저는 1990년대 중반부터 줄곧 아래의 자전거 잡지들을 정기구독 해오고 있습니다.

하나는, "Bike" 입니다.
Cross Country, All Mountain, Freeriding, 그리고 Down Hill 등
"Mountain Bicycling"의 전 분야를 다루고 있습니다.

다른 하나는, "Bicycling" 입니다.
거의 대부분의 지면에서 (약 95%이상)
"Road Bicycling" (우리나라에서 흔히 "사이클"로 불리우는) 을 다루고,
나머지 5% 정도만 "Mountain Bicycling"에 할애할까 말까 합니다.

위의 두 잡지 모두 미국에서 발행되는 것들 입니다.

지난 주에 도착한 "Bicycling" 2005년 4월호는
<2005 Bike Buyer's Guide> 특집호로 꾸며져 있으며,
많은 road bikes와 mountain bikes의 간략한 reviews 및 소개들이 실려 있습니다.

이 책을 보다가 어제 밤에서야 비로소 발견한
재미있는 내용이 있어서 아래에 여러분께 소개할까 합니다.

새로 나온 신제품 자전거들을 소개하는 각각의 페이지 맨 아랫 쪽에 자그마한 글씨로
세계 유명 자전거 브랜드가 지니고 있는 인상 또는 느낌 (impression) 에 대해
간단하고 재미있게 서술해 놓았더군요.

책을 받고 처음 볼 때는, 이번 호의 주요 내용인 신제품 소개/리뷰 칼럼으로만 눈이 가므로
깨알같이 적혀 있는 이 재미있는 내용들이 있다는 사실을 몰랐었습니다.

세계적으로 이름이 알려져 있는
road, mountain, tandem, recumbent, 그리고 기타 bikes 브랜드 47개를
100 여 페이지에 걸쳐 알파벳 순서대로 한 페이지에 하나의 브랜드를 딱 한 줄씩,
그러나 그 브랜드가 갖고 있는 이미지를 가장 잘 나타낼 수 있게 표현했습니다.

여기에 적혀 있는 각각의 브랜드에 대한 일반적인 느낌이나 평가들이
여러분께서 자전거를 선택하실 때 도움이 될 수 있을 것으로 생각이 되어,
이 책에 수록되어 있는 내용을 원문 그대로 모두 아래에 옮겨 적었습니다.

간단명료하게 표현된 영어 "구/절" 들이므로, 구태여 번역은 필요없겠지요.

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세계 유명 자전거 브랜드들의 이미지

"What's your brand?"
"Each bike maker's style, values and specialties -
because a bike's not just a bike, it's part of who you are..."

1. BACCHETTA: Incredibly comportable recumbents

2. BIANCHI: Italian heritage, and its own color
            - that hue of green you either love or hate is "celeste"

3. BREEZER: Thoughtfully designed urban and commuting bikes

4. BURLEY: A co-op with finely crafted steel tandems,
           sweet singles and 'bents, too

5. CANNONDALE: Aluminum-frame connoisseur (that dabbles in carbon)
               for road and mountain

6. CERVELO: Road specialists, superior time-trial bikes

7. CHALLENGE: Some of the most advanced and, dare we say,
              sexiest recumbents out there

8. COLNAGO: Italian road bikes that are as much about art as science

9. CO-MOTION: Uncluttered,
              U.S.-made steel, aluminum and ti tandems and singles

10. DAHON: Folding bikes of all stripes,
           founded in 1975 during the petroleum crisis

11. EDDY MERCKX: Road bikes by the sport's winningest racer

12. ELECTRA: Ultrahip California cruisers
             with impeccable attention to detail

13. FELT: Started small with custom frames,
          now builds production two-wheelers of all kinds

14. FUJI: Japanese bikes high in value and smart in spec

15. GARY FISHER: One of the founding mountain bike companies,
                 named for one of the sport's founding fathers

16. GIANT: Consistently pumps out some of the best values,
           from kids' bikes to Jan's Tour ride

17. GT: Mountain bike innovator;
        its iDrive suspension design is one of mountain biking's most enduring

18. INDEPENDENT FABRICATION: Underground-chic custom co-op
                             that works in all materials

19. JAMIS: A quiet company whose quality dirt and road rides speak volumes

20. K2: Better known for its skis and snowboards,
        but its bikes come in every flavor imaginable

21. KESTREL: Road bikes that were carbon before carbon was everywhere

22. KLEIN: Small aluminum-frame maker that prizes craftmanship

23. KONA: New school, with irreverent humor and bombproof XC
          and freeride bikes

24. LEMOND: Modern road bikes with traditional flair,
            from the original American TdF champ

25. LITESPEED: Does more with titanium than anyone else

26. LOOK: French carbon pioneer; made the first composite frame
          to win the Tour, under Greg LeMond in '86

27. MARIN: A mountain bike originator that now has a diverse line,
           including cool road bikes

28. MASI: American offshoot of an Italian company, now manufacturing in Asia;
          historical brand at a reasonabale price

29. MAVERICK: Light, efficient mountain bikes designed for the long haul

30. MERLIN: High-quality, no-compromises ti frames
            (also makes some carbon frames)

31. NOVARA: The bike brand of outdoor superstore REI,
            with a wide range of quality two-wheelers

32. ORBEA: Spanish road racers only available in the U.S. since 2000;
           rare, desirable and Basque orange

33. RALEIGH: Hot in the '70s and '80s;
             now making a legit comeback with a fine new line

34. RIDLEY: Belgian high-end road bikes new to the U.S.,
            but making a dramatic splash

35. ROCKY MOUNTAIN: Known for big-hit freeride bikes,
                    its XC and road offerings are sweet, too

36. SALSA: Low-frills steel and Scandium frames with exciting,
           if monochromatic, paint jobs

37. SANTA CRUZ: Growing company with a small-guy image;
                suspension rigs sought after by those in the know

38. SANTANA: Makes just about every type of tandem,
             even the $10,000, 28-pound kind

39. SCHWINN: True performers at unheard-of prices
             from a classic American company

40. SCOTT USA: Popular in Europe, but recently re-introduced in the U.S.
               Will it catch on? Time will tell.

41. SEROTTA: Some of the best-performing custom road bikes in America
             for nearly 30 years

42. SEVEN: Full-custom steel, ti and ti-carbon.
           Note: Good stuff isn't cheap.

43. SPECIALIZED: Made first mass-produced mountain bike;
                 still has cutting-edge tech

44. TERRY: No-compromise bikes for women who don't do unisex

45. TIME: Some of France's premiere road frames,
          made from the company's own carbon

46. TREK: Known because of a certain Texan,
          loved for its smooth-riding OCLV carbon

47. TURNER: Aluminum, full-suspension mountain bikes
            constantly refined to perfection
===============================

휴~ 이제 끝났습니다.
한 페이지에 하나 씩 있는 것을 일일이 보고 타이핑 하고 나니
어깨, 팔, 그리고 손가락이 저려 옵니다 ~~~.

"46번 TREK"에서 말하는
"어떤 텍사스 사람 (a certain Texan)"이 누구인지 다들 짐작하시지요?
모르시는 분은 댓글을 달아 주세요 ~~~.