My brother Mat just sent me these photos of his new 'Surly' Fixey earlier this week, as modeled by his daughter Maddy. It’s looks very fine, clean, simple, uncluttered, understated.
Coincidentally I had just been chatting online with fellow Cinellisti earlier this week, and we had got talking about fixees, and of course, the conversation got round to the gorgeous Cinelli Laser.
Details are important.
Some people see the Jaguar E-Type, as the pinnacle of modern design engineering, the more up-to-date auto enthusiasts may suggest the Aston Martin DB9.
The Aston Martin DB9 Volante - Naaaaaaaaaaaah!
While others may point to the (admittedly gorgeous) new Milau bridge in France.
But for me the Cinelli Laser marks the high water mark of human ingenuity and our ability give beauty, fitness to purpose. That something so exquisite could win no less than 28 World Championship and Olympic Gold Medals tells us all we need to know about the what the human race is capable of at its best. In 1991, it won the Compasso d'Oro, highest italian award for industrial design, and remains the only bicycle ever to have been so awarded. It's also permanently exhibited in New York's MOMA museum of modern art.Look at these things, the bikes, the cars, the bridges - they are things, objects, but they are beautiful and fit-to-purpose. This is what the human race is capable of creating, when they lift their aspirations above the craven and the self-serving.
On a darker note, here is an image of a beautiful, minimalist Cinelli Olympic that someone in the USA found thrown in a dumpster (!) What kind of world are we living in that fails to recognize this level of beauty when they see it?
5 comments:
The more beautiful and simple, the more likely it is to be fit for the purpose. Look at that exquisite French bridge for example that was built recently to span that valley. A true work of art, and a beautiful piece of engineering.
your arse would be too big for that bike,a jackass would more suitable for that big mouth sorry I MEANT ARSE.
This blogger deserves a serious gasbag warning be displayed before all blog entrys.Truly annoying post .
Most of his posts,emit noxious gasses.He leaves a terrible carbon footprint.
I'm curious about the handlebars on the Cross Check- What kind are they?. Gorgeous nike, btw.
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