


----------



## Tachycardic (Mar 31, 2013)

Am I the only one that does not think that an all black bike is "pretty". Stealthy sure, but I'll take a paint scheme like a Look 695 Aerolight instead thanks!


----------



## azpeterb (Jun 1, 2006)

Shoot, the non-American makes are just as guilty! The recent Euro bikes would fix a brand name on the air in the tires if they could!


----------



## Soaring Vulture (Jun 25, 2013)

*My Focus is absolutely covered in decals*



azpeterb said:


> Shoot, the non-American makes are just as guilty! The recent Euro bikes would fix a brand name on the air in the tires if they could!


Yeah.
I took a look at my Focus Izalco (says "Made in Germany" on it) and the thing hardly has any clear space. The fork says "Focus", "C.O.D." and "6th Element" on both sides. The frame says "Focus" seven times, "Izalco" three times and has weird abbreviations all over it-"L.S.D.", "C.O.D.", "L.R.C.S.V." and "E.C.R.".

Fortunately, I don't read this stuff when I'm riding. And I haven't gotten LSD COD in years.


----------



## azpeterb (Jun 1, 2006)

Soaring Vulture said:


> Yeah.
> I took a look at my Focus Izalco (says "Made in Germany" on it) and the thing hardly has any clear space. The fork says "Focus", "C.O.D." and "6th Element" on both sides. The frame says "Focus" seven times, "Izalco" three times and has weird abbreviations all over it-"L.S.D.", "C.O.D.", "L.R.C.S.V." and "E.C.R.".
> 
> Fortunately, I don't read this stuff when I'm riding. And I haven't gotten LSD COD in years.


Yikes! Don't try to get LSD COD or the DEA will bust you!


----------



## azpeterb (Jun 1, 2006)

Yeah, Pinarello is the epitome of European conservatism.


----------



## azpeterb (Jun 1, 2006)

Colnago is far from ugly/flashy too...


----------



## azpeterb (Jun 1, 2006)

The Swiss are known for their subtlety too...


----------



## MoPho (Jan 17, 2011)

Yup, them Giants are flashy











.


----------



## Mark 63 (May 9, 2010)

Tachycardic said:


> Am I the only one that does not think that an all black bike is "pretty". Stealthy sure, but I'll take a paint scheme like a Look 695 Aerolight instead thanks!
> 
> View attachment 288495


These Mondrian paint jobs are gorgeous. I can only wish to be worthy of such a bike.


----------



## Roland44 (Mar 21, 2013)

spade2you said:


> Who cares how they look? They're meant to be ridden. How do logos look at ~20mph?


hehe +1 on this!


----------



## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

I agree that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I have to say that IMO stealth bikes & especially red, black & white bikes do nothing for me. Again, there are ENTIRELY too many red, black, & white bikes out there. How many years has that color scheme been used by manufacturers? Jeez! Enough already. And to my eye flat black "stealth" bikes look like someone forgot to paint them.


----------



## Shegens (Sep 14, 2013)

Personally, I've never seen an ugly bike.  I think they are all gorgeous. My latest Trek is black with gold lettering and decals.


----------



## junior1210 (May 2, 2013)

Looks aren't everything (not that you ever said that they were). Look at Stradalli Napoli LTD (I think that's the model). The black/gold/white color scheme I think is beautiful, but all the crap I've heard about the company, even if I had the cash to buy one, I wouldn't.


----------



## MXL (Jun 26, 2012)

Cooper1960 said:


> I agree with the ugly bikes comments but it's across the board, I think a lot of it has to do with cost savings and mass production. Heck I just bought a 2009 Colnago C50 because I thought it was pretty, they just don't paint em that pretty anymore.


+1 Not too many bikes have paint like Colnagos; however, they sure like apply the decals - all my Nags have at least 13 "Colnago" decals. 

Most bikes these days seem to come with some combination of red, white and black. The flat black bikes drive me bananas - they look like they're primed with a can of Krylon and waiting for a final layer of color.


----------



## JasperIN (Oct 25, 2010)

I was looking for a new bike last year and almost all the Treks I looked at where ugly. My price ranged wasn't over $1500. Found me a Giant TCR aluminum bike that looks great!


----------



## MercRidnMike (Dec 19, 2006)

It is in the eye of the beholder. I happen to like the gloss black with some red and white striping on my Cervelo...sure, there are a number of "Cervelo" decals on it....but also my own personalization touches (I love what you can do to personalize a bike with some 3M vinyl).


----------



## BMF863 (Aug 19, 2013)

If they didn't place all the label on them, they would just be Chinese frames. Then everyone would look down their noses at them.


----------



## TehYoyo (Sep 16, 2012)

tihsepa said:


> You think American bikes have a bunch of logos you should check out some of the foreign brands.










