# Ugly bikes



## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

I've been following the Bike Snob NYC blog for a while. Funny stuff.

He's been running an ongoing thing on ugly bikes. I can't get enough of it.

So I thought that we needed an ugly bike post.

Here is a couple from the Bike Snob site:

I've got a few on my computer at home I'll post later.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

Another one. THis looks like a photochop job to me, tho.


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## nOOby (Jul 20, 2007)

these guys win


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## 006_007 (Jan 12, 2004)

K, it is not a bicycle, but it is pretty damn UGLY


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## 006_007 (Jan 12, 2004)

One more:


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## michigantammy (Jan 14, 2004)

*How about these bamboo bikes?*

Some might not look good, but they all are functional.

This one is not too bad...










Here's another one...










More Bamboo Bike..










How about this road bike?


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## poppy (Jan 24, 2006)

nOOby said:


> these guys win


Nothing Ugly about these, its actually beautiful.


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## endo verendo (Jan 13, 2004)

Sorry but bamboo bikes are sexy.


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## Finch Platte (Nov 14, 2003)

I saw this one in Truckee over the weekend.

It used to be a pretty nice bike.   

fp


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## Kanga (Sep 14, 2004)

poppy said:


> Nothing Ugly about these, its actually beautiful.


I'm with you on this one.....


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## Judd97 (Jun 6, 2005)

Kanga said:


> I'm with you on this one.....


Likewise, those things are incredible.


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## strangeland2 (Apr 8, 2006)

I ve always hated the treks with those Y type frames. I think there were other makers with similiar designs and I hated all those equally. Its a pure appearance thing though.


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## SoCalAl (Aug 29, 2004)

One of the worst had to be softrides


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## croscoe (May 23, 2007)

poppy said:


> Nothing Ugly about these, its actually beautiful.


Yeah, not only do they look fun, those scoots have soul! Check out the braking mechanism. Besides, I'd rather ride with those cats than a bunch of elitist jerks. :thumbsup:


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## Solrac the red (Jul 24, 2007)

Some of those bamboo bikes and the natives' bikes are cool as hell. 

Now here are a couple of examples of "Friends don't let friends weld drunk."


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## michigantammy (Jan 14, 2004)

endo verendo said:


> Sorry but bamboo bikes are sexy.


Agree! I do think they are sexy and beautiful. Actually, I love bamboo bikes.

One of my favorites...


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## Solrac the red (Jul 24, 2007)

That aluminum bike in post #9 is a jet powered bike. There is an article of it at this site.
http://bikerodnkustom4.homestead.com/cover_8_01.html


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## SnowMongoose (Feb 18, 2007)

don't hate on the softrides, way less ugly than many of the bikes pictured here!

bamboo bikes = I want one.
more to the point, I want to race XC on one.
snag some woodland camo lycra, or better yet, ride in a partial ghillie suit...
hell yeah.


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## jonny290 (May 8, 2007)

i'll drop a G on a quality CF or titanium lug set meant to complete a bamboo bike, easily, as soon as somebody puts one up for retail (won't happen in the lawsuit-happy USA though).

Beautiful, strong and light. not to mention heck of a conversation piece


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## dirtdrop (Dec 29, 2003)

Interesting!










Genius!


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## IndecentExposure (Sep 25, 2006)

I always thought the Mongoose design (current) was kind of ugly.


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## IndecentExposure (Sep 25, 2006)

*I'm bring it down to the gutter...*

Sorry, Couldn't resist.

This is one UGLY BIKE!:thumbsup:


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## evo233 (Jun 13, 2007)

Here are some


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

*Cool bikes, but....*



michigantammy said:


> Some might not look good, but they all are functional.
> 
> This one is not too bad...
> 
> ...


.... what's with the aero bars higher than the saddle?!? Kinda defeats the purpose, right? They should loose all those spacers under the stem, or loose the aero bars.


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## hotfeat1227 (May 15, 2007)

ugly i say, ugly.


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## wg (Dec 20, 2003)

*One only needs to hit the local big boxes*

Wally world and Target specials: 
:eekster: :cryin:


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## hotfeat1227 (May 15, 2007)

this one's butt ugly as well!!









alright...im just jealous


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## nOOby (Jul 20, 2007)

poppy said:


> Nothing Ugly about these, its actually beautiful.


Every bike in this thread is beautiful in its own special way


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## dstepper (Feb 28, 2004)

nOOby said:


> these guys win


Love the foot brakes.

Dean


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

*Saw this in Berlin*

Ugly, but kinda cool.

This is used to deliver appliances. I'd hate to pedal this thing up a hill with a dishwasher on board.


