Is it still a trend when (almost) everyone is doing it? No! So jump on the bandwagon now before this cool cult movement degenerates into a simple, banal mainstream trend, just as the niche developments of freeride, enduro, anodised tuning and 24-hour races have already done: crown cap tuning.
The original YAWYD cap from Niner Bikes is already a cult item, and the feeling of belonging to the small, sworn-in group that has found what is possibly the ultimate means of customisation with the cap of their favourite beer on the headset cap - pithy rock'n'roll image included.
Although it's stylishly fitting, it's not even that important to ride a Niner bike. And besides: the 29-inch bike is also an ex-trend, today almost everyone rides big bikes, even downhillers ... Be that as it may, the cap message is the trump card. And anyone who recognised the crown cap on an otherwise cool bike understood immediately.
YAWYD stands for "you are what you drink", and the Niner cap has been replacing the spare headset cap for more than ten years to accommodate your favourite or team cork. It's actually a wonder that there have hardly been any copies of it so far...
But they are coming now, including made in Germany. The crown cap adapters cost just under 10 euros from Zine Sportswhich take up the basic idea of the crown cap headset cap and expand it with the option of using the Air Top Cap to place the casual drink message on unadorned suspension fork crowns or on orphaned front derailleur mounting bases using the High Direct Mount cover.
The simple aluminium parts are barely noticeable in their black anodised coating, leaving the stage free for the real tuning stars made of sheet metal. Anyone looking for inspiration can find it, for example, in the Crown cap catalogue from colnet here. Well then, cheers!
Sebastian Brust
Editor
