On Sun, Nov 14, 2010 at 07:50, rperks <perks....@gmail.com> wrote: > James, thanks for the complement on the bike, the RCP is fun, but much > like Esteban has said in the past, I spend too much time thinking > about what color I would like it to be next. In a way it is like > having an unpainted frame that you feel compelled to add color, but > with no real threat of rust you have way too much time to sort it out.
I was thinking about this idea this morning. I like the Roadeo clear powdercoat look because it has a nice warm brown-grey tone and an inherent richness and texture to it, and it shows off the details very nicely - the contrasting color of the brazing is like lug pinstriping, but integral rather than cosmetic; the forged dropouts and their connection to the stays stand out. It has a kind of Lou Kahn-style integrity. The iconic Modern architect Lou Kahn is perhaps best remembered by the cliche that he asked the brick what it wanted to be, and the brick told him, it wanted to be an arch. His architecture stressed the ethical imperative of expressing the inherent truth of the materials from which it was built - if an element looked like a column, it definitely was supporting something structurally. Something fake or meant to imitate something else would be a deep ethical failure. A concrete guardrail would be separated from a concrete column, rather than poured integrally and seamlessly, because it performed a different function. Materials such as brick, stone, concrete, and wood were favored rather than painted surfaces, because with these materials, the material itself could be exposed unpainted and allowed to express itself, and these materials weather well and were allowed to do so. I see an analogy between the Lou Kahn mindset and the Rivendell mindset that favors natural materials like canvas, leather, wood, cork, and unpainted silver metal finishes. These materials are also favored for their integrity and attribute of weathering naturally and gracefully. The clear powdercoat allows the steel bicycle frame to join the family of materials that aesthetically express their own materiality without relying on pigmented paint. Lou Kahn would prefer an unfinished titanium frame perhaps, but the clear powdercoat fits the Rivendell ethic-or-aesthetic quite appropriately. James Black Los Angeles, CA -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
