View Poll Results: What color scheme should the Vincitore have
All blue except for the lugs
14
31.82%
Blue frame with a white head tube
1
2.27%
Blue frame, white head tube, white panel on the seat tube
20
45.45%
Blue frame, white head tube, barber pole seat tube
9
20.45%
Voters: 44. You may not vote on this poll
Help! I'm overthinking bike color again!
07-11-23, 12:54 PM
#1
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Help! I'm overthinking bike color again!
Problem: color scheme for my 1971 Mercian Vincitore
I thought I had settled this in my mind. I've at least picked the main color, but now as it comes time to paint I'm starting to have second thoughts about the overall paint scheme. So, time to phone a friend....
I'm painting the frame cobalt blue. I want good contrast with the chrome lugs -- the lugs will be the star of the show. But over the past week I've started to think that maybe I need a white head tube and a white panel on the seat tube for a couple of reasons: (1) It just looks classy, and (2) I'm not sure about the Mercian head badge on a deep blue tube. My concern is that the lugs won't pop as much with a white head tube.
What would you do?
Edit: Pictures to help with the visualization
I thought I had settled this in my mind. I've at least picked the main color, but now as it comes time to paint I'm starting to have second thoughts about the overall paint scheme. So, time to phone a friend....
I'm painting the frame cobalt blue. I want good contrast with the chrome lugs -- the lugs will be the star of the show. But over the past week I've started to think that maybe I need a white head tube and a white panel on the seat tube for a couple of reasons: (1) It just looks classy, and (2) I'm not sure about the Mercian head badge on a deep blue tube. My concern is that the lugs won't pop as much with a white head tube.
What would you do?
Edit: Pictures to help with the visualization
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Last edited by Andy_K; 07-11-23 at 01:00 PM.
07-11-23, 01:03 PM
#2
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Blue except for the lugs. Let the lugs be the star. You could lugline for interest elsewhere...
Or still do the white panel on the seat tube even with a blue head tube.
Or still do the white panel on the seat tube even with a blue head tube.
Last edited by jdawginsc; 07-11-23 at 01:30 PM.
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07-11-23, 01:27 PM
#3
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07-11-23, 02:00 PM
#4
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Blue head tube and white panel on seat tube wasn’t an option so I voted all blue. If you need some visualization.
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N = '96 Colnago C40, '04 Wilier Alpe D'Huez, '10 Colnago EPS, '85 Merckx Pro, '89 Merckx Century, '86 Tommasini Professional, '04 Teschner Aero FX Pro, '05 Alan Carbon Cross, '86 De Rosa Professional, '82 Colnago Super, '95 Gios Compact Pro, '95 Carrera Zeus, '84 Basso Gap, ‘89 Cinelli Supercorsa, ‘83 Bianchi Specialissima, ‘VO Randonneur, Ritchey Breakaway Steel, '84 Paletti Super Prestige, Heron Randonneur
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07-11-23, 02:16 PM
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I voted for everything, including the barber pole. If you aren't going with that, then all blue. Mercian recommends against chroming these days and I have not seen many chromed lugs on Mercians. They should stand out.
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07-11-23, 02:22 PM
#7
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That blue is nice. That model is famous for having over-the-top color schemes though. How about chromovelato red lugs to accent the blue?
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07-11-23, 03:46 PM
#8
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I voted for the contrasting head tube and panel, but there's no wrong answer here. It's all going to look great.
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07-11-23, 04:03 PM
#9
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My counter-visual showing a contrasting white head tube with chrome lugs....
Of course, as the example images demonstrates, I already have one like that.
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07-11-23, 05:34 PM
#11
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I was hoping a clear winner would emerge from the voting. Early results suggest that won't happen. Oh well, worse things happen at sea.
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07-11-23, 05:38 PM
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Is that your bike I used as the example in my first post? I just grabbed an image from Google image search results.
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07-11-23, 05:49 PM
#13
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07-11-23, 06:09 PM
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I voted for the closest but here is what I would do
1) blue over all like how the mercian badge looks on the blue
2) white pinstriping
3) white bands on the seat tube
4) throw a dot of celeste somewhere...just becuase
1) blue over all like how the mercian badge looks on the blue
2) white pinstriping
3) white bands on the seat tube
4) throw a dot of celeste somewhere...just becuase
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07-11-23, 07:38 PM
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Normally I would be a white head tube and white seat tube panel guy...BUT...the chrome lugs have changed me to an all blue or blue head tube with white seat tube panel guy. I think that the chrome lugs tend to get a little lost with the contrasting panels and they really pop against the solid dark color.
07-11-23, 07:51 PM
#17
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Do what you want but skip the barber pole. Unless you move to Forest Grove
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07-11-23, 08:17 PM
#18
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Just a humble Bob Jackson with no chrome, but here's blue and white, with the golden section (or proportion) involved on the seat tube
Still a work in progress, thinking of doing the lug shorelines in silver paint pen. And maybe picking out the seat tube stripes too. On a Vincitore, you could add box lining.
Still a work in progress, thinking of doing the lug shorelines in silver paint pen. And maybe picking out the seat tube stripes too. On a Vincitore, you could add box lining.
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07-11-23, 08:49 PM
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I voted for barber pole, but for reference, my fancy Hetchins, repainted by Mercian, is a single color blue:
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07-11-23, 09:54 PM
#20
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Well, I do ride in Forest Grove a lot.... Somehow I never knew that was there.
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07-11-23, 09:57 PM
#21
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Honestly, I'm not seriously considering a barber pole, so I'm kind of mentally combining those votes with the panel votes.
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07-11-23, 10:37 PM
#22
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I'm two IPAs in tonight and voted blue with white HT and seat tube panel, like the variously supplied reference frames. Looks great, IMO. Like others have said, hard to go wrong, especially starting with the premise of blue paint and chrome head lugs.
07-11-23, 10:45 PM
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07-11-23, 10:50 PM
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I voted all blue because those lugs are complex enough that contrasting paint might fight with them. At most the white panel on the seat tube. IMHO. As others have said, you really can't go wrong.
07-11-23, 11:13 PM
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Andy, since that Cinelli was in your hands like the briefcase from Pulp Fiction, and we both stared at it asking, "Is that what I think it is?" before shipping it to Virginia, and you have a chance for redemption...
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