Your chance to influence a refinish.
 

This is the subject:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...56f08a19_h.jpgBernard Carré/Abel Borne 1 by L Travers, on Flickr

Bear in mind that the color of the frame does not reproduce accurately. It is more of a dark plum color. Really quite striking IMO.

The plan is to refinish in the same color. Chrome will be retained and redone as needed. The seat tube panel will NOT be retained. A down tube panel will be applied and the head tube will be the same color. The DT panel will get B. Carré markings. AFA those markings go, I had some custom work done so I have a choice of B.Carre in white with plum shadow, yellow with plum shadow, and regular white with dark blue shadow.

My dilemma is this. I cannot land upon a color for the panel and head tube. White is out. I don't care for it on the seat tube, so I know I won't like it on the DT. Perhaps an off white? Looking on line I find that pale yellow is supposedly good. Light grey is also recommended. There is even some call for red, charcoal, and even orange. I have tried playing with this in Gimp, but the frame color being off makes it hard to really determine anything.

FWIW, the panel will have French tricolor bands and the ST will have WC stripes.

I am looking forward to the input.

No big input from me but I couldn't be more on board with any version of that color and the chrome, so awesome, classic and perfect. :thumb:

I'd wax it and build it.

.
...I don't think I've ever seen a bike that had a contrasting head tube that didn't follow through with the traditional seat tube panel.
So I'm not sure how it will strike me visually...your idea of a head tube with the same panel on the downtube, rather than the seat tube.

Otherwise, in terms of color, any of the eggshell whites are a little yellower than stark refrigerator white. And there is a cornucopia of yellows, from light to dark, that would probably work.
If it's a really dark plum, even black would probably work out OK. But then you have to worry about how the decals will stand out on that background.

Green, the right answer is always green.

I'd look up Frejus bikes in Google Images for inspiration. Whoever chose the paint combinations for Frejus had an unerring eye.

Dark blue with a tint of the plum in it. White lettering in the panel.

Is powder coating an option you are, or would consider? Unbelievable plethora of colors available. Two stage coating expands on that. Very durable. https://www.prismaticpowders.com/

I think it would be nuts to do anything to that frame other than clean and wax it. It will cost a lot of money and you'll end up with a much less desirable bike. Seriously, don't do it!

Showing my personal bias, I am with you on paneling the seat tube, rather than the downtube, to echo the head tube.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...35fe5959e2.jpg

Thanks for the feedback so far.

As for not finishing. Frame has a damaged chain stay and cannot be ridden. Chrome is also shot on the socks. Otherwise there would be no need to refinish.

Powder coating is not an option.

I was eliminating the seat tube panel mostly because there are no vertical style Carré markings. I considered a ST panel with a Carré shield and WC markings to frame the panel and rejected the idea. But then I looked at a bike that is on my desk top and it does essentially just that. It works. So seat tube and down tube panel (along with head tube) may be the way to go.

Still mulling the color choices. Some good input there.

For the design you describe, I'd go with a subdued grayish blue, almost like Subaru Cool Grey Khaki, but perhaps just a hair lighter.

Pretty frame, all purple and chrome, with the appropriate decals is enough, skip the other color.
Tim

What are you guys using for wax on a frame?

I'd keep the current scheme. Add a decal to the seat tube panel. If the stark white is too much for you, knock it down to cream/ivory. It could also work with a black head tube and seat tube panel. Lastly, a darker shade of plum could work. IMHO anything else is trying too hard. Or just paint the whole thing plum.

AFA a down tube contrast panel, I vote a hard no on that. Just my opinion. It is not something that is historically done, and definitely not something I've ever seen on a Carre. I feel it will look unbalanced, especially if the head tube is contrast painted, and ruin the vintage look of this bike. The only situation I can see a DT panel is if there was a matching ST panel, both with matching decals -- no head panel. That's kind of a 60s/70s race look.

You probably know this but the traditional scheme is ST panel only, or ST and Head tube are contrast.

Here's my Mercian new bike that is painted dark plum with cream panels:


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...05ec20cd4a.jpg

Go with a color component of the main color, i.e. one of the colors mixed to make that plum. Which is why I chose a dark blue. Head tube and panel on the seat tube. The brain understands this. White lettering and don’t worry about vertical lettering, it will look fine. Polished components will set off the dark blue, or vice versa....

Trust me. Or not. Giving advice I don’t have to live with is easy.

What you cannot see, or maybe you can if you look closely at the photo, is the bike already had a DT panel. Original paint on this frame was for Abel Borne, a shop brand. And I would love to replicate that but there are no markings available for Abel Borne and I cannot find a clear photo of said markings. I also own another Carré that was a bike shop brand. it has both DT and ST panels under the repaint. So the precedent is there.

I am leaning towards Black Cherry. And my wife bought me Simplex gold for my birthday/retirement. Yeah, I know. Another flippin' Simplex gold bike. :)

I would select objects of various colors around the house and hold them up to the frame. Or go to a paint store and grab a bunch of cards. Take lots of pictures.
Have you tried laying the frame on a white or gray background? You might get better color accuracy.

Paint chips is a good idea. Have to go by the hardware store today anyway, Thanks

Yeah, DT and ST panels I've seen many times. That's like a nice racy look. What I've never seen is DT panel only, combined with a matching contrast headtube.

Of course it's your bike and you can do whatever you want. Frankly I'll wager it's going to look awesome no matter what you pick. You are sticking to the plum purple as the main color, right?

Show the damaged chainstay please.

Out of curiosity, I looked for a logo. FWIW I found this picture of an A. Borne bike somewhere in a quick search. It looks hand painted (?) Maybe there was more than one?

Zoomed in there is enough detail for a skilled graphic designer to trace it in Illustrator and 'unwrap' it from the tube well enough to make a repro decal, IMO.

I bet a pro sign painter could copy that too.


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...714c415aa1.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8ebc41572c.jpg

You bet.


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...229bf0fae1.jpg

And below is a sale photo that is closer to the correct color. Actual color is darker yet.


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c49d9581ea.jpg

Dab o’ glue.

Orange for the panels/head tube. Yes, I'm serious!

My jaw dropped when I saw the chainstay damage - what in the world?!

DD