Form and function - bring your bling

The welds on this always brink a smile to my face.
It's just ridiculous well made.
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51145633125_7c7c70628a_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51145633125_7c7c70628a_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2kVyJQM ]Geometron G1[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/ ]StuartBrettle[/url], on Flickr

My favourite bit of the bikes I have is a Garbaruk cassette.

Very nice, I've had my eye on one for a while to replace my stock XTR. Worth pulling the trigger on one?

Having owned a Nicolai Helius for 10years and now a Geometron G1, I'd just like to concur wholeheartedly with @singlespeedstu.

I'm still in the honeymoon period of enjoying cleaning it. Lasted about five years for the Helius 😀

I’m gonna need a minute here…

Trickstuff brakes

https://flic.kr/p/2oyB9fw

Everything Dward designs make, here’s his Ti bashguard
https://flic.kr/p/2nCzYHu

And other stuff

https://flic.kr/p/2oyDqUr

Commissioned carbon cranks for pinion gearbox, from Carbon Wasp. Weigh 2/3rds that of the standard ones. (and one off Ti spider and chainring from Dward)
https://flic.kr/p/2okmdn5

Berd spokes, not super showy, but mega light and work as well as regular ones.

https://flic.kr/p/2kUPtLL

Don’t ride anymore but my fav affordable bling was middleburn cranksets, had them on every bike since 1993

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<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">[img] [/img]</span>

https://photos.app.goo.gl/9FGmunA3Zuqtq1Sm9

@relapsed_mandalorian I'd say it is worth the money in comparison to XTR and X01.

Not sure on prices nowadays but, the Garbaruk was cheaper than both when I bought it and is lasting well so far.
It's an 11sp cassette, with XT mech and shifter and has never put a foot wrong.

Also have X01 on my FS and tbh it does run the Garbaruk close for looks and engineering.

When all said and done, function wise, a basic Sram or Shimano will probably be just as good - but that isn't the point of this thread 😉

Like the pics so far 🙂

https://photos.app.goo.gl/skRnqoFaf3B1WKTaA

What bits do you have that just make you smile, that are not complete bikes.

now, this is very niche but I’m in a safe space right?…

The polished pad retainer pin in my XTR brakes.

🍆

@tomhoward who built the berds for you?

@nixie Stif had an EWS mechanic in on his down time. Took him 3 days to lace them. Not sure they’d be all that keen to have another go tbh.

A bling bashguard is kinda funny.... more form vs function. It does look nice must admit.... Think I'd be too scared to bash £115 of ti any into rocks... until one day when I'd abandon all preciousness and just smash into everything with it!

I took a photo of a Sick Bicycles topcap I bought but never used. Grim reaper etched into anodized blue with the word 'sick'. Closest thing to bling I have is a Saint calliper on the rear of a bashed up street trials bike.

Think I’d be too scared to bash £115 of ti any into rocks…

it’s protecting a much more spendy chainset so I’m less bothered than you might think 😊

Sorry, have posted half a dozen versios of this same photo, I'm still in love with this paintjob but the bit I love most is the lovely blue brakes, I think they set off the rest of the frame perfectly.

Used to have a 16t one, it was beautiful in the hand and on the bike, and lasted a lot of miles.

https://www.whiteind.com/product/single-freewheels/

The cheap forged fixed sprockets sold by Planet X are incredibly well made and rather nice to look at, in their matte blackness.

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/SKOOCHRTC18/on-one-cnc-chromoly-screw-on-track-cog-1-8in

Handled one of these recently in a bike shop in Manchester. Looks totally impractical but was a lovely looking thing up close.

https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Fizik/Antares-R1-Versus-Evo-Adaptive-Saddle/RQI5

Bolt on that bash guard is offensively long

Thanks tomhoward, I'd love a wheelset using them but don't fancy the build myself.

https://zedbikewheels.com/ Do builds I think, and Berd themselves do, or did, a service where you send them your wheels, they’ll rebuild them and send them back.

If you get a regular LBS to build them, pay upfront.

I'll never understand getting super expensive brakes then putting them on underwhelming brake adapters with shabby looking they'll do bolts and washers. 😀

Terribly sorry.

Better?
https://flic.kr/p/2oyK53g

I’ve never been anything other than welmed by brake adapters, what makes them bad or good?

Who’d have thought mounts, bolts and washers should cause so much irk?

Who’d have thought mounts, bolts and washers should cause so much irk?

Well that's your fault for not including a poorly maintained lawn or mouldy pointing. There has to be something to draw the heat!

I like my seat clamp, or even the serial number of my latest bike: Rad#0007

But I can't be bothered posting photos.

Another G1 here, the only bike I've ever troubled with a polishing cloth, apart from a set of Middleburns a few years back.
Pure form, no functional benefit. The chunky raw alloy goodness just looks so nice with a bit of shine.
There's a set of blingy eewings on there too, but they definitely fall into the form and function bracket given how bombproof they are.
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Nicolai is my kind of oooh-nice. Middleburn cranks too.

