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My ugly bike...let's see yours

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My ugly bike...let's see yours

Old 01-03-21, 12:49 PM
  #26  
DorkDisk
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Full suspension and small wheels for a double bummer.

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Old 01-03-21, 12:55 PM
  #27  
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I no longer have room in my life for ugly bikes, but believe me, they were quite the thing for me and others when I was a UCLA student, and bike theft was rampant. My specialty was old English three-speeds converted to 9 or 12 speed hybrid transmissions, with blotchy spray paint over the original black paint. Dirt or even rust? No problem!
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Old 01-03-21, 01:42 PM
  #28  
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First pic is just fooling around while fitting the parts so maybe she isn't that bad.




Here she is before I had to sell the CampI bits off her.
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Old 01-03-21, 02:08 PM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by jamesdak
This this is butt ugly! Replaced my too small english 3 speed and the Orbea Cabestany set up for gravel this this beast. What ever this beast it. Found it locally for next to nothing and it was a mess. But after pretty much just doing a basic service, new cables, tires, brake pads, chain, etc it works really well. Really comfortable too if I'm being honest. But yeah, totally, completely, for sure, BUTT UGLY!.
But not too ugly to be loved


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Old 01-03-21, 03:14 PM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by ctak
But not too ugly to be loved


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thats my cat!
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One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"

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Old 01-03-21, 03:20 PM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by jamesdak
This this is butt ugly! Replaced my too small english 3 speed and the Orbea Cabestany set up for gravel this this beast. What ever this beast it. Found it locally for next to nothing and it was a mess. But after pretty much just doing a basic service, new cables, tires, brake pads, chain, etc it works really well. Really comfortable too if I'm being honest. But yeah, totally, completely, for sure, BUTT UGLY!.

you could, maybe, make it look worse if you put a treadle type pedal system on it


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Old 01-03-21, 06:46 PM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by Bianchigirll
you could, maybe, make it look worse if you put a treadle type pedal system on it
IDK, it may just blend in with everything else going on with it.
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Old 01-03-21, 10:10 PM
  #33  
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You want ugly. Though I have shared this speed tunnel special before, I can't let this thread go by without it making a token appearance...
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Old 01-04-21, 08:41 AM
  #34  
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Ugliest bike I ever built was for cehowardGS . He retired and would take his bike on the bus from Baltimore to DC and have coffee at various McDonald's, generally spreading good will. He wanted a bike that was as unattractive as possible. We settled on about an '83 or '84 Raleigh Competition, a really faded and beat-up pastel and rusty green with stripes faded to pink. The saddle had more duct tape than leather. I found some very dirty old pink bar wrap, and delighted in wrapping the bars without having to wash my hands first. The more grease, the better. We kept the nasty cable housing, made sure not to clean any part of the frame or components. The calipers were caked in grime, hoods missing, hubs were Raleigh, I think, galvanized spokes. We repacked the headset, hubs, bottom bracket, cleaned and lubed the jockey wheels, and lubed all the pivots. We even put old rat-trap pedals on it with half-clips so he could wear his Fila shoes. In an old Army jacket, turtleneck, stocking cap, jeans, and Fila's, there was just no way to associate him, on sight (or site) as a collector and avid cyclist. We wanted appearances to be deceiving. It was by far the ugliest bike I'd had in my garage.

His first time out, it got stolen.

Three days later, he found it at the train station, missing a front wheel. So I crawled back under my house and fished out another Raleigh front and we were back in business.

It got stolen again.

He did not get mad. He laughed. If someone needed a bike that looked like that, he felt they should have it.
What we both found funny, is the thief would likely ride it, and be amazed at how well it rode, for what it looked like.

I still laugh today.
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Old 01-05-21, 11:11 AM
  #35  
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Other than Babe, the Blue Oxen, shown elsewhere, I suppose my frankenbike is my ugly bike. IIRC the f/f is a 1974 Gitane Gypsy Sport and the rest is from 26 other bikes and parts bins etc. It is hidden away through the good weather and comes down stairs for the winter, like it did yesterday. Yup, French fit but its all day comfortable. The cheap rack is good enough for holding layers if the day warms up some and for holding the mail while I ride on up to the house. f/f was stripped and spray bombed (Rustoleum) which has held up quite well for the past 6 or 7 years. Even road salt does not harm it much. Ugly huh?



Yup, that's the garden hose running along the driveway. Used to fill the water buckets and troughs all winter. I have to lay it out and drain it every day to keep it from freezing solid. That's life with horses.
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Old 01-06-21, 10:15 PM
  #36  
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Saw on FB Marketplace and was shocked and offended - but there were likes and compliments on the "lovely bike" so what do I know.
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Old 01-06-21, 10:47 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by dmarkun
Saw on FB Marketplace and was shocked and offended - but there were likes and compliments on the "lovely bike" so what do I know.
as they say, there's something for everyone!!!......or something
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Old 01-07-21, 07:34 AM
  #38  
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My Big Boy BMX 29r.
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Old 01-07-21, 07:47 AM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by OldsCOOL
My ugly bike is another example of an abused MTB. This is my winter rider for conditioning here in Michigan north of the 45th. 1989 Trek 830, “C’antelope”.


First the Peugeot, now the Trek 800 - i guess you and I have similar tastes in bikes! Love the view from your front porch. I see this picture and just, I'm going to have fun today. Here's my grocery getter that I bought new around 94 and just didn't give enough love.

I call it Shrek, because it's big, green and ugly.
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Old 01-07-21, 09:58 AM
  #40  
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Here's mine! This thing is my gone-shopping-without-worries bike; not a classic nor vintage but, I think it qualifies!
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Old 01-07-21, 10:08 AM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by gthomson
First the Peugeot, now the Trek 800 - i guess you and I have similar tastes in bikes! Love the view from your front porch. I see this picture and just, I'm going to have fun today. Here's my grocery getter that I bought new around 94 and just didn't give enough love.

I call it Shrek, because it's big, green and ugly.
Love it! These will go down in cycling history as the most versatile and durable bikes EVER.
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Old 01-07-21, 11:19 AM
  #42  
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There are some really ugly bikes posted on BikeForums. These ^ above (in this entire thread) aren't among the ugliest. @jamesdak has something pretty ugly, but clean, for his entry. So much wrong about the aesthetic of that frame and its angles. Ugh. But it is clean and apparently functional.
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Old 01-08-21, 09:38 AM
  #43  
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Here's mine, a $10 bike from the 2017 Clunker 100 challenge. Quite functional. From the right angle, at a distance, looks OK, but up close, see why I could park unlocked all over Salem, OR area with no doubt it would still be there when I returned. Don



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Old 01-08-21, 09:43 AM
  #44  
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Here's mine, a $10 bike from the 2017 Clunker 100 challenge. Quite functional. From the right angle, at a distance, looks OK, but up close, see why I could park unlocked all over Salem, OR area with no doubt it would still be there when I returned. Don



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Old 01-18-21, 09:57 AM
  #45  
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Here's mine. It's a suspected Japanese bianchi but has at least two coats of (bad) extra paint. The components are a mixed bag, no handlebar tape, etc. It ugly

Just got back from a ride because while it may be ugly, it's perfect for messy winter riding 🙂

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