Growing up?

A thought occurred to me today. Is it possible one's taste in bikes matures? If so how would that maturation be defined? If you look at m-w.com, mature is synonymous with "slow careful consideration" or having "completed natural growth and development".

Is this how one comes to singlespeed bicycles? The removal of unnecessary additions to the purity of the most efficient machine? 2 wheels 2 cogs and a chain. Where does it end? fixies? Rigid forks? Both?

Certainly it mirrors my development, but I s'pose in writing this I am hardly objective. It is, afterall, what I want to ride. Well, not fixed yet...

The other aspect to all this is appearances. Is there anything more beautiful than the unfettered appearance of a minimally adorned bicycle? Does it not hint at the grace of the machine and the rider and indeed the experience? Hopefully I cry!

Then again, the last definition for mature is "belonging to the middle portion of a cycle of erosion". Take from that what you will...

As part of my aesthetic maturation curved top tubes seem to be the thing for me at the moment. That and rigid forks. Very 'Bauhaus'. Will post a few pics lifted from various sites, mostly mtbr. If anyone is keen for me to delete em as I have not asked, I apologise and will do so on request...In the meantime ponder, consider, mull over and cogitate the beauty of a curved top tube...