What makes a great BOTM?

[jonnyboy666]

Sometimes I wonder if I'm being a bit anal with my build thread, do you want to see all the cleaning, polishing etc ?

if it's part of the build with some 'how to' advice then i think that's a good thing

 

[The History Man]

Without the builds i wouldn't have know about the foil trick so always useful.

 

[NeilM]

haven't read the whole thread but my view is:-

1, the picture should be well taken, i don't expect pro photog quality but some effort should be made to take a good picture
2, the bike should be fully built, meaning with pedals etc
3, ideally the bike should have it's own theme.
4, the bike should ideally be clean so the spec can easily be seen, exception is a muddy BOTM.
5, matching tyres
6, bikes that are riders are preferred, you have a 2 pic option, a good side on photo and one on the trail appeals to me.


these are the things i look for personally, if the bike is great but the picture is taken in your darkened garage with piles of junk all around i will not vote for it as in my opinion it shows a lack of respect for the bike, the comp and the voters.

i like matching groupsets, or matching ano, hate parts bin builds spec wise especially if there is alot of mixed shade of the same colour ano/paint, also the usual things of just very obvious bad set up, saddle tilt etc. i like a theme on the bike, a full groupset is always nice for example, there are many themes to choose from, catalogue spec, period spec, in the ball park spec, matching ano etc, pick one (maybe 2)

i personally am not fussed about catalogue spec stuff as i find it a little anal and obsessive but i respect it. in conclusion, i like good period correct-ish builds in good condition that get used.

my 2p

There are a couple of points in here which would disqualify my 94 Zaskar, as many years ago I chose a combination of Panaracer and Specialized tyres which work extremely well. Also in the eighteen years since I built the bike, the Hope, Middleburn and X-Lite anodising which vaguely matched when new, has aged / faded differently and now doesn't match at all.

As for which way I vote... NEVER with the crowd, and as for what makes a good BOTM? Damned if I know, as the bikes I have submitted and the ones I vote for rarely get more than three votes.

 

[jonnyboy666]

fading of ano at different rates over the years is different to building a bike now with stuff that is miss matched.

voting is a weird one really, we all have our own criteria, i do make exceptions to my own 'rules', it's not like i sit infront of the computer with my list and inspect each photo against the list i have written.

 

[Bryncrug72]

My vote goes to the bike I like the best!
This month it was difficult, I liked the “Fat” because it was original and had nice touches like the stem noodle, the Manitou had a history and I’d love to own one, but then I liked the Alpinestars as it just looked good and the Stumpjumper Epic because I used to think they were cool !
The whole draw of the retrobike for me, was the fact at 17 I couldn’t afford a Pace, XT components, an Overbury’s , definitely not a Klein ! I had an 89 Bear Valley with various upgrades as I could afford them, when rapidfires came out we ran our thumbies upside down ! now things are different ! I’ve got the frame and the components that I always wanted 24 years ago !
The BOTM for me doesn’t have to be the most popular best equipped bike it’s the one that awakens the 17 year old in me !

 

[matt24777]

My vote goes to the bike I like the best!
This month it was difficult, I liked the “Fat” because it was original and had nice touches like the stem noodle, the Manitou had a history and I’d love to own one, but then I liked the Alpinestars as it just looked good and the Stumpjumper Epic because I used to think they were cool !
The whole draw of the retrobike for me, was the fact at 17 I couldn’t afford a Pace, XT components, an Overbury’s , definitely not a Klein ! I had an 89 Bear Valley with various upgrades as I could afford them, when rapidfires came out we ran our thumbies upside down ! now things are different ! I’ve got the frame and the components that I always wanted 24 years ago !
The BOTM for me doesn’t have to be the most popular best equipped bike it’s the one that awakes the 17 year old in me !

I agree very much with the way you feel about this, it kinda encompasses the whole retrobike thing for me.

 

[Koupe]

I totally agree too, it's exactly why I love retrobiking, although it doesn't influence my voting.

This month, while I totally appreciated the history and unique appeal of the Fat and Manitou, they didn't 'do it' for me. I found myself strongly drawn towards the Prestige, M2, Ti-Mega, RSP and DBS (one of which I voted for ), for reasons that I can't actually put my finger on. They just gave me a warmer 'glow' to look at than the others, and I found myself coveting them

 

[utahdog2003]

When I build a bike with the parts I want and progress is moving forward I usually can see something so subtle coming together that I know it will fly under the radar even if I enter it. I've never put something together to win specifically. I think if I took one of the steeds and gussied it up with the blingiest parts I have I may be able to give BOTM a run, but I don't think I'd want the bike after. Over the years I've entered a Phoenix, a Rascal and a *gulp* Beast of the East, and I don't think I've ever had more than a few votes. I've also not taken any completed bikes apart and sold them off because they are built how I appreciate them, so in the end I'm OK with that. I just figure that with bikes, like seemingly everything else I do, I'm out of step with most folks. :?

I don't think I've seen blatant clique voting either, I must say.

A great BOTM? One that happens to resonate with the greatest number of members. Good luck at guessing why that is but in the end, why would you want to? Build it, enter it, let it ride.

 

[jonnyboy666]

i do agree that what you rode as a kid or lusted after also affects the vote, i freely admit i am drawn to Orange, Kona, Muddy Fox, Proflex, these are all the brands i rode as a kid. i also still believe that the fact that this is a UK site is a big influence, when i was a kid i knew nothing of the smaller american brands like Fat etc, even when Dave Hemming started riding one i was still unaware of them as they were simply so rare here, in england i think we lusted after the high end production stuff because that was what was in the mags, also, as kids i don't think we really understood why something was so good, it was how it looked. (maybe that hasn't changed! )

 

[pete_mcc]

Problem with BOTM is not 'clique' voting, but that the voting crowd is small and consistent. There's only 200 active members who vote every month and their taste isn't going to vary that much from month to month. If the winning bikes are American exotica 6 months in a row then it's unlikely that an Activator, no matter how lovely, is going to win as long as the voting crowd remain the same.

Personally I go for the unique, rare or special, something with history, a story or a shit load of restoration work that's saved it from a scrap pile. I don't really care if a bikes ridden or not as long as it's loved. But most of all I vote for whatever bike my friends are voting for.