trendy?
"adjective
1.
of, in, or pertaining to the latest trend or style.
2.
following the latest trends or fashions; up-to-date or chic"
fashion?
"noun
1.
a prevailing custom or style of dress, etiquette, socializing, etc.: the latest fashion in dresses.
2.
conventional usage in dress, manners, etc., esp. of polite society, or conformity to it: the dictates of fashion; to be out of fashion.
6.
Obsolete. workmanship.
7.
Obsolete. act or process of making."
Interestingly both imply adhering to a norm - novelty is perhaps implicit when people think they are trendy. (The "obsolete' definitions are instructive - fashioning things is apparently old fashioned.)
Some of the examples above are in the 'think different' category ("Think Different" © Apple (?)). So on one hand they are the 'height of cool' (another concept), on the other (some) people don't want them to become 'trendy'.
Personally I set trends so far in advance that I'm doing something else when they become fashionable (or probably not).
Ah, but that's a different issue - setting trends. As you will all be aware, someone - somewhere - has already decided next year's colours/trends (thinking mostly clothing fashion - but clearly that influences other things too.)
So there are whole areas about 'human nature' - being different, fitting in, being manipulated - by advertising, PR, forum opinions, focus groups etc. etc.
So keeping away from computer, car, camera etc. brands (and the realities - or otherwise - of the actual products) and talking bikes -
As someone who doesn't ride fixed (or generally single-speed) I have watched the trend (which is presumably where trendy comes from!) with interest/amusement/bemusement.
I first came across it as a 'trend' (as opposed to track riders and a friend who rode a fixed machine as an anti-theft device - thief steals bike, rides away, tries to stop, falls off, abandons bike near by...) about 10 years ago in Boston. Fixed/singlespeed was the choice of cycle couriers/messengers.
One gear was more reliable than many. One brake (or even none!) was lighter and meant less to go wrong. CCs being (predominantly) self employed didn't earn if their bike was 'in the 'shop'.
Boston like NY and London - cities with lots of CCs - are reasonably flat - certainly in the business districts. There was a time when 'real' CCs were quite hostile to "fakengers" - people on 'courier bikes' with 'courier bags'.
But broadband has done away with large sections of the courier market - and therefore couriers. There will come a time when young people (we are of course talking about youth trends here) will not connect fashionable/trendy bikes with their 'working origin' - oh, that time is here.
(This is turning into an essay, if you're at work, save it 'til later...)
Of course I've had 'courier bags' for years (at least 30). One of the first was bought in (I think) Campus in the Grassmarket - a fashion shop for women. Clearly large, black, canvas bags weren't fashionable (and certainly not trendy) as it was in the sale. It was made by Marimekko in the land of Nokia - it's still fashionable to make stuff in some places. They still make bags - but no longer suit my taste/function.
I moved on to Timbuk2 about 20 years ago (Still have my original - plus 2 more). I hear they've become fashionable, perhaps even trendy - there's even a Flickr group.
Back to bikes.
"I read somewhere that steel bikes are coming back in to fashion so I may end up being trendy by accident too" (© min)
This is of course another interesting one. Like many people on here I've never abandoned steel). I do have a couple of bikes that happen to have frames made of aluminium, but I doubt I'll ever go carbon.
I still (periodically) search ebay for some classic (cheap) 531.
There's always been a lot of fashion surrounding bikes - right from the days when they were a plaything for the rich - through various fashions/crazes (there's another word) for Choppers and '10 speed racers' and BMX. ALL of those have been greeted as 'the end of cycling' or 'the future of cycling'...
In the UK the tradition (traditional can be fashionable - ask Pashley) has been for steel and lugged frames. The lugs are the bits that hold the main tubes together (with the help of a tiny amount of brass - by brazing). It requires skill to do it well which in turn breeds mystiques.
The biggest (cycling) revolution of the last thirty years has been 'mountain' bikes. These emerged pretty much by chance when some crazy Californians re-fashioned some very basic bikes. By chance these mostly had welded frames without lugs.
There are endless arguments about the merits of steel and aluminium - which I won't go into...
However one side-effect of the MTB revolution/trend was a change in steel 'fashion'. Reynolds 531 and other high end tubesets were developed over many years and are steel alloys with manganese and molybdenum. These are not suitable for lugless welding.
To make the mass production of MTBs possible, alloys with chrome and molybdenum were used - hence cromoly or Cro-Moly or CRMO became the 'must have'. Unlike 531, which not only signified manufacturer (brand) and quality, cromoly was generic and could be just about any quality (and importantly thickness/weight) of tube!
Necessity required CRMO, marketing made it fashionable!
Of course many trends/fashions come from America. Will this one come to the UK?
I occasionally think there are too many people riding bikes these days, so it's time to get a car. But having spent a few days in London where bikes really are visible/fashionably/trendy I'm looking forward to a mass increase in Edinburgh.
Fashion/trendyness will get some people cycling (and perhaps put a few off) but it's the usual mix of better 'facilities' and a serious change of attitude by politicians and transport/health/education/etc. 'officials' that will make it happen.
What was the question?
Oh "How Trendy Are You?"
Dunno.
Trendsetter, trendavoider, trenddenier, trendless.
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