Canyon comes to mind...

As for expensive price tags, you're a bike snob and you think Trek has high prices? Huh.

As for logos, I don't mind logos. Would you rather have a single-color bike with no decoration? In my eyes, I'd rather have _something_ to decorate it. If you have custom paint, kudos. If not, then logos work just fine. If you like your bike (which you hopefully do, since you're riding it for 10k+ miles), then don't you want to share that with others?


----------



## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

My problem isn't with color schemes, it's with the shapes of the tubes. Yeah, I'm sure the makers can come up with reams of data as to why their particular seat tube must be so fussy and bulky looking, and I'm sure they could do the same with the design of the seat stay/seat tube junction, but that doesn't make them particularly aesthetic. 

And yeah, I have to agree that the Focus paint scheme isn't thrilling. It's too bad, though, that the Focus is the best bicycle I've tried. Better than the Time. Better than the C-59. Much better than the BMC I test rode. (I know, I know...it's all personal taste...)


----------



## bradkay (Nov 5, 2013)

I'm not a fan of all the black bikes out there, especially the matte black ones. I'm old enough that a matte black frame looks to me like it was made from cast iron...

I purchased a Trek Domane 4.5 WSD this year, mainly because I think that the red they used in the paint scheme is absolutely gorgeous. I don't mind staring at the top tube for hours...


----------



## TehYoyo (Sep 16, 2012)

Mapei said:


> My problem isn't with color schemes, it's with the shapes of the tubes. Yeah, I'm sure the makers can come up with reams of data as to why their particular seat tube must be so fussy and bulky looking, and I'm sure they could do the same with the design of the seat stay/seat tube junction, but that doesn't make them particularly aesthetic.





bradkay said:


> I'm not a fan of all the black bikes out there, especially the matte black ones. I'm old enough that a matte black frame looks to me like it was made from cast iron...
> 
> I purchased a Trek Domane 4.5 WSD this year, mainly because I think that the red they used in the paint scheme is absolutely gorgeous. I don't mind staring at the top tube for hours...


See, I guess this is exactly what people are talking about. I, personally, think that's an ugly bike (no offense, I'm sure you love it).

I like traditional geometry (level top tube) and don't like that burgundy-like red.

As for aero tubing, aero tubing helps a TON (for racing). Maybe it's just because I've grown up in the "aero" age (I'm a junior cyclist), but I actually like the look of aero tubing. Knowing it gives a big performance advantage helps, I guess.


----------



## wilkenstein (May 2, 2009)

I love subtle.


----------



## bradkay (Nov 5, 2013)

TehYoyo said:


> See, I guess this is exactly what people are talking about. I, personally, think that's an ugly bike (no offense, I'm sure you love it).
> 
> I like traditional geometry (level top tube) and don't like that burgundy-like red.
> 
> As for aero tubing, aero tubing helps a TON (for racing). Maybe it's just because I've grown up in the "aero" age (I'm a junior cyclist), but I actually like the look of aero tubing. Knowing it gives a big performance advantage helps, I guess.


That is why they say "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". I grew up in the 60s and 70s, when rich metallic paints were cool, so I love that color while I don't like matte colors. 

The sloping top tube is an acquired taste - while it isn't my favorite look it provides superior ride comfort, with less frame flex as a bonus. And most bikes with aero tubing transmit more road shock than frames with variably shaped tubes. At my age comfort provides a beauty all its own...


----------



## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

wilkenstein said:


> I love subtle.
> 
> View attachment 288582


Yawn. Booooring.


----------



## junior1210 (May 2, 2013)

Nothing wrong with boring. Nobody tries to steal boring. Nobody starts rumors out of jealousy over boring. Boring means nothing went wrong, nothing requires immediate intervention, or will require substantial financial backing.


----------



## tlg (May 11, 2011)

Monk said:


> I'm not questioning the quality of American bikes, just their appearance. I see so many ugly color schemes/logos on high end American bikes today (Trek, Giant to name a couple).
> 
> The huge name badges plastered everywhere, cheap looking color schemes, outdated logo fonts


 Are you sure you're actually looking at the right bikes?

Trek and Giant don't have huge name badges plastered everywhere. And their color schemes are rather basic.


----------



## rochrunner (Jul 11, 2006)

Seems like lots of bikes are going away from color and I'm also not a fan of flat black. I spent $400 more for a higher level bike this year to get one in a white color scheme.


----------



## giosblue (Aug 2, 2009)

*Who cares how they look?*



spade2you said:


> Who cares how they look? They're meant to be ridden. How do logos look at ~20mph?



Do you apply the the same criteria to women?


