Photo from sarahetc
I recently got into sharing the bike love with little love notes from your bike is hot.
"Reward good taste: print out “your bike is hot” cards and stick one in the next hot bicycle you roll by. Leave a note; be anonymous; make your own card. It doesn’t matter. You know what matters: hot bicycle proliferation."
I hope the recipients of my love notes appreciate them, chances are they agree with me and enjoy the compliment.
This exercise has gotten me thinking about what I find hot in a bike. It isn't necessarily an expensive bike. It isn't old or new, shiny or used. I think what gets me excited is customization - each of the bikes that's gotten a love note from me has been modified in logical ways to presumably suit the (absent) owner. When done with love this makes a bike unique in the world that is intrinsically beautiful.
But that's just me. What is your idea of a hot bike?
5 comments:
I like anything unique or different, though context might matter too. A Bianchi Pista, for example, is fairly cookie cutter, but when it's ridden with style it's a hot bike. A "Triax" road bike from Target is about as "meh" as it gets, but personalize it by slapping a Jesus portrait on the head badge and it's kind of cool. A Masi Speciale Fixed is always hot, but be seen riding it in office duds and your hotness is off the charts.
Even cheap cruiser bikes can be hot if you ride it with the right attitude :-)
Damn! Really great examples there, with photos even. Without context I go with what I infer about the owner from the bike, but you're right that attitude makes all the difference!
Wow! Thanks for the sharing these spoke cards--they're such a great idea. If I find a chic bike, I'll definitely leave one on it. I don't have much criteria for a hot bike because I live in a small town where you don't see many bikes at all. When I move to the city, I'm sure I'll be discerning. At the moment, I give a thumbs up to anyone riding a bike with vintage style (fenders, chainguard, etc).
Once, when I lived in Atlanta, I saw a guy with a turban riding an old, nondescript bike with a tiny white dog in a big basket. I thought that was cool as hell. I would've given him a spoke card if they'd been conceived of at the time.
I don't know how well those would go over here...a hot bike=stolen bike ;-) and given the odds around here chances are pretty good they are stolen.
Love the concept though..
Aaron
Aaron,
That is also true here and I honestly had the exact same thought. I spent some time thinking of the message I'd probably choose. I think I'd say "your bike is sweet" which, while still slang, at least better conveys my appreciation. Still, I realized that a person with a guilty conscience might be bothered by "your bike is hot" and everyone else would probably get it.
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