rat fink

Drillium Dude, the Colnago will always be hot.

Sir_Name 

You got that right (FIFY).

CannedPakes

New bar tape and hoods...maybe I should have taken off the saddle bag for the picture.

eschlwc

the two things i don't like about this pic are the sharp downward angle of the photo making the bike look small and the drive side arm pointing to the rear. it would be nice if you got the valve stems in the same spot. everything else looks good: the lighting, chain on big ring, housing length, choice of saddle and tape, etc.

still, 'hot.'

please note: i'm one to appreciate criticism in the road version of this thread. i never partake in that other thread, i only read the comments. but i appreciate the direct and sharp opinion. c&v is usually much more polite, maybe overly so.

i want to take some new pics of my keepers so you guys can pick at 'em. one thing i'm sure you'd have issue with is my drive-side placement of the front skewer lever.

edit: i like cages to contain a good looking bottle that fits the bike. if no bottle, remove the empty cage for the pic.

eschlwc

i will say, "not." but i say that not because i'm disinterested in this fuji. it's pretty cool, and the paint looks great.

as for the pic, the background needs help. vinyl siding doesn't work. the lighting, though, is great, as is the camera's point of view from an appropriate level.

the chain needs to be on the big ring, and the bottle looks out of place.

the one thing that screams "help" is the length of the rear brake cable. it looks odd to have one cable in front of the bars, and the other behind them. these are easy to fix. you can also saw off the excess length of the rear skewer.

i like the brown hoods, and i would use them whether with gumwalls or not. but gumwalls would make everything else 'pop.' unfortunately, gumwalls end up looking bad for a rain bike, so that can be a concern if you ride a lot in the rain.

next time you change housing, give grey or another contrasting color some thought.

Sir_Name 

And I vote 'hot' - that's a sweet Fuji, I'd love to have one a few sizes up. You certainly aren't polishing a turd, and any photo faux pas are easily fixed. Nice bike.

Drillium Dude 

I posted for the last time over there recently. Some twit was going off on all the things "wrong" with my bike's presentation when - hello! - the thread is about whether or not the bike is hot. The generally understood "rules" of photographing bikes is not the point of that - or this - thread. So when I read comments regarding the way a bike is presented/photographed in this and that other thread...

I appreciate direct and sharp opinion, too, so long as it's relevant. Hot or Not - that's pretty straightforward. Why make it out to be more than it is?

DD

CannedPakes

I was actually looking for a more fitting bottle earlier on ebay but I couldn't find any new ones that wouldn't take 3 months to get here from china. I also don't want to drink out of a 30 year old used plastic bottle. I didn't put the cables on there like that either, the person I bought it from a couple of weeks ago did. I'll fix them at some point but I don't feel like it right now. I'll buy gumwalls whenever these brand new blackwalls (which the previous owner also bought) wear out, which shouldn't take long since I end up riding on gravel every time I take this bike out.

I like the gray cable housing idea a lot. Right now I'm trying to get it as close to the catalog picture as possible: https://www.classicfuji.com/S12-SLTD_1981_Page.htm


Thanks

eschlwc

well, first, it's a photograph. there's a c&v "wacky" thread devoted to bad photography. why can't this one be devoted to both the bike and the presentation of the bike? why can't we help owners with their bike photography?

when selling a bike, the marketing (photography) is just as important as the bike itself. a great photo makes a bike that much "hotter." and there are rather objective rules that most in the industry follow when presenting a bike, like showing the drive side and aligning the crank arms in an appropriate way.

i appreciate all those things that an owner puts into his presentation of a bike to make it 'hot.' but maybe i'm in the minority.

eschlwc

cool.

in that catalog pic, the head tube looks gold to match the seat tube decal. you might also think about painting your head tube to match. looks like it needs some touch-up anyway.

Drillium Dude 

Well, mostly because it's not. It's about whether the bike is hot - or not. That's it. I checked; there isn't anything more to this thread according to the title or the OP's first post.

I took a quick peek at the first 5 pages. I noted there were comments on the bikes, but not on how they were photographed. Why? Well, I believe that's because most people checking this thread out are sticking to the subject matter and not making anything more out of it.

I'm not sure when the HON thread went somewhat south over in the Road Forum, but the first time I posted there (a couple years ago now) I didn't see this issue. Last time around I posted my purple Davidson and all I saw was a bunch of "remove the saddle bag" "it's in the small chainring" "omg, it's in front of a garage door!" - I mean, geez, get a life, dudes!

I'd hate to see our thread lose the plot and devolve into something similar.

Rant complete

DD

CannedPakes

The headtube is gold. It just doesn't look like it in the picture maybe because of the lighting or the the wear caused by the original cable housing rubbing against it.

eschlwc

that's all fair. you see presentation only about the bike itself, whether the pic is in direct sunlight of the non-drive side with a confused background. and i see a photograph first in the way an owner is presenting his bike by following certain objective rules that have already been established. i appreciate great thought going into all those details to makes the bike 'hot.' i know this criticism will help with presentation, but it might also ruffle feathers. to me, there's no reason it can't be both. i don't think it detracts at all. just because conversation has gone "south" in the road forum doesn't mean we have to do the same. we can be better at both if we want to be.

Drillium Dude 

Please believe me, I getcha. I mean, most times when I photograph my bike I make sure I do the "right things" in setting it up. I'm just saying this particular thread isn't about that.

DD

eschlwc

but it could be about that. two birds; one stone.

i've always enjoyed your photography. you especially take great indoor pics of components. this information should be shared, not hoarded. and we don't have another c&v thread to discuss these ideas that can help owners with presentation and eventual sale.

Drillium Dude 

Well, the way to solve this issue is to either change the title and/or posting rules for this 2+ year old thread or begin a brand new one entitled "How To Photograph Your Bike" or similar. I think the latter option would make the most sense

DD

eschlwc

that one would die.

the cool thing about the road thread is it's going strong.

my only interest in all this is to elevate my bike porn addiction. B^)

sloar

Steve Whitlatch 

I can see the smoke rising off of that bike.

Kactus

I HAVE to say that one is hot! How do you like it?

Kactus

sloar

Love it, my new favorite rider. I've always regretted selling my last Ciocc.

Kactus

I'm so glad to hear that.

lasauge 

Sloar's Ciocc is extremely hot, exactly what a modernized C&V should look like.

sloar

Thanks