I'd post a pic of my Jones ti spaceframe singlespeed and the truss fork but you know what they look like. Unique form for function that's effective. A bit close to complete bike though.

For parts, maybe an Eriksen seatpost. Or a Paul Components front hub. I like well-made kit in plain metal finish or black, kit you have 10 years later and it's still looking and functioning as well as it did from new.

BB7 SL road brakes also count for me, I re-fitted them to a bike after a few years on other cable discs and had forgotten how good they can be. They look good and work perfectly.

Trickstuff brakes

Out of interest why the conical seating washers? They're sitting in a way that looks like the caliper and mounts are off-centre a bit?

Agree on those bolts, get some Ti bolts or XTR spec at least if you're going to have £800 brakes. Details..
: )

I'm an engineer, i love well made things, i bought one of those garabuk cassettes, it was completely against any reasoning, i don't tend to buy bling as function is king, but i spent over 200 quid on a cassette, and i still barely use it as i don't want to wear it out, i already had about 3 spare cassettes, a SLX, XT and a NX, all combined cost less!

Out of interest why the conical seating washers? They’re sitting in a way that looks like the caliper and mounts are off-centre a bit?

IIRC the bolts that came in the box were a bit short, I already had the above ones from the previous (XTR) brakes, that combined with how long the bike had taken to finally finish, I CBA searching round for more. They work, so meh.

Fair enough. Details count but tbh a mix of smart kit and slap-dash 'that'll do' finishing* is more my style. These things are only worth so much time and faff, save it for a random rainy Sunday job list.

*apart from bar tape.

edit, saw this,

Better?

Job done

Also, that frame is painted to look rough, so it kind of fits…

https://flic.kr/p/2nCu8Rh
https://flic.kr/p/2nrFaQK
https://flic.kr/p/2nrHzxx

*not my garden.

Fairly low key, but I made the mistake of following Bentley Components on Instagram and ended up with a few machined brass Top Caps on various bikes:

Some form and function bling from a few years back.

They both lasted incredibly well.

[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/3215/3024799736_160c2c23ee_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/3215/3024799736_160c2c23ee_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/5BhTzA ]2008_1112boonecogs0029[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/ ]StuartBrettle[/url], on Flickr

I played with these for hours before fitting them.
The ratchet action was just soooo smooth.
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/2337/2248587718_9eee62f8aa_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/2337/2248587718_9eee62f8aa_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/4qGAML ]2008_0207whiteindcogs0066[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/ ]StuartBrettle[/url], on Flickr

This is still going and fitted in my hardtail.
That seems pretty good going for a BB what has seen use since 2009.
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/3606/3333159708_a51ef6d818_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/3606/3333159708_a51ef6d818_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/65xjfQ ]2009_0306kingbb0066[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/ ]StuartBrettle[/url], on Flickr

I'll see you your White Industries freewheels and raise you a green trials version with added zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz over your mere blue & red standard versions.

I had one on a SS CX bike accompanied by an Eccentric Eric WI rear hub which was also rather lovely.

I miss that noise.

Now you mention white industries I just remembered I had this bit of bling, a double/double white industries setup on my peregrine

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[img] [/img]

phil wood bb

[img] [/img]

edit : also just realised I’ve had bikes with Boone chainrings, loads of Paul components stuff as well as Phil wood hubs etc - have to search old hd for pics

[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51825342952_9edce3cb22_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51825342952_9edce3cb22_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2mXCqTJ ]20220117_135153[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/25846484@N04/ ]TandemJeremy[/url], on Flickr

Garbaruk cassette
Sram XX1 cranks
Fox 34 Step Cast Factory forks.

Still getting the right set up on the forks. They do look lovely though.

The Hope Carbon handlebars I have on my Rocket.

Understated semi gloss finish with subtle Hope decals but the quality of the carbon layup and the join between the two halves just make me very, very happy. Could easily have gone for some much cheaper Nukeproof bars with the same geometry but seeing the Hope ones in the flesh when they first released them meant I had no issue spending the £90 difference. Helps that I did some carbon work when in uni back in 2002 and know how hard it is to get that level of finish consistently, no dressing layers used on them so it's purely a function of correct layup and mould construction.

Absolute Black chainrings -- I only have a pic of the full bike

I'm sure the Rohloff internals would count if I could see them

I’m sure the Rohloff internals would count if I could see them

In the bike shop i was presented by a mullered/disassembled rohloff in a shoe box and asked if I could fix it, I rummaged around in a box under the counter and pulled out a 3sp sturmy archer hub.

No oil slick titanium brake pad pins yet, disappointed.
Guess it's just me then, I've even got coloured ti bolts on my internal routing ports and fork hose clamp. Its the little finishing touches and attention to detail that make a true bike tart.