Originally Posted by
taz777
I’m after some tips and tricks that can be employed to declutter a bike so that it looks a little more stock, yet still has all of the essential accessories that are needed on typical rides - lights, bottle, bell, etc.
I’ve thought about mounting the front light upside down under the handlebar but some front lights cannot be mounted this way due to the lens pattern.
So, I was wondering whether anyone else has tried to declutter a bike purely for aesthetic reasons and what they came up with.
I think everyone likes a decluttered bike, particularly if its a super light-weight $5K racing bike. I think most people will use a some type of bike computer though because people who are serious about cycling simply want to able to see all the stats that pertain to their riding. My bike is very cluttered but it is no light-weight racer bike so I don't worry too much about how someone else might think it looks. I suppose if I wanted to I could remove half of the stuff without jeopardizing my safety. I could remove my full fenders but then if it rains you have to deal with the spray flying up off the wheels. Not to mention taking full fenders on /off is not something I would want to do on a regular basis because they aren't the easiest things to install. I don't always ride in the rain but I do ride if the roads are just wet. I also mount a frame bag on my bike ( which I hated doing ) but realistically I needed a place for carrying a spare tube, tire levers, a small hand pump, a CO'2 inflator, a small cable lock, my ID and keys. Yep, I could go without a lot of the stuff I carry on my bike but I don't worry much about the aesthetics anymore.