a bike's soul

[ADVHOG]

I got to thinking...might have been over adult beverages...which component of an old bike contains it's "soul"?

It's probably the frame, but maybe forks too, and Definately a tank if it had one.

When I see bikes split up on the ebay it makes me sad that it's soul is forever crushed.

Maybe I drink too much...

Maybe I don't drink enough...

 

[Bicycle808]

The frame is what defines the complete bike, in terms of it's character.... y'know, who and what it is... but that's not a soul, that's a body. If bikes have souls, i think there may be some of it to be found in the headbadge... but, mostly, i think the soul comes from the story the bike has-- its experiences, its riders, the changes made over the years, the rides taken, even a tragic part-out on eBay. But, buy that frame and some parts from some other sources, and the bike can be born again. New cranks, different fork, freshly-laced wheels (i like new rims on vintage hubs!) and, maybe to a degree, a new soul gets bolted-on along with all the other components....

I haven't been drinking, but i think that way about stuff, too. I hope you're having an awesome night! (And thanks again for those seat guts--- you've helped my friend find s'more soul for her Schwinn. )

 

[Kruez]

A bikes soul is the sum of its parts. If I upgrade a bike with a better part even if acquired from your eBay soul splitter did I not just build upon its soul?


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[Duchess]

I believe that any energy within machines or places is only imparted by the intensity and frequency of the emotions the people felt while living with them. This is why putting things in a museum kills them in a sense. It sounds goofy and ridiculous, but there must be some reason people feel that tatty original condition and history increase their value. What logical reason should there be for a car crashed several times in racing being worth more than the same one that had never been raced or needed major reconstructive repairs? As far as parts, I think they probably maintain a bit of their original soul, but diminished, like how it is often reported that people who receive organ transplants take on some of the personality traits of the donors, but they don't become just like the donors.

I've only really felt this phenomenon myself with places with any kind of surety I can attribute to these kinds of things (The Colosseum and ancient Olympia). Part of me is a worrying atheist and the rest believes the weird stuff I've seen and felt and since I think something is more interesting than nothing, I'd rather go with the unworried believer.

 

[KJV]

Bicycle soul : is in...
Bottom Bracket.

 

[nycet3]

The soul is in the quality of the welds.

 

[horsefarmer]

The frame is the unique element of the bicycle, everything else is parts. So I would agree the frame = soul of the machine.

 

[Ichoptop]

There is no such thing as a soul. Not in a bike nor anywhere else. There is a "coolness factor" which like stated above is a sum of the parts.

 

[Klunky.Skunky]

I doubt the bike popped out of the factory with a soul. I think it's more of something that the owner who loves it gives to it. Like when I was six and I got an 18 in red huffy rock it for Christmas. Those factory workers in China didn't imbue it with a soul, but the seven years I rode that thing through fields up and down streets, the two times I rescued it after it was stolen, the four replacement tires and tubes, the first time I watched my dad replace the chain, bearings, and repack the bb, the memories I created with that bike, that's what gave it soul, and that what created the draw for the 7 year old kid I finally gave it away too. I think when a person finds an old bike, they can kind of sense those old memories that are linked to it. When you buy it new from the local walfart it's just your duty to give it that character and create those memories.


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[1oldbikelover]

I believe that any energy within machines or places is only imparted by the intensity and frequency of the emotions the people felt while living with them. This is why putting things in a museum kills them in a sense. It sounds goofy and ridiculous, but there must be some reason people feel that tatty original condition and history increase their value. What logical reason should there be for a car crashed several times in racing being worth more than the same one that had never been raced or needed major reconstructive repairs? As far as parts, I think they probably maintain a bit of their original soul, but diminished, like how it is often reported that people who receive organ transplants take on some of the personality traits of the donors, but they don't become just like the donors.

I've only really felt this phenomenon myself with places with any kind of surety I can attribute to these kinds of things (The Colosseum and ancient Olympia). Part of me is a worrying atheist and the rest believes the weird stuff I've seen and felt and since I think something is more interesting than nothing, I'd rather go with the unworried believer.

Wow, that's heavy, man!

 

[GuitarlCarl]

Sometimes a bike is just a bike. A basic two wheeled vehicle. No soul there. No vibes. Now look at a classic that's got all the extras and has been taken care of for 60 yrs, sweet, chrome baby, fat rubber white walls and leather springer seat. Beautiful and it's got that vintage look. Soul? Well as nice as it is, No... What about a stretched out patina'd burrito or a 21 speed ultra light racer? Both are awesome in their own right. But soul? Machines can reflect their creator's ideas. They can show how well they've been taken care of and/or how hard they've been used. But I'm not emotionally moved by a bike for the bike itself. Recently I won a beautiful bike in a raffle, and I was moved by the sheer odds of winning. I was moved by the awesome charity that a club and an individual put together to help children. I am a lucky guy who will treasure that bike for a long time. But when I see it I don't feel anything but gratitude to the people involved. The bike is just a bike.

Carl.

 

[Rustinkerer]

I got a pair of old pedals off ebay, that had bad mojo! There was a creepy vibe in the basement where they were, and both my wife and I tripped and almost fell down the stairs a few times. She's attuned to spiritual things, and spent a few hours tracking down the source. Once she figured it out, they went right in the trash can! I have enough problems without polter-pedals!!!! -Adam

 

[user 15387]

Every bike project has a 'feel' or 'direction'. The more original a bike is when it comes to me, the closer to an "original" type direction I take. If a bike is newer and/or less complete, I may take a more pragmatic or more modern approach. I'm not sure "soul" is the word for that, but maybe more "direction". As I work through a project, I gradually get a feel for whether I want more originality, more pragmatism, or more updated/performance specifications. Each bicycle project is individual in that regard.

 

[Duchess]

"Every block of stone has a sculpture inside of it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it"
—Michaelangelo

 

[A.S.BOLTNUT]

I got to thinking...might have been over adult beverages...which component of an old bike contains it's "soul"?

It's probably the frame, but maybe forks too, and Definately a tank if it had one.

When I see bikes split up on the ebay it makes me sad that it's soul is forever crushed.

Maybe I drink too much...

Maybe I don't drink enough...

Don't kno about the soul ? But I would think
The Seat would contain the Essence.

 

[Bicycle808]

Don't kno about the soul ? But I would think
The Seat would contain the Essence.

 

[Muttley]

Don't know about the soul? But I would think the seat would contain the essence.

Is that how they make this stuff, by wringing out old bike seats?