Bike porn

The Kalavinka's got potential but doesn't deserve to be in this thread until somebody fits the mudguards properly, relocates the rear light so it doesn't block the piffling amount of visible seat pin and fits some bars with less reach so the brake levers aren't all cock-eyed. And swaps the lame bar tape for something classy.

Even then it wouldn't really be pornworthy. But it would be less of an embarrassment to the good name of the framebuilder.

Nuknow that Vivalo is so wrong...

Do the decent thing:

I love it.

Someone on here was saying that if you make the clearance between the rear wheel and seat-tube bigger, you can decrease drag. Maybe the lenth of the track ends has something to do with that.

It may have been me that said it, but it was specific to the Look 595. I would hope that Kalavinka had done their homework and determined the optimum gap, but either way the gap will be no more than about 1/2". Whatever the optimum gap might be, there is no need for an adjustment range of much over half and inch, as you'll going too far away from the optimum gap and should be changing the chain length to suit your gearing. It's hard to tell from the pix, but it look like the first inch of the slot is wasted anyway, because the tyre hits the tube if you move the wheel that far forward. I'm guessing the EBB is there to allow the frame to have different BB drops without having to use different moulds, not for chain tensioning.

That Vivalo is a disgrace - so much wrongness. Shimano brifters are irredeemably ugly - so huge they really belong on a diesel engine. Thomson layback seat posts always look wrong, the stem angle is horrid, as is the untrimmed steerer, the chainset is a mismatch. And anatomic bars never do anything for a bike.

vivalo - japanese.

shimano - japanese.

i personally loved it, definitely function over form.

Nuknow that Vivalo is so wrong...
But....:

Exactly.

a shop in norwich just got in one of these, so beautiful up close.
http://www.americanbicyclegroup.com/images/merlin/M_09_Cielo.jpg

bad move -no one in Norwich can afford that bike.

a shop in norwich just got in one of these, so beautiful up close.
http://www.americanbicyclegroup.com/images/merlin/M_09_Cielo.jpg

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Merlin-Cielo-Carbon-Titanium-Frame-58cm-Reynolds-Ouzo_W0QQitemZ250518160045

that last donkey age.

donkey age FTW! thanks ed :)

This might be a repost, but this is fucking slick.

a shop in norwich just got in one of these, so beautiful up close.
http://www.americanbicyclegroup.com/images/merlin/M_09_Cielo.jpg

Is it me or has that merlin logo been photoshopped in?

I think it is a repost.

And it has the wrong bars.

and about the Merlin logo, I know what you mean, it looks sharper in terms of focus than the bit of bike it is "applied to".

What bars would you suggest?

Drops.

defo repost. nice though +1 to drops though(t)

Perfect? Certainly not.
As long as you put it in your livingroom maybe. Not if you want to use it as a commuting bike.
Can't ride it because no pedals
The chain will come off in the front
Street illegal, because no retroflectors/strips/etc to the sides
No lighting
rim brakes that eat your rims and brake blocks and make the bike terribly dirty
Derailleur system that is very maintenance-unfriendly
Rear carrier w/o straps, spring loaded "thing" or bags
So, in the end, it's just a piece of design. Nothing more.
But okay, there is uglier design.

damn. i kinda liked the bike in question, but this comment shattered my world for tonight
please advise - isn't this a look over *function *thread?..

(forget the tyres...)

What is this a Curly Hetchins dogs dinner - and that fucking bell - I mean WTF...? I hope this doesn't belong to someone on here

The Kalavinka's got potential but doesn't deserve to be in this thread until somebody fits the mudguards properly, relocates the rear light so it doesn't block the piffling amount of visible seat pin and fits some bars with less reach so the brake levers aren't all cock-eyed. And swaps the lame bar tape for something classy.

Even then it wouldn't really be pornworthy. But it would be less of an embarrassment to the good name of the framebuilder.

+1
The best Japanese randonneuses are the Grand Bois, the closer to a René Herse you can get brand new. 650B too.

http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com/images/GrandBoisJPP.jpg

Note front racks only, where the load should be.

Alex Singer

.

Top tube shifters !!