February 2011 BoTM - The Poll

personally i think you have to judge it by your own specific criteria, that's why i listed some of mine originally.

i know it's sad but if i had a bike with the dreaded (for me) unused canti hanger it would drive me to change the brakes to canti's.

as far as pics go, if you want to have a chance at BOTM then the picture should be good, not blurred, show the whole bike so the spec can be seen. and if possible "arty" style can help.

build thread links are always good on the nomination thread, it shows the effort put in to the build, the lengths you went to for that elusive part, the time spent polishing etc.

and personally i like to know that the bike is ridden!!

for me if it passes these sort of things then it gets into my final choices from then on it's down to looks, history, brand, and possible influence from whose bike it is and if i have seen it in the flesh at a retro meet (although sometimes that has put me off a bike aswel!!)

also i never look at the vote results before voting or the comments either, i don't like to be influenced by others, it's not that i take it THAT seriously but i like to form my own opinion.

these are MY criteria, i don't expect anyone else to choose by my reasons but i think some of them are probably pretty average across the forum . . . . . maybe


my 2p

Some very nice bikes let down a bit by poor photos and lackluster backdrops, a few with annoying adjustments or a part that seems to rub...

not an easy choice, but props to all who've entered.





Steve

That was a really tough call!

I went for the Schwinn DX in the end.

Honourable mentions must go to the Merlin Elevator, 10th Anniversary Fat and last but not least the Al-mega! I must be going soft in my old age. A Ti and Aluminum bike on my short list!

I'm going for a lye down.



al.

Credit again for some super entries.

Tough choice as a wide variety of entries that I like this month for different reasons. As commented already, the photo can make all the difference and really highlight all the details - and the devil is definitely in the detail!

A few I'd mention in particular:

Klein - looks just so but, for me, the blackwall tyres really jar.

Schwinn - ace backdrop.

Saracen Kilicomp - purposeful and looks very aggressive.

Elevator - mmmm.

1988 Merlin - is it just the photo or are those tubes super skinny. Very clean.

Orange Prestige - looks great against the snow.

Mantis Flying V - shame that the photo doesn't really show it off in all it's glory.

In the end however I went with the S-Works FSR, even though I'm no fan of suspension, as it just jumped out at me in no small part to the great photo. It also looks so nicely proportioned.

My vote simply goes for the bike that, if all of them were lined up in front of me, I would walk over to first to have a closer look and try out. Nothing more than that.

that is a very huge field this time.
and i made some decisions. here are my notes to help me find a winner.


Andy B's 1993 KHS Montana Pro nice but not my taste of botm
stumpjumper1980's 1993 Sbike 503 nice but not my taste
Ianus' 1996 KLEIN Attitude really nice slick build
lewis1641's Diamond Back cruiser funny but no mtb
uktyler's Kona too usual
tam_shadow's Alan Bonds built 1939 Schwinn DX hybrid perfect piece of history
dendy's 1996 Saracen Kili Comp love the forks but i dont get saracen
mikee's 1993 GT RTS sorry but i dont like it
oldave's Saracen Kili i can´t anything do with saracen sorry
nevadasmith's Orange Prestige nice build , hmmmm maybe
trip's Merlin Elevator love the frame (envy) but aheadset no???
howman66's Mantis Flying V cool thing but tires and spacer tower?
Radoslaw's Fat Chance Wicked Lite cool bike but again aheadset
oneschnarks' Fat Chance 10th Anniversary rare, but the spark wont catch me
wtb_rider's Grove X not because its mine
Woody's 1994 Specialized Stumpjumper M2 nice but too usual, sorry
Disco Drive's Dean Total Ti would be top but disc and v brakes on a canti frame
canuckinboston's 1997 DeKerf Generation harmonious but v brakes on canti frame
Alpinestars' Alpinestars Al-Mega tires and rims are too much
jjwood's 1994 Specialized S-Works FSR really sweet hmmm maybe
mr_ships' 1993 Manitou FS love that,....
novekili's Merlin Titanium wild mix of components
vale67's 1993 Klein Rascal colour scheme and cranks
Ally's Kona Explosif saddle and kona
pluzall's 1988 Merlin Titanium really nice build
sinnerman's Dave Lloyd really nice but is that the right pic? whats with the complete painted one?


so that are my notes, maybe it helps. don´t take that personal.
cheers kay

Hello, I want the first choice. it is better than others.

For me the choice came down to tam_shadow's clunker or pluzall's elegant Merlin. I went with the latter.

My bike's funny! Cheers!

lewis1641":32f96s4o said:

My bike's funny! Cheers!

Click to expand...

For what its worth, it works as a BoTM entry for me.