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## Lawson Raider (Jul 24, 2006)

Sad, I used to own one of these. It is now a resident of the Clay County landfill.


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## sis (Jul 11, 2007)

006_007 said:


> K, it is not a bicycle, but it is pretty damn UGLY


Hardley movingson move into the 21st century


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## Solrac the red (Jul 24, 2007)

That tadpole tandem is pretty nice.
Here is a veru cool paint job. The bike didn't look so cool after it was built though. He just used all the wrong parts. I'll try and find it.


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## norcom (Feb 22, 2007)

There are no ugly bikes, there's just not enough beer.


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## bankerboy (Oct 17, 2006)

How about this?


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## Plim (Dec 8, 2004)

jonny290 said:


> i'll drop a G on a quality CF or titanium lug set meant to complete a bamboo bike, easily, as soon as somebody puts one up for retail (won't happen in the lawsuit-happy USA though).
> 
> Beautiful, strong and light. not to mention heck of a conversation piece


If you'd buy the lug set, would you consider the complete frame, with bamboo in place? 'Cause you can buy that in the lawsuit-happy USA. http://www.calfeedesign.com/bamboo.htm

Costs more than a G, though.


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## sis (Jul 11, 2007)

It wouldn't be so bad if it rode better than it looks. There's a bloke near me who rides one in full on dh gear, full face, race top, armour, the lot. Mind you, i've only ever seen him on road. Someone saw him coming.


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## Hardtails Are Better (May 4, 2005)

I nominate TNCs road abomination. I know someone has a picture.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

*Flipped and clipped*

.... uh sorta. Backwards flip and clip?


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## RideFaster (Dec 18, 2004)

It may be ugly, but it rips at the freeride park.


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## GreenLightGo (Oct 24, 2006)

I like it!


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## Genom (Mar 20, 2007)

Does a "Scraper Bike" qualify as ugly? I tend to think so...nothing like Reynolds Wrap on the spokes for some bling.


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## hotfeat1227 (May 15, 2007)

RideFaster said:


> It may be ugly, but it rips at the freeride park.


i think it looks badass...
...not that i would pay money for it...
...or want to ride it for any reason ...

.... but badass nonetheless


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## RiskEverything (Mar 23, 2006)

That was f'ing hilarious!


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## Solrac the red (Jul 24, 2007)

What exactly is a "Scraper Bike"???? It doesn't scrape anything. That video did scrape my nerves though. There is a new style called "Burrito Bikes" (very stupid name) and they have the ability of scraping.


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## Mr. GT (Jan 17, 2004)

Solrac the red said:


> What exactly is a "Scraper Bike"???? It doesn't scrape anything. That video did scrape my nerves though. There is a new style called "Burrito Bikes" (very stupid name) and they have the ability of scraping.


Dam them thinkgs got more chain then my recumbant does


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## Skywest (Feb 1, 2005)

*I win.*



pimpbot said:


> I've been following the Bike Snob NYC blog for a while. Funny stuff.
> 
> He's been running an ongoing thing on ugly bikes. I can't get enough of it.
> 
> ...












Hope this thing can take me to the water tower today. It's one hell of a climber, does not bob at all compared to my Specialized Enduro Pro 2004 frame.


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## Random Drivel (Oct 20, 2006)

*Too much Crank plus Duct Tape*

Equals this bike . . .


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## Random Drivel (Oct 20, 2006)

*One more*

Not a bike, but oh sooo Fugly . . .


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## BunnV (Sep 7, 2005)

*top THIS!*

ugly AND dangerous! :eekster:


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## Solrac the red (Jul 24, 2007)

I bet that one's good in the twisty sections. LOL Maybe the rider is a 400 pounder, and when he sits on it, it looks normal.


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## ziscwg (May 18, 2007)

Hey, don't be dissin' my Lefty Prophet. Well at least until you ride one. Then, you can have at if you didn't like it. I didn't buy it for it's looks either.



hotfeat1227 said:


> this one's butt ugly as well!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## coffeegeek2112 (Mar 2, 2007)

Genom said:


> Does a "Scraper Bike" qualify as ugly? I tend to think so...nothing like Reynolds Wrap on the spokes for some bling.


Wow, three and a half minutes I will never get back.


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## hotfeat1227 (May 15, 2007)

ziscwg said:


> Hey, don't be dissin' my Lefty Prophet. Well at least until you ride one. Then, you can have at if you didn't like it. I didn't buy it for it's looks either.


on the contrary i think it looks stunning. the lefty fork is somthing i drool at in my spare time 

i was joking about the ugly thing :thumbsup:


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## SoCalAl (Aug 29, 2004)

Been lurking around Velospace, found this


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## Hardtails Are Better (May 4, 2005)

SoCalAl said:


> Been lurking around Velospace, found this


That's freakin cool. Functional? Doubt it. But very cool nonetheless.


