Form follows Finland

Having just returned from a very enjoyable holiday in Finland, I was impressed by the variety of bikes being ridden out there. Of course it’s easy to be envious of the miles of segregated bike lanes, covered parking facilities etc

What really impressed me was the Jopo bike - something that looks like the mongrel offspring of a Raleigh Chopper and a Raleigh Shopper. These it turns out are perfectly suited to the Finnish climate. Sensible mudguards for the rain, pedal back brakes to avoid the salt munching through the rims, plenty of clearance to allow for snow tyres. Also they’ve got an integral rack, kick stand and wheel lock.

They were originally designed in the 60's with the objective of being suitable for any rider - can't really imagine a bike manufacturer aspiring to such an idea these days. The design's been resurrected and they're back in the shops - read all about it and buy one if the sterling:euro exchange rate goes up.

It must be all those long winter evenings and sitting around in saunas that make the Scandinavians so good at design – they’ve simply got more time to think.

Stripes and stars

So after a few distractions, this is the level of fine detail that I want to tackle on Cyclo Style - what logo's your bike got? Most bikes decals and components for that matter look like they've been inspired by Max Power: Trek, Cannondale and Scott are among the worst offenders. In my book if there are some World Championship stripes somewhere on the frame that can only be a good thing. Among the current stable my Ron Cooper, Condor and Benotto all have these simple strips somewhere on the frame. There's something timeless about them that oozes class. That said, they don't make me cycle any faster. Also be warned - don't go getting carried away with those coloured paints either.

I was impressed recently by the Rivendell's attitude (and we are talking attitude, not opinion here) towards frame painting and decals. Revendell's site is more of a manifesto for cycling style that influences everything from the geometry of the frames to the Stanistic emergence of cleated pedals.

A few basic rules

• Don't wear clothing with the logo of your bike on them, better still clothing with no logos at all. Unless of course your multi-million pound annual contract stipulates otherwise and even then professionals should factor in what they'll have to wear when choosing a team. Slipstream team members must be kicking themselves that they didn't negotiate harder - that strip's got to be worth £10k a month before you've even turned a pedal.
• On no account have a go at respraying your bike yourself - I speak from personal experience. Leave frame painting to the pros and spray cans to the taggers
• No neon, Dayglo paint or multi-coloured fades. If the team strip wasn't bad enough this awful Lemond paint job can't have helped Millar's Tour chances.