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Do you prefer dark or light colored bike?

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Do you prefer dark or light colored bike?

Old 10-03-15, 02:00 PM
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Originally Posted by Machka
Regarding safety ... I snapped this shot on a rainy day in the UK. What catches your eye first?


That picture is the most impressive and convincing example of the value of bright cycling clothing... I've ever seen! Thank-you for sharing! You've altered my perception of the value of my yellow jackets. WOW! I may even buy a yellow helmet.
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Old 10-03-15, 04:18 PM
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I only have two bikes One black and one grey. Color not a priority for me. Although I once refurbished a Worksman trike in metal flake blue. Sold it before it got scratched up.
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Old 10-03-15, 04:20 PM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by vol
Considering your personal preference of colors, safety and theft concerns.
Bare metal and clear coated carbon fiber. Those look much better after picking up the inevitable dings.
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Old 10-03-15, 09:38 PM
  #29  
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I like black for my commuting bike. Almost all accessories match and it does not stand out, although not the best color for visibility of course. Recreational or racing bike I like lighter colors, especially that Bianchi celeste green.
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Old 10-03-15, 09:43 PM
  #30  
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I doesn't matter a whole lot to me, in fact I prefer a variety of colors so I don't have a bunch of bikes the same color, the only two bikes I have that are the same color is a 84 Trek 660 and a 84 Fuji Club, but red is a common color for bikes anyways.
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Old 10-03-15, 11:12 PM
  #31  
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Black bikes do not show dirt as bad, and look classy, IMHO. It's also easier to select the colors of accessories because anything goes with black.
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Old 10-04-15, 05:46 AM
  #32  
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No one has mentioned it yet, but red bikes are faster.
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Old 10-04-15, 07:37 AM
  #33  
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Being logical, a light colored bike doesnt get that hot in the sun. I also recommend a white helmet for the same reason.

Heat damages paint. A light colored paint does not get as hot and ruin itself.

Last edited by rydabent; 10-05-15 at 08:31 AM.
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Old 10-04-15, 04:17 PM
  #34  
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I've never considered theft or visibility/safety concerns when buying a bike....never thought to/still won't. My preference has always been for darker colors...more manly. Wife's addicted to purple...every bike she's owned has had purple either as the base or a secondary/trim color.
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Old 10-04-15, 04:45 PM
  #35  
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Good point with the 4 bikers with three of them wearing HiViz Jackets.

Last edited by 7up; 10-04-15 at 04:56 PM.
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Old 10-04-15, 05:55 PM
  #36  
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Black is my least favorite color, but OTOH, the Ridley bikes on this page look like they might be good deals - possibly too good to pass up. No idea which would be more desirable to thieves between the black and the white - I guess I could cover up the "Ridley" logo but then I'd probably have a harder time reselling the bike later. I find both colors bland and would probably put a bunch of stickers (reflective and regular alike) to add more color.

https://www.steepandcheap.com/gear-ca...#?brand=Ridley

I like the colors of the QBP bikes (Surly, Salsa, All City) but it's harder to find good deals on those.
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Old 10-04-15, 06:45 PM
  #37  
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I couldn't stand the blue and silver paint scheme of my bike and am currently going through a painting process with it- along with various other changes. It's going to be metallic copper and mirrored silver (hopefully, if the test piece I have turns out OK). I don't have to take security into consideration as I live in the back of beyond. However, the chances are pretty good that the finished product will turn in to something that no one else in their right mind would want to ride, anyway . Not a big fan of the all-black trend for myself, though some do look pretty cool.
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Old 10-07-15, 10:21 AM
  #38  
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For me, it completely depends on the bike. Something I really love about bicycles is that they can really be a mix of form and function, especially in the choice of color and components. Here are mine:

My Colnago road bike is (was . . . that's a story for another thread) bright red with a chrome fork and chrome/polished Campy components. There's nothing subdued about a 70's racing bike. For this one, I wanted loud and proud.

