Bike frame color?
#1
Full Member
Thread Starter
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!
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!
#2
Shifting is fun!
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: South Holland, NL
Posts: 11,003
Bikes: Yes, please.
Mentioned: 277 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2182 Post(s)
Liked 4,526 Times
in
1,743 Posts
Dark grey, preferably metallic, would be my choice.
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: NM & MN
Posts: 1,061
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 94 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
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.
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.
#4
Full Member
Thread Starter
#7
No longer active
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 1,001
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 89 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
6 Posts
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.
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.
Last edited by DIMcyclist; 04-05-16 at 01:48 PM.
#8
Senior Member
Aren't red bikes faster?
#9
multimodal commuter
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: NJ, NYC, LI
Posts: 19,852
Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...
Mentioned: 584 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1908 Post(s)
Liked 574 Times
in
339 Posts
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."
__________________
www.rhmsaddles.com.
www.rhmsaddles.com.
#10
Señor Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Hardy, VA
Posts: 17,935
Bikes: Mostly English - predominantly Raleighs
Mentioned: 70 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1491 Post(s)
Liked 1,072 Times
in
634 Posts
Bikes painted black in the rear, and white in the front are faster.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiometer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiometer
__________________
In search of what to search for.
In search of what to search for.
#11
Senior Member
Bikes painted black in the rear, and white in the front are faster.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiometer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiometer
#12
Señor Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Hardy, VA
Posts: 17,935
Bikes: Mostly English - predominantly Raleighs
Mentioned: 70 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1491 Post(s)
Liked 1,072 Times
in
634 Posts
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.
__________________
In search of what to search for.
In search of what to search for.
#16
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 8,900
Bikes: Waterford RST-22, Bob Jackson World Tour, Ritchey Breakaway Cross, Soma Saga, De Bernardi SL, Specialized Sequoia
Mentioned: 36 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 196 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
4 Posts
What are your favorite colors? What colors are you other bikes (if applicable)? Are your components black or silver?
#17
Senior Member
Whatever you pick, I would recommend googling the RAL codes of the final contenders so you can see some examples of actual finished products.
#18
Señor Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Hardy, VA
Posts: 17,935
Bikes: Mostly English - predominantly Raleighs
Mentioned: 70 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1491 Post(s)
Liked 1,072 Times
in
634 Posts
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.
__________________
In search of what to search for.
In search of what to search for.
#20
Senior Member
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.
#22
No longer active
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 1,001
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 89 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
6 Posts
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.
#23
Shifting is fun!
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: South Holland, NL
Posts: 11,003
Bikes: Yes, please.
Mentioned: 277 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2182 Post(s)
Liked 4,526 Times
in
1,743 Posts
#24
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Cambridge UK
Posts: 1,703
Bikes: Trek Emonda SL6 .... Miyata One Thousand
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 63 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 29 Times
in
22 Posts
do everything that you can in black .... frame, handlebar tape, seat etc. It always looks good