gundom66

So I'm pretty anal on some things. When I bought my road bike, I was asking questions about what would be best with it or not, and got tagged as a typical roadie ocd. Don't mind... don't care. Anyway, a buddy of mine finally had a chance to see my bike last night. First thing he said is that it's too black and I should flare it up a bit. Then he got down to the color of my helmet and shoes. That since I have a black on black bike, that I should be all black as well. Or at least not white nor red nor blue but flouro-green or yellow for visibility. Then he said since I have a white helmet and shoes with some hint of red, that I should change the saddle and handlebar tape to white with white wall tires and red anodized brakes. Here I am looking at him if he was joking or not, and really... he is pretty serious... Somebody woke up with a stick up his ass.

Then he picked up my bike and said it's too heavy. I believe with pedals and cages, it's either high 16 or low 17... I'm happy with it, but here he is telling me to spend more cash to switch out the wheels, to change the drive train to Red, blah blah blah blah blah.

I'm about to unfriend this so-called buddy just because he irritates me. Do any of you guys get this anal about bikes whether it's yours or not? Just wondering...

antmeeks

Well...

My bike is black, white & orange.

I just bought a set of Fulcrum Racing 3's and the decals are black, white & red.

It bothers me.

dtrain

You don't have to unfriend him...assuming he shapes up when you tell him to eff off.

Lew.

I don't really care, however it happened by coincidence that my Tarmac is red, my Spesh jersey is red/white and Scott helmet is also red. Somehow, even my track bike (Fondriest) is red... But that's because A) I like Spesh bikes and it was in red in the LBS B) The Spesh jersey got handed down to me C) Scott lid was on sale and track bike was cheap on eBay.
I can't comprehend guys who spend so much money with the purpose of colour co-ordinating their equip. and bikes, it's a bike to be ridden, not admire (no matter how gorgeous they are). I sometimes catch myself staring in wander at guys in the LBS who talk about their fashion on the bike... IMO Functionality > Looks.
Sorry, longish post.

krobinson103

I care not what my bikes look like or if my clothes match them. I have one bike that I built for functionality and looks, the others have one function - to get me to work or carry me and my stuff. They can be as ugly and mismatched as they like as long as they feel good.

jesspal

Sounds like a d bag friend, we all have one.

Carbon Unit

I have a friend that critized my bike because it doesn't have paint on it. My bike's finish is raw carbon fiber. I like it because it is harder to scratch. Anyway, I told him he doesn't have to ride it and he hasn't bothered me about it since.

FLvector

If you can ride him off your wheel, do it. He'll quickly realize that he should work on the engine instead of worrying about fashion.

kukusz

I like making my bike look nice, but I do awful things like mix group sets (Egads SRAM RED and SRAM Force!) so I get pestered by my teammates that will spend extra $$$ to make the bike match. My bike looks nice but it's a Frankenbike (Felt bars, CAAD10 frame, Thomson post, 3T stem, S-works Cranks, SRAM rings, Ultegra Chain/Cassette, Dura-Ace wheels, Force/RED mix brakes/FD/RD). My other carbon bike is similar in terms of parts mix.

Bah Humbug

Enough that I want to strip the paint off my bike so I can wear any jersey with it without clashing.

Myosmith

Geesh, if my socks match it's a good day. I can't say I don't care at all about aesthetics, but they are way down the list from safety, function, and comfort. I certainly won't sacrifice anything from the aforementioned three for the sake of style or bling. All my bikes are somewhat Frankenized and came out when most of the roadies I ride with were still on tricycles. I've got a face that was made for radio and a body that should be donated to science fiction, so I really don't give a rat's patoot if my shoes match my handlebar tape.

Everybody has someone, family, friend, fellow club member, or that irritating guy that hangs around the bike shop for no reason, who will constantly pick apart anything you have or do to explain how they would do it better. Grow a set, tell your "buddy" that his butt cheeks make his kit look funny from behind (it'll drive him nuts for weeks trying to look at his arse in the mirror), take a look at your bike and decide if you like it. Why would you waste a moment trying to make someone else happy with your bike?

While there are truly good and bad aesthetics, there is a lot of room for individuality and personal preference, so do what you like and forget what everyone else thinks.

qcpmsame 

Did you both compare your Velomanati membership cards afterward to see who had joined first?

Elevation

he sounds jealous

Reynolds 

Some guys have no enemies, but they intensely dislike their friends.

jtwilson

I wouldn't worry too much about matching your bike to your kit, but I think there's a reasonable extent to which you might be concerned - for instance I wouldn't want to wear a blue helmet or shoes with lots on blue on a bike with no blue - unless the shoes matched the helmet and there wasn't really any red on the bike. With a black-on-black bike I think you can really do whatever you want with shoes and helmet.

The dead giveaway is that your friend just picked up your bike and said it was too heavy. That right there is a D-bag move. If he knew anything at all he would know roughly the weight just looking at the components, and know that judging by the 'lift test' is for people who haven't got a clue. 16-17lbs is the same as 14-15lbs minus one water bottle.

Do what you do and don't sweat it.

Velo Dog

Sometimes this site makes me shake my head.

RoadMike

I'm VERY anal about my own bike, but it's more of a pride of ownership kind of thing. I have a nail polish kit with every color my bike is painted in it. I prefer my kit to match my bike if possible, but I won't spend too much to make it happen. Most of my OCD is directed at cleanliness, maintenance and color matching on the bike itself. I detail my bike after every ride.

other people's bikes though, I could care less.

oldbobcat

About as OCD as I'll go is keeping the bike reasonably clean--brownies on the chain or derailleur pulleys get my goat. I also disapprove of tires so worn that the threads are showing and gaps or tears in the bar tape or saddle.

As for colors and patterns, I say that cute or cunning bar tape is a perfectly reasonable icebreaker on group rides.

DonDenver

Bingo!

Six jours

IOW, you and your friend are having a spat about how to match your accessories to your outfits, and so you came here to ask for relationship advice.

Not that there's anything wrong with that!

Bah Humbug

Hey, I do that. Not about guys, though.

Machka 

You realise he's just teasing you ... pushing your buttons ... pulling your leg. Grab a sense of humour and laugh about it.

catonec 

there is a thing as trying too hard. No reason for your bike and bike bits to match. of course you dont want it to look like crap but, don take it too far.

16-17 lbs is a very respectable weight for bikes.

I wanted a yellow fork to match but I have lived with the orange for 15 years. My head hasnt exploded yet.

RoadMike

The fact that he said all of that without mentioning the fact that you still haven't gone clipless tells me this friend of your is a wanker that needs to put some more miles in. As was mentioned earlier, the fact that he had to pick your bike up to know around how much it weighed was a pretty dead give away as well. The opinions of those you can drop do not matter.

AdelaaR

Your friend is right.
A white helmet on a black bike? Seriously?