The epic “aesthetic” battle of cyclists

For this post, I was stuck for some time. I wasn’t sure what particular aesthetic(s) to tie into my project: packable wind/rain jacket for biking. I have been only thinking of how to make the patterns and how to sew them together. I hadn’t thought about what aesthetic to put on it, other than the “minimalist” aesthetic, as it is light and packable.

I read a few other posts to see what my classmates were thinking about for their aesthetics and alternative aesthetics. I also tried the “flow” method for creativity. Where you think about the problem at hand very hard and then you put it down for a while and go work out or go to sleep and when you come back to it, flow happens.

I thought about it, road my bike, and then it came to me. The aesthetics actually tie back to my very first post on aesthetics explorations. For that post, I wrote about the “roadie” aesthetic. The tight “pro” fit clothes, the love for brews (both beer and espresso), and the power (watts) mindset, plus the occasional facial hair (like the thick stache).  To refresh your memory, below you can observe what that aesthetic looks like.

Figure 1. Tres amigos and their bikes

Figure 2. That pre-ride espresso at Rapha.

The alternative aesthetic, and hence the title of the post, it’s the mountain biker aesthetic. This can be spotted by loose fit clothes (specially flannels and fox shirts), love for beer (specially IPAs), also love for espresso, and a strong dislike for “roadies.” A couple images of this aesthetic can be observed below.

Figure 3. You see what I mean by the Fox shirts

Figure 4. And the flannels too.

Figure 5. And more flannels…

I personally fall into the second aesthetic category. And therefore I wanted my design for this packable wind/rain jacket to be mtb (mountain bike) oriented, with a looser fit and a ready to shred look to it.

But then I while I was thinking of what other alternative aesthetic would contrast and even oppose this down to earth, earthy tones, MTB aesthetic look that is trending today, I though of skiing in the 80s! That load, multi-color aesthetic worn skiing in the 80s would be a perfect opposition to the calm, earthy tones of trail mountain bikers and their flannels. Here are some of the images I found inspiring of this aesthetic.

Figure 6. Friends with color

Figure 7. Just, yes.

That last picture really says it all about this aesthetic! And after giving it some thought, it might be the aesthetic I end up pursuing. Rage against the machine.

BONUS VIDEO! SUPER FUNNY! How to be a mountain biker.

Thanks for reading!

References:

1. Figure 1 – cucinaonhay.com.au
2. Figure 2 – nitipstore.com
3. Figure 3 – https://www.redbull.com/int-en/mtb-slang-dictionary-guide
4. Figure 4 – https://www.redbull.com/int-en/mtb-slang-dictionary-guide
5. Figure 5 – https://everydaymtb.com/handup-adds-no-nonsense-riding-flannels-and-pants/
6. Figure 6 – https://www.onthesnow.com/north-carolina/photos.html
7. Figure 7 – https://www.shinesty.com/products/the-fresh-prince-onesie-v2-mens-80s-print-ski-suit