Something's not quite right

start off by replacing tape and try a cross-top lever. u don't necessarily need drops.

OR leave this and build another less practical but pretty bike.

I don't like brown but then my "taste" is pretty crap compared to the designer swarm on here. Black tape as per dogs sugg.!
I like the road bike look.. makes for more entertainment beating roadies only to have them realise you're actually fixed.
I don't like aqua but as it's your frame, um, bit late for chopping and changing - full respray is a bit silly.
The black cranks looks wrong. Yeah, just too much black. Swap tyres for something lighter - you might be able to match the frame with Michelin Race Lites?

Sell it and buy that pink thing.. you know you want to..

Mouse
@ Wayne: seen that and it looks shit ;-P

how dare you talk about fraser like that - bloody tories....

DB you callin my bike ugly? I mean, my bird I could handle...

do you not find that massive iron pannier holder you've got there pulls you over to the left -

think thats what's making the bike look a bit heavy...

Mouse DB you callin my bike ugly? I mean, my bird I could handle...

what u talkin about willis, i like it, funnily enough, just finish of the black bars. black deep v's would look mean, but if wheels are already built don't bother.

Moustache bars? North road style things, there is a lot of black on there, sell all the parts and go silver?

Sell the bike to me and build something else? ;)

Is the bike comfortable? for a more classic look try a 26mm clamp bar and stem combo. Somehow, silver and leather can't fail to look good (wait's to be proved wrong...)

Chris

can i say nothing's wrong with it?

Momentum What I'd really say is silver seatpost, wheels, cranks, headset and stem. But that isn't very helpful. I think the black stuff weighs down a light coloured bike.

This was meant to be pretty tongue in cheek. To be honest, I'd change the bar tape to black and ride as is. I don't think track drops withour levers are any good on the road cos there's nowhere to rest comfortably. OK for short trips but not the long haul. Maybe try bullhorns with black tape?

By the way, I know the dominant aesthetic is lugged steel/quill stem/track drops and I have a bike like that myself, but I think your bike will be nicer to ride if you make use of all the technology developments that are built into it (OS bars, threadless etc). Maybe take the stickers off the rims as well?

i think all you need to change are the bars for some traditional drops, if you don't like the brown then some eleganza tape or the bontrager stuff in black would look good. the tape that looks a bit like old style tennis racquet grip.

they even do it in green to match your bike:

If you think that fixies are 99% aesthetics and 1% function, then I'd say you need to get out and ride more.

just my tuppence, think the tape has to go, maybe go with mr smith's suggestion, above, or something which is closer in colour to the colour of the bike and maybe slowly start think about swapping out the hubs, stem, rims, crank for silver ones.

edmundane can i say nothing's wrong with it?

That's was I was thinking! The only thing I'd consider taking off are the brake levers and sticking on a cross top, and changing the brown bar tape. Other than that I really like it.

It's too clean.

The Fizik bar thin bar tape they sold me in Brixton cycles is nice. Comfortable but doesn't make the bar too thick and comes in a nice almost suede finish.

nv55 If you think that fixies are 99% aesthetics and 1% function, then I'd say you need to get out and ride more.

The irony thing is hard to do on message boards.

Mouse

The irony thing is hard to do on message boards.

If you think that then you need to go and spend more time on message boards! Uhh

Thanks for the nice comments, the piss take and the pedantry. I'm glad some of you like it as it is ;-)

I may post an update when I make changes - Arrospok; risers; flouro pink finish etc.

Black bar tape, bullhorns and a TT lever will give you the change your restless personage desires with the minimum of fuss. It's not going to cost a fortune either, which won't be the case if you start looking for new wheels and stems and seat posts and all that sort of stuff.

I reckon you could have a spiffy-looking new bike for about forty quid and an hour of your time. Go on! Do it and post a photo. Bullhorns will make it feel like a completely new bike. You'll rediscover the job of cycling again. :-P

Whatever you do, the brown bar tape has got to go.

Bullhorns will slim that bike down, maybe with one of those TT brake levers and the green tape thats about eight posts above. I used to have bullhorns and if you use your hoods a lot they'll give you a similar position

Mouse, i'm also thinking of changing the bars on my condor, with maybe a Nitto pearl stem.
the Nitto noodles or randonneur are tempting.

i quite like the black vibe going on with the aqua, but i'd agree that the bar tape colour could do with a change to suit it.
then again, you do have a brooks, so i dunno.

i think just changing the tape and to different lever will make a huge difference... i used to run brakes like yours but am much happier with my crosstop, just looks better. also bullhorns but i don't think thats a necessity in any ways. and track bars look gorgeous.

Soweto888 Black bar tape, bullhorns and a TT lever will give you the change your restless personage desires with the minimum of fuss.

That's what I would say also, but only in terms of my own personal setup preferences for a fixed bike, it ain't for everyone.
Black bartape at the very least though, in terms of aesthetics, I think it looks very nice otherwise (unless you want to get a hacksaw at those back brake braze-ons)

the handlebars unbalance the bike - it's too front heavy. Beyond that it looks fine IMO. track (deep) drops plus a crosstop would solve this, but the deda non-anatomic bars with a setup similar to the one you already have plus a shorter stem might be a better solution in terms of sticking with what you know.

However if the riding position on the hoods is perfect for you, the bullhorns plus a TT lever might be better. Keep the same (or similar) position as riding on the hoods, but remove the excess visual weight of the road brake levers.

The Bar tape colour contrasts nicely with the finish of the bike, but you'd need at the very least to get a matching saddle to make it work properly. And bartape is cheaper than saddles, so I'd go with black bartape/ends too.

And a rear disk wheel, rattlecanned in a suitably bright and garish colour. :)

If you painted the frame (leave the forks) white then I think it will look pretty swell.