Well it depends if Tiagra is all you will ever need. If that's the case save the money and get the color you want. During the pandemic and the bike bike shortage, I really wanted an Ultegra Di2 version of a bike but for almost two years it was sold out, but the slightly lower end version in a much more exciting colorway with Rival AXS was available and ultimately I went with that. Yes the more vibrant colorway played a role but I knew the 2nd I bought the bike I would be slowly upgrading the groupset even though overall this was a more costly way of getting an upper midtier groupset, but we were dealing with once in a generation pandemic that screwed the whole world up for a while so different rationale would be used today

IMO, I also would try and get the better groupset regardless of colorway, but if you will never maximize the groupset or care about resale than get the colorway you love more

In the end, you're more likely to put miles in on a bike that you love than a bike you tolerate.

Far from stupid.

Trust the force, Luke.

To me a lot depends on how much you dislike the color. In my case, I cannot stand, and would not buy a bike that was flat black (no offense to the millions of flat black bike owners). That was my only criteria regarding color when I bought my bike in late 19 and flat black was all the rage. I wasn't crazy about the color I got at the time, but I like it more now and I get a lot of comments about it. Not being crazy about the color ever kept me from being motivated to ride.

Do you know if other than the Tiagra vs 105, there are upgrades in other stuff - seat post, stem, handlebars, but most importantly, the wheels?

If the wheels (especially) are the same, think of this: get the red bike. Sell all the Tiagra parts on EBay as new take off parts, and put that money towards a 105 group to install on your bike. You might find that the overall cost gets close to the original price of the 105. If the wheels are also an upgrade, that's a different story.

pretty much what mstateglfr suggested!

That said, I've never bought a bike or frameset based on color, but rather on value, and with the good stuff I liked to ride the bike and didn't care about the color.

Buy the red bike.

If you buy the 105 bike, it'll be harder to justify the upgrades you're gonna want. Who's gonna challenge Tiagra > Ultegra upgrade? Also, you'll need a 2nd wheelset anyway; the OEM wheels make the perfect winter wheelset.

The red bike is more of a blank canvas :)

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...bb7779f6d.jpeg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8615dd0fa.jpeg

1992

purchased the slightly lower spec R800 because I preferred the color over the R900 (both were Ultegra 600)

most times replace / upgrade components - so not an issue for me (R800 was upgraded immediately)

much much easier to replace / upgrade components than to break down a frame / remove all components - prep and repaint the frame - and then re-install the components

What color does the Ultegra level come in? :D

I never understood brown sports cars...

Let me help with that statement.

To the original topic... For me, asthetics matter. If I'm spendiing large quantities of $$ on something I definitely want to enjoy looking at it. As one who enjoys the upgrades, I'd consider the lower level/upgrade approach.

^^^^
this

many times I will recommend to consider one model higher before a bike purchase

at times it can be a better if not best option

LOL - brown cars have their place, just not on the racetrack.

https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassi...99%2C347&ssl=1

Only with fine Corinthian leather...

Is it stupid to buy a particular car or sweater because of the color?

Yeah, it was lust over sense. Brown does not belong on any sports car. Old photo.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e4af461e7.jpeg

Get the good looking Tiagra bike. If Tiagra turns out to be a problem (spoiler; it won’t) you can upgrade to 105/Rival/Ekar/whatever as parts wear out. If you go with the 105 you’re stuck with an ugly paint job. If there’s a difference in price between the 2, use the saving to upgrade to lighter wheels; you’ll feel that difference more than the Tiagra/105 difference.

Go with the bike that makes you want to get out and ride it.

My take is simple: if you buy the bike that is. more attractive to you and that makes you want to ride it more....no, it is not stupid.

I feel exactly the same. A sea of black bikes reminds me of China in the 1980s before Deng's economic reforms.

So I've done this, but I had a plan. I bought the bike for the color, move components over from another frame I was selling, took the components off the new bike and put them on another bike I owned. Then, the remaining unused components, I sold to a member on BF for a much reduced rate and they put it on a frame they had sitting around they built up for a friend. It was a win, win, win all around. I still own that bike I bought for the color and it is in the regular bike rotation.

Get the bike with the better paintjob. I had 2 bikes of a similar era and the same model. One was aluminum, green, and weighed 32lbs(mtb) with a deore build. Other was carbon, white +red, and weighed 27lbs with shimano xt/xtr build. I still kinda miss the green one, but I kept the white/red one since it was a good deal and I sold the green one to fund the "better" one. At the time I was racing so for that aspect it was worth it.

If a bike has an ugly paintjob/damaged I do tend to just repaint. I don't choose super rare/desirable bikes so I don't feel "bad" about removing the OEM paint anyways.

It's only "dumb" if you don't enjoy riding it.

Man, I wanted to say yes it is stupid. But then I had to think about my life choices.

Between tiagra and 105, I am assuming 10 vs 11? I would choose the color if that’s going to make you happy.

Ultegra di2 vs 105 mechanical 11 speed. My new favorite color is the one with the ultegra. Just saying.

Depends on how much color is important to you. We'll do swaps on new bikes with a hefty upcharge to cover labor costs and the "discount" on the ugly color sale. Like I tell my customers, anything is po$$ible...

So turns out the Domane AL4 in red is out of production, so I can’t even get that anymore. Stumbled across the checkpoint while I was in a local store, and I fell in love with the ALR5 in satin navy. here’s a pic of my new ride!
btw, once I saw all the bikes in person, it almost feels like the color ain’t that important, cause almost all looks great in person, and the geometry is absolutely the deciding factor for me in the end.
The “progressive” geometry of ALR 5 may be too long for people with normal body build, but it’s absolutely perfect for my short legs and long torso.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...df9f30178.jpeg

Real cyclists pick their own custom color(s). Just sayin’.