From bike war, a bike from Somec and one from Alchemy:
F***ing abomination. I don’t even think that bike would track down the road straight without the left shifter fin*!
Disgusting.
Now, I’ll give you, those are technically cross bikes. Actually, you know what? Not even for a cross bike.

Balanced, wonderful, and awesome. Beautiful.
I would pick a bike with the double crankset every single time – no matter how light or efficient they claim the 1x Drive might be…. and we’re not even talking about road bikes. Road bikes don’t even enter the discussion because whatever that is on the Somec and Alchemy above, it looks ridiculous. I may need a safe space** after seeing that.
Just sayin’.
*If you took seriously the notion that a bike may not track down the road correctly because it was missing the left shifter fin, this says more about you than me. The statement was tongue in cheek and meant to illicit a laugh at its outrageous nature. Apparently you missed it.
**The same goes doubly for the reference to the need for a safe space. If you missed the joke, you’d better go find a safe space.
I love your bike 🙂
Thanks, Dino! It’s a joy to ride it.
Ewww, they could have at least put a fake paddle behind the brake lever for a bit of aesthetic symmetry! And what’s with that cassette on the first one? Biggest cog looks bigger than the single front ring.
I hope people just buy them as cross or offroad bikes, that way they only get ridden on trails and in the forest, where nobody has to look at them…
😉
Exactly!
Back in the old days a single chainwheel meant it was the cheaper/ladies/kids version of the bike. Why would you not want to double the number of gears? You also make the rear derailleur work harder. And increase the wear on the middle sprockets compared to the less-used ones. And stretch the chain more. And I could go on… Daft. Just plain daft.
Great points, one and all.