For my Trek commuter/burner bike, I wanted something really understated for the city (San Francisco at the time), and for Burning Man, it was basically just going to be a substrate for lights/fur/decorations, so the color didn't matter as much as the durability. I went with a flat olive green engine enamel with all inexpensive black mtn components.

For my in-progress '81 Univega Specialissima touring bike, I'm also going a bit understated but something prettier and more noticeable than olive. Once it gets back from the shop, I'm planning on doing a grey frame with black and chrome (mostly Deore XT) components and brown Brooks leather saddle+tape. Interesting enough, there's a place near me called Hub Powderworks that does a really nice shade of grey powder coat – and it's retroreflective! I need to check out their work in person (especially given the lugwork on the frame) before I pull the trigger. Here's an image from their website:
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Old 10-07-15, 10:39 AM
  #39  
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My last 2 bikes have been dark blue, for some reason. My current bike is dark blue with black accents; I'm thinking of dubbing it "The Bruise."
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Old 10-07-15, 12:50 PM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by dorkusprime
Interesting enough, there's a place near me called Hub Powderworks that does a really nice shade of grey powder coat – and it's retroreflective!
I really like that, for both the image and the safety aspect. Is there a clear reflective powder coat? I remember a long time ago briefly considering spraying a frame with glow-in-the-dark spraypaint, as it's fairly transparent, but the glow obviously wouldn't last very long...
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Old 10-07-15, 01:13 PM
  #41  
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I like that "Hakim Gray". It looks plain jane industrial - until the lights hit it.
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Old 10-07-15, 01:31 PM
  #42  
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With there being almost zero real difference in bikes from one price point to another, then color and appearance DOES matter to many people. You are all welcome to your black and grey dull bikes (IMHO). I will have color "I" like, and if you brand doesn't offer anything but black/grey (many examples of this), then I will move on to the next brand that does. Has nothing to do with flamboyant, Has everything to do with what "I" like. They all have Shimano/microShift/SRAM shifters/derailleurs, couple of brake brands, couple of crank and bracket brands, and similar wheels. Aluminum/carbon frames and forks for most, and crap pedals. What what is left to differentiate your brand? Bar tape?

Nope, keep the dull. Somebody doesn't like my brightly colored bike, too bad. Those that try to tell me I should love they grey etc.... you can kiss..........

FTR, my four bikes are Cyan, (traffic cone) Orange, Lime Green, and Titanium bikes. Normally I would not have tolerated the silvery of the Titanium, but I made an exception in this case because... well.... it's Titanium. No other similar exceptions will be made for Carbon/Aluminum/Steel bikes.

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Old 10-07-15, 01:32 PM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by dorkusprime
...there's a place near me called Hub Powderworks that does a really nice shade of grey powder coat – and it's retroreflective! I need to check out their work in person (especially given the lugwork on the frame) before I pull the trigger. Here's an image from their website:
Wow. Nice.
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Old 10-07-15, 02:17 PM
  #44  
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I think that buying a bike for it's color is something a stupid girl might do. Notice I did not say "women". I said what I meant.
I know stupid girls who buy cars because they like the color.
Then they can't understand why it's broken down on the side of the road
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Old 10-07-15, 04:36 PM
  #45  
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Originally Posted by avidone1
I think that buying a bike for it's color is something a stupid girl might do. Notice I did not say "women". I said what I meant.
I know stupid girls who buy cars because they like the color.
Then they can't understand why it's broken down on the side of the road
What's far dumber is ASSUMING that the comments above supports the ASSUMPTION that the posters in this thread would buy entirely on color. Nobody said they would buy any blue bike, but they did say they would not buy a bike due to color. Those that like black/grey said it, and those that don't like those colors said the same.

But as dumb as that was, combining that with a sexist comment was even dumber thing to do. But I guess your own narrow view got in the way.

