Rat Bikes! Pub Bikes Beaters! Frankenbikes!

This doesn't look very looked after...

[img] rusty chain [img]

......
I'm sure some people, like messengers spend over 1000 on it but its still used as a beater, but to others its a £10 bike from the junk yard that works like shit

From the flikr, it's definitely a work horse. And judging by the time of year, there's prolly not much point in changing / cleaning anything until the snow went.

the debate continues... I still maintain just cos the owner calls it a beater does not make it so, a beater should be something you can leave locked up without being terrified of it not being there when you come back...

Bingo!

Obviously everything is relative, and some peoples beaters are nicer than others. But having a 'beater' presupposes you have a nicer bike and you have a beater so your nice bike can stay nice. But like Malaysian said, at the very least you need to be ok with leaving it locked up.

Yes. I was going to say earlier that the more people have tried to define what a rat bike is throughout this thread others have got muddled and we've had fewer and fewer images of handsomely scabby bikes.

I think you've just perfectly defined a 'rat bike'.

To make up for all the text photos of my favourite rat bike ever are on there way.