Competition: Are You A Bike Geek?
You may have noticed that I’ve changed the header image for this blog. Alternatively, you might be a first time visitor here, and you’re just wondering where the exit sign is.
Whatever.
Anyway, here’s your chance to prove that you’re super knowledgeable about all things two-wheeled. The five little sketches of bikes up there are actually meant to be representations of real bikes from the real world. For a prize beyond the dreams of avarice, all you have to do is correctly identify each of the five bicycle makes & models, and leave your answers here as a comment.
Oh, and here’s a little clue to start you off - I’ve changed the colour on most of the sketches for aesthetic purposes. The actual bikes that the sketches are based on are not generally available on those colours.
Good luck!
From left to right: the second is my type, but what’s in a name. The last one I like too, it makes you sit up and beg for (more beautiful, lycra-free ladies that ride them).
I’ve never seen any of the other ones.
Did I win?
:-p Marc
Here goes…
1. Felt B2 Pro
2. Pashley High Head Roadster
3. Specialized Rock Hopper
4. Bianchi B4P 1885 TB Hydro Carbon
5. Pashley Priness Sovereign
Marc - you’ve gotta be more precise than that! Actually I’m sure I saw a photo of one of the bikes featured on your blog this week - it’s one of the ones that those folks in Copenhagen are very fond of…
Adrian - A really good attempt. You got two pretty much correct (we can nit-pick about exact groupsets, but we’re not that nerdy), and two in the right ballpark.
Karl, not so serious! That was my whole point. Didn’t you see my “:-p”? Damn those typed words that loose their edge. *grin*
Never mind me, man, I’m a bike geek but don’t ask me about serial numbers and what’s the new 2009 model…
I’m with you on this one Marc. A bike is a transport utensil . . . but one that should make your heart sing, and your face grin like a loon every time you use it. The plainest, most functional kitchen utensils have the same thing as a good bike - they look totally unprepossessing, but as soon as you pick them up everything seems to work, as if it’s just so right. And no ” :-p ” needed for that sentiment.
okay here goes -
1. is the ‘I gotta have this’ really expensive bike that we saw at the 1/2 ironman contest that I was hanging my nose over.
2. is a sturdy commuting bike that could be Wilf but isn’t
3. some kind of mountain bike similar to the one gathering dust in my cellar
4. the scary fixie Christine
5. the loveable bike belonging to wife…Violet accompanied by one of daughters soft toy dalmations.
Number 1 could be almost any modern time trial machine, but not one of Mike Burrow’s designs as he’s tended to make a chain guard which held the back wheel on (from one side only, of course).
Number 2 has to be a Kronan. Copy of Danish army bikes beloved by trendy people.
Number 3 ? Some kind of mud-plugger thing… They all look the same to me.
Number 4 looks like it’s a Bianchi, mind you I’m taking notice of the colour and perhaps I shouldn’t..
Number 5 could be one of a zillion nice traditional Dutch ladies bikes with loop frame, or as someone has noted already, a pashley princess.
BTW, are they supposed to be representative of the proportions of bikes you see ? Have you tried counting different types of bikes going along your street ? Over here a full 60% of the bikes sold either look a lot like 2 or 5, while 1, 3 and 4 make up only about 6% of the total bike market between them. The balance is in kids bikes (miniature 2 and 5), touring/hybrid and electric bikes.
No - you’re a way out on most of your answers Dave.
Sadly, they don’t represent the distribution of bikes here. Most bike you see are actually Bicycle Shaped Objects (BSOs), bought for buttons. Most of these look like full suspension mountain bikes, but with minimal suspension travel & maximum complexity to make them fail.
Curiously enough, as part of my recent bike counting project, I did approximate the ‘types’ of bikes people here ride. In an hour, I counted:
1 folder
3 Road bikes (drop bars, etc)
6 BMXs
21 hybrid / town bikes (mudguards, flat bars, no suspension)
31 ‘mountain’ bikes (knobbly tyres, suspension, disc brakes, etc)
It’s odd, but some people think I’m a bit of an anorak!
Don’t worry, you’re amongst friends. Some people think I’m an anorak too.
Thanks for counting the types of bikes. That’s pretty much what I’d expect in Britain. Far too many of that type of BSO “mountain” bike which never see a mountain.
You can’t buy those here. The department store bikes are proper town bikes instead. I reckon they’re less long lasting than the good ones, though.