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## SlimTwisted (Jun 14, 2006)

Hmm, get the feeling the posts in this thread all cancel eachother out? This is an execise in the reasoning that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.


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## Solrac the red (Jul 24, 2007)

That is very cool. That's very functional. Change out that fork and it'd be functional off road.

Slim, isn't that what happens on every thread. LOL


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## SoCalAl (Aug 29, 2004)

How about this one, anybody like this?


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## squads (Feb 8, 2004)

proof that Toby Keith is a bicyclist


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## SoCalAl (Aug 29, 2004)

BunnV said:


> Top this! ugly AND dangerous! :eekster:


That sounds like a dare-


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## crank1979 (Feb 3, 2006)

SoCalAl said:


> That sounds like a dare-


Looks like an average 29er!


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## madcap (May 26, 2007)

SoCalAl said:


> How about this one, anybody like this?


someone special ordered those crappy tires at our shop and never came to pick them up. yuck!


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## madcap (May 26, 2007)

a few local uglies...


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## Dan Gerous (Feb 18, 2004)

A few bikes I spotted in Berlin:







Nobody has a picture of a bike with bar-ends and on the bar-ends, there are other bar-ends? And guess what's on the last bar-ends? Yes, Bar-ends!


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

*Heh....*

Those Die Bahn rental bikes were all over the place in Berlin. Cool idea. You basically call the number on your cell phone, they give you a code to unlock the bike for a certain amount of time, and they charge your phone bill for the rental.


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## adrenalnjunky (Jul 28, 2007)

I was actually surprised to find that Slingshot was still in business - I never cared for their design.


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## jpelaston (Feb 27, 2007)

SoCalAl said:


> That sounds like a dare-


the scary thing about that bike is you can tell by the oxidation around the welds that it was done with a cheap home depot gas-less mig welder and probably has ZERO % penetration on the welds and will probably break pedaling down a smooth road.


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## Dan Gerous (Feb 18, 2004)

I know some people are fans of old school Klein but their neon color paints are very ugly to me... so is the Mantra IMO.


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## scrublover (Dec 30, 2003)

All bikes are beautiful, but some bikes are more beautiful than others.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

*Here's one....*



scrublover said:


> All bikes are beautiful, but some bikes are more beautiful than others.


That's just tragic. It has all the makings of a nice bike, but it isn't

The Good:

Voodoo steel frame, singlespeed, Fox fork.

The bad:

rear brake only?!?

DH Stem?!?

Seat pointed Skyward?!?

Silkworm street tires?!?

Where does this guy ride this thing, to the frickin arcade?!?


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## fallen angel (Jun 18, 2007)

I really want one of those twikes.... Curse the $25000 price


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## desurfer (Oct 22, 2005)

SoCalAl said:


> That sounds like a dare-


Why settle for mere dual suspension, when you can have _triple_ suspension?


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## literocola (Dec 18, 2006)

My 1st trials bike was pretty bad-




























Then she got a paint job in hopes that she would become a little more appealing:










And another paint job....


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## literocola (Dec 18, 2006)

The new trials bike is still kinda funny with that gold bling in the rear-


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## fallen angel (Jun 18, 2007)

wish I was even half that talented on a bike. I don't even know if I can properly bunny hop.


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## potvinwannab (Jun 23, 2006)

any bike from surly (ESPECIALLY the pugsly) 
the nicolai lambada st is also helluva ugly


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## jcaino (May 26, 2007)

SoCalAl said:


> Been lurking around Velospace, found this


still reading the thread, so i dont know if its been said - but that was built by chris/thick bikes here in pittsburgh


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## daodedick (Jul 27, 2006)

SoCalAl said:


> Been lurking around Velospace, found this


I dig the frame but not so much the fork/handlebar. How did they put the fork/handlebar on, as it seems that it clamps to both the top and bottom of the head tube? Did they just us a piece of steerer tube?


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## ban'd4life (Feb 13, 2007)

I'll throw mine in the mix since nobody wants to post their own fugliness:thumbsup:


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## Hardtails Are Better (May 4, 2005)

ban'd4life said:


> I'll throw mine in the mix since nobody wants to post their own fugliness:thumbsup:


That's frightening.


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## nomad rdr (Jul 26, 2006)

ban'd4life said:


> I'll throw mine in the mix since nobody wants to post their own fugliness:thumbsup:


Hey that's gay!


