Pimping my ride

[mightyquin]

I have a 2008 Kona Paddy Wagon, it's a light grey frame with some white, and yellow highlights around the graphics.

I've since added a grey saddle and now black/grey fizik bar tape. I was thinking of making it look at bit 'hipster' (I love some of the bikes I see about) but don't want it to end up looking silly!

I was thinking of fitting a pair of yellow Schwalbe blizzard tyres..........good or bad idea? I've done a bit of a search but can't find any pictures of bikes with them fitted, just the close up product shots.

Any advice/ideas welcome!

 

[wheres_my_beard]

Have you got a pic you could post of your progress so far?

They look like decent tyres to me. You may want to post in or browse the racing section to see what tyres are well regarded for road bikes. If it's for mostly urban use you may benefit from something with a bit more rubber on to help resist punctures.

Coloured tyre are cool, especially if they are a solid single colour (< for example). Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Your bike will only look silly if you think it looks silly; I recently took my bike into a LBS and the guy who worked there commented that my bike looked "cute" in a really patronising way; I wanted to tell him to go f*ck himself, but instead just said "thanks, I do too" in an equally patronising way. Funnily enough I haven't been back to that shop.

I have my bike the way I have it because I love it and it makes me feel great when I ride it and when I am around it, not for anyone else's benefit.

Do what you want with your bike, some people won't get it, but that's their problem.

 

[mightyquin]

Hi, thanks for the response. When you say 'more rubber' are you saying wider tyres?

I just found a pic of a bike with yellow tyres fitted here https://www.cyclechat.net/

My bike is a lighter grey colour, will post a pic soon as I can.

 

[smokeysmoo]

[EDIT] Ah! just seen your latest post. Looking forward to the pic

 

[Rob3rt]

What you really need are deeper rims (or box section rims, these seem to be the new deep-V) and increasingly narrow riser bars so that your index finger and thumb scuff your stem!

 

[jig-sore]

yeah, thats my bike...

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=24611

can't go wrong at that price

 

[mightyquin]

OK a couple of pics - new saddle and bar tape. I like the yellow tyres, there's some yellow and red on the bike, but I think red tyres would be a tad too much. Any ideas/thoughts please?!

 

[Ibbots]

Nice looking bike as it is. I think yellow tyres will go with that frame, might be a bit of a problem if you ever ride it in the wet though. Have similar thing on my road bike, but with red Michellin Pro Race. Looked great, matching red highlights in the frame graphics and other components on the silver/grey frame. That is until I got caught ought in the rain on a couple of long rides and now stained with brake dust and road filth.

Every now and again I fulfill my fetish for white tape. Always regret it after about two weeks when it starts to look grubby too. End up going back to black...then some months later, it's like it never happened and I wrapping white tape again. Just done it to my Pompino and it already looks awful. I need an intervention.

For the hipster look you need one aerospoke wheel, a mismatched coloured deep V (or apparently box section now it seems) and a bad beard. Espadrilles can't be ideal riding shoes either.

 

[wheres_my_beard]

Now this is a fixie

Ibbots I think this is the kind of thing you are thinking of

 

[Ibbots]

I like the graffics on the big wheel. Other guy needs to try harder, more fakenger with hipster pretentions than true hipster.

Are there any unicycists on this forum? There's a chap I see sometimes when out on my mtb, he rides what can best be described as an offroad unicycle and always looks very pleased with himself. Not sure why, never seen him taking any big air or anything (not that you're likley to see me do that either, but I only look smug when passing fatties on climbs).

 

[colinr]

Yellow tyres will work.

Coloured hoods?
Fancier cranks and chainring?
Bling seatpost? (I like the Miche Supertype. Or Thompson Elite, can't go wrong with that)
Different coloured brake cables?

Though I'd say most of those things were for the hell of it, leave the Kona as is and just start planning your next bike

 

[wheres_my_beard]

... true hipster.

Have you visited latfh.com (not related to bikes)? I would say that this is not safe for work, but if you are at work... DO SOME WORK!!!!

 

[Ibbots]

... DO SOME WORK!!!!

I am at work, but as a Social Media Analyst for several leisure organisations I'm billing for my time spent on here and looking at mildly offensive weblogs. Having just noticed your post rate since joining a couple of weeks ago I think I should be working harder.

 

[brockers]

Every now and again I fulfill my fetish for white tape. Always regret it after about two weeks when it starts to look grubby too.

The Fizik white tape is pretty cleanable. Not particularly comfortable though, but you could wrap it over the black tape.

Are there any unicycists on this forum?

Yay! I have my old unicycle hanging in my hallway. I rode it around campus back when I was a wacky student. Used to be able to off road on it to, but these days I'm unable to go more than a few feet without going into a death-wobble and having the thing fly from under me.

 

[mightyquin]

I've decided, I'm going to give the yellow tyres a go - easily reversed if I don't like 'em.

But I would love a really hipster looking bike, I would! (I don't look very hipster though!).