Hybrid Bicycles - Not sure if I love the "look" of this bike for long-term use...

OK, I know the paint job isn't the most important thing. BUT... ;) I'm trying to narrow down my choices and I like a lot of things about the Specialized Vita, even the way it looks. (The Vita is like a WSD of the Sirrus, I think.) But I want to have this bike for a loooong time. This is HUGE purchase for me, and I'm thinking 10-20 years for regular use. I'm just not sure if I like the green -- wonder if it's too "trendy" a shade. Right now I think it looks cute and sporty. But will this look silly in a decade or two?? What do you think?
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It also come in blue. Meh?
206099

I know color is a personal preference, but my concern is how the paint job "wears" over two decades.

Bright colors often look best when new the neon green could be a long term problem white is fine. But if your picky about looking after your bike and in particular using auto polish every now then you just might keep it looking good for twenty years.

I have seen both in person and liked the flash of the green, but ended up buying the blue, mainly because the LBS I liked better had the blue in stock. I didn't love love love the color at first, but it has grown on me.

See how cute it is in the rain?
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-flOJKzeYdcQ/TfO0lKrvz2I/AAAAAAAACOE/BTS8BlUeftc/s576/IMG_1795.JPG

Nice bikes! I can't help you much; I just turned down a much more reasonably priced version of the bike I wound up with because I could only find it in my size in BROWN. But I love the light metallic blue one I got instead (and the BS is much better). Imho the paint job is more important to most people, even guys, than some will admit. :) I'd say go with your HEART; worst case, in 10-15 years you can justify the cost of a new paint job if you absolutely hate it then. A lot can happen in that much time: it will be your baby by then and you'll love it unconditionally; it will still be in style; it will be so retro it will be cool; you will be in the Tour de France and need a better one LOL; the bike could be stolen/crashed; you could hit the lottery; the Mayans might be right; etc.

Don't buy something you really don't like!

It also come in blue. Meh?


Bicycle color is completely unimportant to me, as long as it is one that I can live with today and most every bicycle is. My suspicion is that while your opinion of the bright green may change wildly in either direction over the years, your opinion of the blue will stay the same or it will grow on you. So blue is safe, green is like getting a tattoo. If you are the kind of person who gets tattoos (and you don't have to tell us!) then you may be the kind of person who buys a wildly trendy colored bicycle and can live with the consequences down the road. On the other hand changing bikes is a lot easier than removing a tattoo and you likely will be able to do that in the future if you really want to. In reality a bike that fits you well quickly becomes an old friend and you won't easily part with it no matter what the color does for you in 20 years, so tattooed or not, you may just be a neon green person.

Ken

Oh, I love the green and white! I know what you are saying about how well the color will age but it is so cute. Why does blue seem to be the default color for bikes? You could do what I did, get the blue which might seem kind of boring but the get some cute reflective stickers. Amazon has them in different colors and shapes.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b89/Two_mini_mes/a5555e06.png

Me personally, I'd take the blue. I like the green colour alot, but would have prefered all green without the white.

My choice for blue is because you can add or subtract colour easier with blue when ever you like. ie. red, white, pink, black accessories / components like bottle cages, lights, tyres, saddle bags, computer etc.

You guys are so funny -- thanks for all the great comments. And yes, I must say that blue does look very cute with raindrops. ;) (Actually made me like it more, seeing it like that!)

I was more of a "tattoo" kind of gal before married life with 5 kids, lol, but I guess that girl is still buried inside somewhere. Thanks for the analogy; I kind of get what you mean. I think because it's so much money for me to spend... it scares me a bit.

And stickers!! Who knew? I just checked Amazon and those little flowers popped right up. Did you see in the product photos where they had some on the rims? Cute! Not sure if they would stay on there or not.
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That would be kind of fun to add. I wonder if they come off cleanly when you're ready to do that?

You guys are great -- thanks! :thumb:

Those are the flowers I have! Only I bought the pack of all orange. They seem to be staying on just fine. I haven't tried to take them off but I am sure a little rubbing alcohol would take off any residue when you want to remove them.

I really like the white with the green, personally. I'd go for that with some wildly patterned panniers. I do love those multi color stickers! Blue is for a car.

I have the Vita Sport in brown/charcoal. I wanted a dark color scheme because it seems that the lighter colors would get grimy more easily/need less lazy cleaning habits. Not sure if that's true but the brown has turned out great.

Also, those flowers look like the Walmart logo...

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Also, those flowers look like the Walmart logo...

c'mon, don't ruin it for me! ;) Hadn't really thought about lighter vs darker colors until this thread. They all look so bright and shiny when they're new, ya know?

Also, those flowers look like the Walmart logo...

Ouch, that hurt.

Ouch, that hurt.

FWIW, I just googled the walmart logo and I don't see it. It's a stretch at the very least to tie the flowers and the logo together. The Utopia is a beautiful bike, and the flowers make it uniquely yours, so run with it!

Ouch, that hurt.

If it makes you feel better, those flowers totally look like the cute paper punch flowers used in crafts, card making, and scrapbooking. You could even layer 2 (one bigger, one smaller, slightly offset)! I'm not very creative like that, but I've seen it done. ;)
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I kinda like colours that are "locked in time" so to speak. Terrible to own after 5 years (somehow people assume they are cheap stuff nobody wants), but rest assure, thereafter they can be considerad cool again. If you need a "modern" set up after that time, just buy a new one and your almost C & V can be your stand-out bike!