This Bike Is So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades

It's back to the 80s yet again at The Cycle! Crack open your premier issue of Cyclist magazine, use the Betamax to tape your favorite shows for later, and make sure you're immunized against Pac Man Fever.

Today's scan comes from the "Fast Bikes Under $400" feature, a three-bike shootout between the Club Fuji (shown), Gitane Sprint, and Trek 460. I should apologize for springing that gaudy monstrosity on you without warning. After all, the 1984 review noted (repeatedly) that the Fuji had a "bold" and "eye-popping" color scheme. Hope I didn't jangle your nerves with the sudden appearance of such an eyesore.

Thankfully, we've come around in the last 20 years and learned to use more subtle paint and decal combinations like this:

After that gawdawful Fuji, this is like Xanax on wheels, don't you think?

For those who don't read this site with the Babelfish "sarcasm to English" translator, I'm not a big fan of the modern NASCAR-bike aesthetic that looks like a paint/decal booth threw up on your ride. In fact, my main machine is generically decal-free after its last repaint. I kinda like the quizzical look that gets from label-obsessed riders who can't figure out whether it's a "good bike" without a sticker to tell them.

(Readers who are sick of the 80s will be glad to know that I just bought a brand-new, 2010 bike -- but since it's mine, it's still weird. Many, many reports and photos to come, but for now, let's just leave it as a tease.)