----------



## RedViola (Aug 15, 2012)

spade2you said:


> Who cares how they look? They're meant to be ridden. How do logos look at ~20mph?





giosblue said:


> Do you apply the the same criteria to women?


Of course not. If women could run 20 mph, I'd never catch them.


----------



## MXL (Jun 26, 2012)

Mr. Versatile said:


> I agree that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I have to say that IMO stealth bikes & especially red, black & white bikes do nothing for me. Again, there are ENTIRELY too many red, black, & white bikes out there. How many years has that color scheme been used by manufacturers? Jeez! Enough already. And to my eye flat black "stealth" bikes look like someone forgot to paint them.


AMEN, brother!!!!


----------



## OldZaskar (Jul 1, 2009)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
TREK USA and Winnebago Industries Reach Tentative Agreement to Merge Design Teams
Forest City, IA

After years of admitted bilateral design piracy, Trek and Winnebago decided, instead to merge the teams. Winnebago Creative Director Lars Goodwheel said "Trek's use of swooshes and stripes is simply brilliant. How could one not be influenced by such genius application of primary colors in a uniform, symmetrical fashion?" Trek-inspired graphic design can be seen throughout the current lineup. "For 2014, we're initiating a Project-W program whereby consumers can work with Winnebago designers to select the exact specifications and color scheme of their new motorhome" Goodwheel said in an interview Thursday. Trek's Head of Stickers - Nick Carbone agreed the partnership with Winnebago was a win-win, "Winnebago's team learned decades ago that, once you run out of ways to improve the actual product, changing the graphics is a sure-fire way to shake up the portfolio. Further their passionate dedication to and innovation of new shapes of swooshes is simply awe-inspiring."


----------



## junior1210 (May 2, 2013)

OldZaskar said:


> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
> TREK USA and Winnebago Industries Reach Tentative Agreement to Merge Design Teams
> Forest City, IA
> 
> After years of admitted bilateral design piracy, Trek and Winnebago decided, instead to merge the teams. Winnebago Creative Director Lars Goodwheel said "Trek's use of swooshes and stripes is simply brilliant. How could one not be influenced by such genius application of primary colors in a uniform, symmetrical fashion?" Trek-inspired graphic design can be seen throughout the current lineup. "For 2014, we're initiating a Project-W program whereby consumers can work with Winnebago designers to select the exact specifications and color scheme of their new motorhome" Goodwheel said in an interview Thursday. Trek's Head of Stickers - Nick Carbone agreed the partnership with Winnebago was a win-win, "Winnebago's team learned decades ago that, once you run out of ways to improve the actual product, changing the graphics is a sure-fire way to shake up the portfolio. Further their passionate dedication to and innovation of new shapes of swooshes is simply awe-inspiring."


IMO, with both high end bikes and motor homes (AKA 'land yachts'), if the hardware itself doesn't impress, then the paint job won't either. OTOH, if they're wowed by the graphics, they're not paying any attention to the hardware so it doesn't matter what is actually painted or how.


----------



## bradkay (Nov 5, 2013)

I agree that you purchase for the technology (the ride quality, IMO) but if I have a choice between the same bike in an ugly paint scheme and a nice one I'll choose the latter every day.


----------



## RoadFan (Dec 31, 2008)

junior1210 said:


> Looks aren't everything (not that you ever said that they were). Look at Stradalli Napoli LTD (I think that's the model). The black/gold/white color scheme I think is beautiful, but all the crap I've heard about the company, even if I had the cash to buy one, I wouldn't.


If you want customer service with Stradalli, do not use e-mail, as good as dead; phone is OK, they do answer, but going to their place is much better.

I live in South FL and had the chance to buy my frame at their place (warehouse), seriously nothing flashy about that warehouse, just the carbon bikes in there; I like the R7 SL, but unfortunately out of my tight budget. When I got my frame the guy told me the Colavita women's team had signed with Stradalli for next year, I thought at the time he was just just trying to push for a sale, but a few weeks later the team made the announcement official.

I got the RP14 for $700 on sale (supposedly is going up), not totally loving the paint scheme, but wanted a new frame and so far very happy with how solid it is. I know most people here in the forums hate the logo, but hey, who doesn't love the Ferrari logo? OK, I know I love F1 and is not that bad, just too long, too many characters, the fork logo is gigantic! Nothing like LOOK, what a nice logo that is, short and sweet, with my lack of funds I can only dream.


----------



## MikeWMass (Oct 15, 2011)

Everyone has their own taste. I have a Lemond Zurich, which has logos on the down and seat tubes, which is one too many in my opinion. I have RS 80 wheels, and if I could take the logos off them I would. Doesn't stop me from liking or riding it.
I think my favorite bike (in terms of appearance) was the orange and black Orbea Orca from around 2008. We saw one on a recent century ride, and my riding partner thought it was ghastly!