Lastly, if the color did not matter then why bother to paint them at all? Why have more than one color for all your bike brand? Why not sale bare metal bikes? Outside of Titanium, what bare metal frame bikes are available? Aluminum doesn't rust, and you could clear coat the steel bikes. Trek/Giant/Specialized etc don't go to the expense of painting them because they want to keep the paint manufacturers in business.

Those that claim the aesthetics don't matter, are woefully incorrect. Otherwise bikes would not be painted, there would be one style of sofa, bare metal cars, one style of car etc.

Last edited by quicktrigger; 10-07-15 at 08:17 PM.
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Old 10-07-15, 04:40 PM
  #46  
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Originally Posted by avidone1
I think that buying a bike for it's color is something a stupid girl might do. Notice I did not say "women". I said what I meant.
I know stupid girls who buy cars because they like the color.
Then they can't understand why it's broken down on the side of the road
Hey, women can be stupid about this stuff, too. I gots me a purple bike addicted wife.
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Old 10-07-15, 04:49 PM
  #47  
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Originally Posted by avidone1
I think that buying a bike for it's color is something a stupid girl might do. Notice I did not say "women". I said what I meant.
I know stupid girls who buy cars because they like the color.
Then they can't understand why it's broken down on the side of the road
There certainly are people like that in this world [I had a female customer once, who, when I asked what kind of car she had, she actually replied "A green one!"], but when it comes to things like bikes, aesthetics do play a very important role for most buyers- I mean, how many people in truth are buying deep aero carbon wheels just for the look- whether they admit it or not? (I'd say almost ALL of 'em,!).

Originally Posted by ltxi
Hey, women can be stupid about this stuff, too. I gots me a purple bike addicted wife.
I could live with purple...anything but black!
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Old 10-07-15, 05:41 PM
  #48  
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I have had my choice of colour on several of my bicycles.

I selected the bicycle to meet whatever need/desire I had, in the correct size for me of course, and once that was settled, I could choose my colour.

My Marinoni Ciclo was the first ... it's a custom-built bicycle I selected to ride long distances. For it, I chose two-tone blue. Dark blue front and back, and a light silvery blue in the middle. Practical because I mount my bicycles over the top tube, and have been known to chip top tubes. So I wanted a colour sort of similar to the steel so that the chips wouldn't show too badly.

Next was my titanium. I chose it for long distance riding after my Marinoni Ciclo was stolen (happily he was recovered 3 years later). I could have painted the titanium, but I liked it as it is. However, I wanted green accents so my fork, saddle, and bar tape are British Racing Green. Rowan painted the fork.

Then we got Thorn touring bicycles. I had a choice of blue or green ... so I went with blue. Rowan went with green.

Most recently were our custom-built Bike Fridays. And again, the colour choice was all ours. I have green, I have blue ... so I went with purple! Rowan went with orange. I think they both look good.

Rowan has built up a mtn bike for me from a tip shop frame and we're talking about painting it. It is currently white and a gorgeous light blue. If it has to be painted, I'd like to match that blue and go with white accents.
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Old 10-07-15, 06:06 PM
  #49  
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Originally Posted by avidone1
I think that buying a bike for it's color is something a stupid girl might do. Notice I did not say "women". I said what I meant.
I know stupid girls who buy cars because they like the color.
Then they can't understand why it's broken down on the side of the road
Wow. Congratulations on taking a harmless conversation and bringing this kind of wonderful, enlightened reading comprehension to it. I agree with Quicktrigger above. No one said they would only buy a certain color or even type of bike.
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Old 10-07-15, 06:29 PM
  #50  
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Originally Posted by avidone1
I think that buying a bike for it's color is something a stupid girl might do. Notice I did not say "women". I said what I meant.
I know stupid girls who buy cars because they like the color.
Then they can't understand why it's broken down on the side of the road
I think it would be far more ridiculous to buy a bike that you didn't like the color. If 2 bikes are equally spec'd, priced and sized for someone what would be the next consideration??? WHich one the buyer likes to look at the most. I think there are key things that have to be topping the list but when all those things are a wash it's going to come down to which one the buyer thinks he looks best on.
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