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## potvinwannab (Jun 23, 2006)

it looks alright, seat post is a little high dont you think?


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## Hardtails Are Better (May 4, 2005)

potvinwannab said:


> it looks alright, seat post is a little high dont you think?


How the hell do you think you can judge seatpost height without seeing him on the bike?

That dosn't look like an unusual amount of post either.


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## potvinwannab (Jun 23, 2006)

id be scared to go down a rocky section or off a drop when the seatpost is higher than the handlebars. For riding on flat land its fine but being so high would totally defeat the purpose of many freeride frame designs. Maybe he is extremely tall, but im 5'11" and i only ride around on the road on the way to the trails with a high seatpost. How are you going to cushion a drop when you can only move your butt 5 inches or risk breaking your balls. That being said, different strokes for different folks i guess.


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## Hardtails Are Better (May 4, 2005)

That's what quick release seat post clamps are for. Ever heard of those? :skep:


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## potvinwannab (Jun 23, 2006)

how do you think i would be able to talk about dropping the seat height on my way to the trail if i didnt... i dont carry a wrench in my pocket you know, but at the moment that picture was taken that seat was rather high, thats all i have to go on, and thats all i have to comment on and im sure he doesnt care and if he drops it for freeride thats terrific and if he doesnt thats also swell but in my opinion that freeride bike's seat is too high in THIS picture. Period

P.S-its a nice bike by the way


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## literocola (Dec 18, 2006)

ban'd4life said:


> I'll throw mine in the mix since nobody wants to post their own fugliness:thumbsup:


Any Ventana in my eyes is pure love Sherwood knows how to make a frame, and at 1st glance on your build, on that X5 frame...I want it!


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## Hardtails Are Better (May 4, 2005)

literocola said:


> Any Ventana in my eyes is pure love Sherwood knows how to make a frame, and at 1st glance on your build, on that X5 frame...I want it!


Once you put aside the lime green rims, it's a great bike.


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## 11 Bravo (Mar 12, 2004)

potvinwannab said:


> how do you think i would be able to talk about dropping the seat height on my way to the trail if i didnt... i dont carry a wrench in my pocket you know, but at the moment that picture was taken that seat was rather high, thats all i have to go on, and thats all i have to comment on and im sure he doesnt care and if he drops it for freeride thats terrific and if he doesnt thats also swell but in my opinion that freeride bike's seat is too high in THIS picture. Period
> 
> P.S-its a nice bike by the way


That is about the same height I run the seat post on my X-5. I log many miles on it and ride it like an XC bike and that is where I like the post. That is just the way the geometry of the frame works out. I drop it for aggressive stuff and downhills and judging from the looks of his seat post I would say *ban'd4life* does the same.

Bright green wheels aside, that is a nice bike *ban'd4life*.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

*Guilty!*



ban'd4life said:


> I'll throw mine in the mix since nobody wants to post their own fugliness:thumbsup:


And here is the evidence. I wanted to be a cool kid on the block, and build up my old road bike as a street fixie. I've had this thing since 1985 when I was in high school, and I bastardized it. I beat it senseless with an ugly stick. I fixed it, and flipped and clipped the bars. What was I thinking?!?


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## ban'd4life (Feb 13, 2007)

nomad rdr said:


> Hey that's gay!


Don't be hatin'. You know those wheels would look awesome on that black Nonad:thumbsup:


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## thebigred67 (Mar 29, 2005)

Great thread!


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## poppy (Jan 24, 2006)

ban'd4life said:


> I'll throw mine in the mix since nobody wants to post their own fugliness:thumbsup:


Not many bikes can have these rims and still looks cool, like this one :thumbsup:


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## freetors (Jun 9, 2006)

not necessarily ugly but definitaly a wierd looking trials bike


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## SoCalAl (Aug 29, 2004)

Running brakes and no top tube pad? At least get some neon green deep v's. You are such a poser!


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

*Craigs List is too easy...*

... to get material

I know, kind of unfair that its a kids bike, but what parent would let their kid ride a bike this way?


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## drakan (Dec 16, 2006)

Ohmygod. I just saw a 24" rotor.


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## one eyed poacher (May 19, 2007)

Form over function? Our perceptions of beauty is truly the definition of relative subjectivity...The eye of the beholder and all that.(I have to skirt this subject considering I ride a hefty pig! The belittled orange and black Giant Warp )


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## pHUCKiN PHiL (Jul 17, 2007)

my friends always give me **** for having colored anodized parts and cutting stickers in unique ways, what can I say, I like my bike to look sick and be unique. theres are just black...lame


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