----------



## laffeaux (Dec 12, 2001)

azpeterb said:


> Yeah, Pinarello is the epitome of European conservatism.
> 
> View attachment 288498


Wow! That looks like a bike made to match Ronald McDonald's clown suit.


----------



## PTSTORK53 (Jul 2, 2012)

Yea Specialized... the name is too long and their choice of fonts leaves something to be desired.


----------



## ozzybmx (Jun 23, 2013)

20mph ! What about the admiring looks as you are sipping a Cibo Latte with it propped against a wall.


----------



## bradkay (Nov 5, 2013)

Those admiring looks are directed at me, not my bike. Everyone knows that cycling makes you more handsome...


----------



## serious (May 2, 2006)

I absolutely love flashy bikes (can you tell from my road bike? ). My mountain bikes are exactly the opposite (one is black and one is Ti), and although they are fine, they sure could use some color.

Ultimately I don't care about color, but if I had a choice - "let there be color!".


----------



## Aggdaddy (Jun 18, 2010)

I think a better comparison would be if you chose Bike A or Bike B

A. Boring, normal frame and color scheme outfitted with Dura Ace groupset and killer wheels. Price $3500

or

B. Sexy, unique frame and color scheme outfitted with Ultegra groupset and decent wheels. Price $3500

Something to ponder.


----------



## ziscwg (Apr 19, 2010)

spade2you said:


> Who cares how they look? They're meant to be ridden. How do logos look at ~20mph?


They are a slow moving blur as I pass them at 23 mph


----------



## kbwh (May 28, 2010)

ozzybmx said:


> a Cibo Latte


A what?


----------



## PlatyPius (Feb 1, 2009)

MoPho said:


> Yup, them Giants are flashy
> 
> 
> 
> ...


No, just ugly and generic.


----------



## Soaring Vulture (Jun 25, 2013)

serious said:


> I absolutely love flashy bikes (can you tell from my road bike? ). My mountain bikes are exactly the opposite (one is black and one is Ti), and although they are fine, they sure could use some color.
> 
> Ultimately I don't care about color, but if I had a choice - "let there be color!".


That bike carries its flash pretty well. But you had better ride the hell out of it...


----------



## MoPho (Jan 17, 2011)

PlatyPius said:


> No, just ugly and generic.



I completely disagree with you.


.


----------



## ozzybmx (Jun 23, 2013)

kbwh said:


> A what?


Cibo is an Australian franchise of "trendy" coffee shops with street seating that attracts large amounts of cyclist at the weekends.

It usually starts with a tap-dance around the tables and the propping of carbon D12's against walls... label out obviously, a bit like hanging fine art.


----------



## serious (May 2, 2006)

Soaring Vulture said:


> That bike carries its flash pretty well. But you had better ride the hell out of it...


Thanks! I am definitely more than a recreational rider. With the demands of mountain bike racing I put in 12-16 hours per week, so it gets its share of riding.


----------



## H2o (Jul 15, 2013)

Its sad to see stealth bikes so expensive..... usually the cheaper ones have horrible colors......... that applies to treck and giant so much


----------



## serious (May 2, 2006)

H2o said:


> Its sad to see stealth bikes so expensive..... usually the cheaper ones have horrible colors......... that applies to treck and giant so much


I assure you that it is not the color that makes bikes cheap or expensive.


----------



## H2o (Jul 15, 2013)

Some say red and Black are the colors of the most expensive... Canyon trek are Just some examples...


----------



## Fai Mao (Nov 3, 2008)

I am another older rider so the acquired taste thing comes into play

I think they newer bikes have to have garish colors or they'd be impossible to tell apart.

One monocot carbon fiber frame built by a robot looks pretty much like the next.


----------



## Z6_esb (Feb 16, 2012)

I have Focus Cayo 3.0 (Red, Black, and White) with Easton EC90SLs. I went and counted how many times it says "FOCUS" and it's 16 (not including the spacers...which say it three times each). I don't think my frame is sexy or anything, more industrial. The red makes it 11.3% faster and the each FOCUS on the frame is 0.05 kph on flats, so I have that going for me, which is nice.

I got flashy colors with full Force groupset and crappy wheels for ~$3500. Funny though, those crappy wheels weigh the same as the EC90SLs; however, not as stiff.


----------



## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

PTSTORK53 said:


> Yea Specialized... the name is too long and their choice of fonts leaves something to be desired.


Specialized...why so many barcode stickers?

Saw a Tarmac with four under the bottom bracket and two under the top tube at the seat tube end, plus size sticker. Made the bike look silly.


----------

