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Bike frame color?

Old 04-04-16, 06:57 PM
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Bike frame color?

Gearset, trekking bars, etc. are here. My frame (lugged, mid-80s Peugeot hybrid frame) going to the powdercoater on Friday, but I'm still a bit up in the air about the color.

Some notes:

The crank is black Deore. I worry a bit about matching black to black, if I go that route. I also worry about going too dark with the frame color -- it seems like the black drive train might make it murky and less snappy than a silver crank.

I'll probably go with white tape (on trekking bars) and a white saddle to start, since I already have a white Linus comfort saddle. Down the line, I may get a brooks and go with matching brown bar tape, but that kind of goes with everything.

Some options I was thinking of:

Medium metallic green:


Medium metallic blue:


Ceramic (maybe #2 , 3, 4, or 5)


Thanks!
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Old 04-04-16, 11:48 PM
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Dark grey, preferably metallic, would be my choice.
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Old 04-04-16, 11:55 PM
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Green bikes, especially as per the OP are handsome and could probably survive a black colored crank. That said, per post #2 ; a dark grey would look good with a black crank but one shouldn't overemphasize one part of the bike, the crank. I have butterfly bars on one bike. White wrap looks good with green as well.

Mettalic green or as the caption to the photo says, emerald city? It doesn't matter too much, it's in the general area of the same color.
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Old 04-05-16, 01:30 AM
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Originally Posted by non-fixie
Dark grey, preferably metallic, would be my choice.
So maybe a "Lazer Crystal," like this:



I think I'll bring the crank with me to the powder coater.
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Old 04-05-16, 02:01 AM
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i can see 4 or 5 with a black crank and white tape.
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Old 04-05-16, 03:36 AM
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the green you show...that would look good and do well with both black and white...IMHO
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Old 04-05-16, 07:21 AM
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Any neutral metallic will go nicely with a mix of black & silver componentry and be quite elegant; with regard to colors, any dark or intense hue will probably work just fine. Dark colors will appear more harmonious with black components; intense colors will project 'danger' signals.

In visual terms, excessive high-contrast areas will impart a 'busy' & possibly grating look to your overall design: it can be seen as either visually exiting or conversely, neurotic.

If it's done correctly, high-contrast designs can convey instinctive 'threat/warning' messages (think of poisonous insects, Amazon tree frogs, or tigers' stripes). The 'poison frog' color schemes frequently used on supercars like Lamborghinis & McLarens are a deliberate use of this effect, also reflected in road-warning traffic signs.

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Old 04-05-16, 07:35 AM
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Aren't red bikes faster?
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Old 04-05-16, 07:44 AM
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Next time I take a bike frame to be powder coated, I'm going to ask if he has something he calls "brass" or "copper." I had a saddle frame done in what they call "chrome" and I really liked it. No one would mistake it for real chrome, but that's fine. It had a metallic effect, but not a metal flake effect. If he has a similar coat that has a little color to it, that'd be my choice. If not, I'm going chrome. I mean, "chrome."
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Old 04-05-16, 07:50 AM
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Originally Posted by ironwood
Aren't red bikes faster?
Bikes painted black in the rear, and white in the front are faster.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiometer
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Old 04-05-16, 08:08 AM
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Originally Posted by USAZorro
Bikes painted black in the rear, and white in the front are faster.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiometer
I did not know that . I just assumed that because ferraris are very fast cars and are red, the same would apply to bicycles.
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Old 04-05-16, 09:38 AM
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As the speed at which a bicycle is traveling approaches the speed of light, something similar to the Doppler effect occurs. People whom the bicycle is approaching will perceive shorter wavelengths (and a different color), than those whom the bicycle is moving away from.
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Old 04-05-16, 10:12 AM
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Blue. Unless you're going for a stealth look which would call for flat black.

SP
OC, OR
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Old 04-05-16, 10:16 AM
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Originally Posted by ironwood
Aren't red bikes faster?
I think that's some sort of placebo affect.
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Old 04-05-16, 10:27 AM
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If you want a color, I'd prefer green. If you want more of a neutral I like #2 of the various tubes above.
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Old 04-05-16, 11:13 AM
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What are your favorite colors? What colors are you other bikes (if applicable)? Are your components black or silver?
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Old 04-05-16, 11:14 AM
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Whatever you pick, I would recommend googling the RAL codes of the final contenders so you can see some examples of actual finished products.
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Old 04-05-16, 11:26 AM
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The changes in color from one code to the other doesn't seem to follow a conceptually discernable pattern. It also seems rather limiting - with less than 1,700 colors.
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Old 04-05-16, 11:29 AM
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RAL3015 .
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Old 04-05-16, 11:30 AM
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Originally Posted by USAZorro
The changes in color from one code to the other doesn't seem to follow a conceptually discernable pattern. It also seems rather limiting - with less than 1,700 colors.
Yeah, I have no idea why they are laid out like that. Also, if you do a google image search for RAL codes, you get lots of hits with a great deal of overlap, but they are not all the same.
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Old 04-05-16, 11:32 AM
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Originally Posted by mapeiboy
RAL3015 .
Oh look, it's already done!
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Old 04-05-16, 01:47 PM
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Actually, one of the coolest things about RAL colors (or maybe "colours" since it's a British-based Euro standard), is that you can get touch-up paint that's an exact match.
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Old 04-05-16, 02:05 PM
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Originally Posted by cormacf
So maybe a "Lazer Crystal," like this:



I think I'll bring the crank with me to the powder coater.
Exactly. Although I'd like the frame to be one size bigger, the 'fifty shades of grey' on this machine work well I think:

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Old 04-05-16, 02:12 PM
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do everything that you can in black .... frame, handlebar tape, seat etc. It always looks good
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Old 04-05-16, 02:53 PM
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Originally Posted by due ruote
Oh look, it's already done!
Very nice pink color bike . My next bike will be in pink for sure .
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