In a message dated 3/9/03 6:22:01 AM Pacific Standard Time, Wornoutguy@aol.com writes:
> Who said bikes are a work of art - an ugly bike can be just as
> functional as a beautiful bike - bikes as far as I know don't hang in any
> art
> museums so if someone is building them to ride them then a few file marks
> don't amount to a hill of beans.
>
Having made a few, I think of bicycles as "functional sculpture" and/or
"industrial art" of which there are many permutations. I've also seen some
really ugly bikes that did not float my boat, at all. One of those would have
to be vastly superior to the bikes I now own, to even consider replacing
anything in my stable with it, and even then, I probably wouldn't. Just look
at all the modern bikes I haven't bought...(no offense to modern bike
owners!) The "quote" was by an Italian (?) racer (IIRC) about a handmade
racing bike, in the old days before modern mass production. The Italians in
particular have a love affair with beauty, in all its forms. My own taste
runs along those lines, I happen to find things like old Bianchis elegant,
beautiful and functional.
There's an old saying: "Give a piece of metal to an Englishman and he'll make
something (possibly cobby and) functional. Give a piece of metal to a German,
and he'll make something efficient. Give a piece of metal to an Italian and
he'll make something beautiful". As sayings go, it's not all encompassing,
but there you have it.
Then again, if we all liked the same exact thing, none of would be able to
afford it!
Stevan Thomas
Alameda, CA