The fucking horror (2009 Langsters)

Specialized were one of the first companies to release an off-the-peg fixie.
Back in 2004.
Before 95% of us on this forum even knew what a fixie was..

fuck me...

those are....errrrr...interesting.

tokyo looks least bad I reckon

edit...fuck I take that back...having had a closer look at the japanese characters.

Specialized were one of the first companies to release an off-the-peg fixie.
Back in 2004.
Before 95% of us on this forum even knew what a fixie was..

did they? I recall Bianchi Pista still being sold by Bianchi way before 2004...

did they? I recall Bianchi Pista still being sold by Bianchi way before 2004...

edscoble - 'one of the'

Ved - what do they say??

Arguably, Specialised just did what they've done for many - taken a re-emergent subculture of cycling and provide a cheap, no-frills entry-level bike to fill that particular niche.

After all, the first off-the-peg mass-produced fixie was probably made by BSA or Raleigh in the UK, don't know who on the continent.

Specialized did the same thing in the early 80s by selling mountain bikes to people who didn't have the patience to ride touring bikes long distances. Then in the 1990s they sold hybrids to people who would otherwise be putting slick tyres on their MTBs and creaking up and down the road with too much suspension. Then they started sponsoring BMX competitions. Now they're selling fixed wheel bicycles.

I don't think that Specialized has ever been regarded as a real innovator in terms of the craft of bicycle-making, but they have been a great populariser of subcultures - at the expense, of course, of commoditising them and sending a lot of the early-adopters scurrying to the hills of the arcane to find something more 'authentic' to bear back down to earth like Prometheus' frame. Whereupon Specialized will work out a way to produce something similar at volume and low cost, and the cycle will begin again...

These current Langsters remind me of when Top Shop thought it was the height of cool to put meaningless Japanese symbols on cheap cotton shirts and sell 'em for £15-20 a pop.

truly, that tokyo langster is repulsive.

Specialized is a bit like Apple really, they're not innovated, they just managed to grab a chance and it appear 'innovated'.

Innovative?

yeah, that.

whoop.

in terms of how it works, specialized and their bikes are on the ground whilst i run over them.
im pretty sure they get their geometry from the results of a broken bike anyway.

If you're gonna get your johnson severed, you could do worse than use a lightweight.

its not my johnson, its specialized's johnson and i wish i did use a heavier bike.
the bubble wrap sitting on my windowsill in a heap looks more like a 'track' frame than their attempt.

edscoble - 'one of the'

Ved - what do they say??

errr - I have no idea its on the top tube so I guess it must be "Specialized".

suckers.

I rather like the Tokyo.

paintjobs: meh. geometry is all wrong for the styling.

#3 looks a bit like vinylvillan's bike...

You mean the West London Langster?

Putting it up for sale in a couple of days time . .as new projects are forcing me to make space in the garage . . its an 06 which has the slightly better geometry, and in the 2 years i have had it has handle everything London can throw at it . . as a commuter its perfect.

hey. id be interested if its being sold.
in west london too presumably?

size? price?

Its a 54 or 55, cant remember so will gt the measure out . .it looks slightly different now, changed seat post, saddle and bars . . will post up an ad tomorrow with new pics, but looking for £230 and will include all bits that came with bike when new.Based in Fulham.