Color, color, color

[Catrin]

The parts for my lovely deep purple Gunnar are being ordered Monday, I am 6 weeks away from bring her home :D

I am trying to decide how I want to accessorize her - contrast or complimentary colors. She is a very deep plum-purple metallic/pearl color. I went with a black badge rather than silver because I thought it would look better that way.

She will have riser bars with Ergon grips - so no need for bar-tape. Basically I am trying to decide what color seat bag or seat-post tail-rider sort of bag to put on her, as well as water cage color. I think that black would just fade into the background and not be noticable - which is fine - but as the bike is dark as well that might not be the best choice. Bright yellow is the opposite color on the color wheel so perhaps...

Other ideas? We know how important color is - and she IS a unique bike :)

[DarcyInOregon]

Catrin, go to the Trek site for building a Project One Madone bike; select a Madone bike and click on Start Building. It takes a few minutes to load once you click in, so be patient. Once the site is loaded, click on Factory Team Issue on the bottom. On the top right, select the Primary Color of Purple Lotus, which has to be the equivalent of your color; you will need to scroll through the color chart to find the purple color. From there, experiment with the color palette to see how other colors will look with the purple, and thus you will know what colors will look good with your bike.

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/projectone/


This is my new bike, a Project One Madone, and most likely the last bike I will buy. I get it by the first week in May. In one of my riding groups, several of the male cyclists tell me the new bike will increase my average speed by 2-3 miles. I am hoping, and keeping my fingers crossed. I go from a triple to a compact, so some scariness there.

[Catrin]

Congratulations on your new bike! I can imagine that you are a little nervous about moving to a compact, but am sure it will be fine. I am moving from trigger to twister shifters myself, but keeping my triple.

All of their purples are too light, they aren't dark enough. I will play with their custom palate and see if I come up with an approximation - thanks for letting me know about this rather cool tool!

[DarcyInOregon]

All of their purples are too light, they aren't dark enough. I will play with their custom palate and see if I come up with an approximation - thanks for letting me know about this rather cool tool!

The Purple Lotus is real dark on my screen, shows as a deep dark purple, so maybe it is the light setting on your monitor?

I am real excited about my new bike. I chose the Flames, base color of Metal Yellow, the flames are Catalyst Orange, the logo is Pearl White, yellow handlebar tape, yellow Selle An-Anatomica saddle, orange stripe on the tires, yellow inset on the wheels, yellow bottle cages from Purely and gold valve caps with orange flame spinners also from Purely. Yellow and orange are not my comfort colors, but I ride on so many gray days in Oregon that I decided that the new bike needs to be visible to the motorists on the rural roads where I ride, that I don't fade into the asphalt of the roads or the landscape of the surrounding farms and forests, so I chose highly visible colors. The drivetrain is Dura Ace 7900 Compact.

I saved for this bike, had the money saved for over two years, finally decided my fitness level had advanced to the point where I needed a bike that would challenge me more, a bike where I would have to train hard in order to ride the bike capably. In that sense my reasoning worked because I really worked out hard at the gym over the winter and gained a lot of power and strength, so last month gave the LBS the specs on the new bike and made the purchase.

[Artista]

I may be the only bicycle owner in the world who feels this way, but I think of water bottle cages as utilitarian items on my bike that I don't want to emphasize, (sort of like light switches in my home). I tend to go for bottle cages that match, or fade into, my bike so that the focus stays on the bike's architectural lines.

When it comes to saddle bags, if I like the way my saddle coordinates with my bike, I'll put an unobtrusive, black bag on it. If I'm not so thrilled with the way the saddle looks, I'll use a saddle bag with a fun color or print to distract from the ugly saddle.

Just one person's approach to "decorating" a bicycle:)

[Catrin]

...Just one person's approach to "decorating" a bicycle:)

I prefer to consider it "dressing" the bike :) On my LHT I opted for stainless/silver color cages - they serve the purpose and blend into the background. I may well make the same choice for the Gunnar. When it comes to visibility, it will likely be best to spend my efforts on clothing and lights.

I have decided on the seatbag - Arkel has a new one (http://www.arkel-od.com/us/all-categories/seat-bags-trunk-bags/seat-bag.html) that will serve my needs just fine. I do not think the price unreasonable, and if I add it to the "build" parts for my bike then I will get a discount on it from my LBS :) I am considering the yellow version - either that or the black.

[emily_in_nc]

I have decided on the seatbag - Arkel has a new one (http://www.arkel-od.com/us/all-categories/seat-bags-trunk-bags/seat-bag.html) that will serve my needs just fine. I do not think the price unreasonable, and if I add it to the "build" parts for my bike then I will get a discount on it from my LBS :) I am considering the yellow version - either that or the black.

I had that seatbag (in black, that was the only color offered back when I got it), and it's well made but very small. There's an inner waterproof pouch that fits inside the outside protective shell, so it doesn't hold much. Other than that, it's a really well-made bag, like all Arkel products. I think the yellow would be great as it would be a flash of color right at a lot of driver's eye level, and I'd bet it shows up from quite a ways off.

[Catrin]

I had that seatbag (in black, that was the only color offered back when I got it), and it's well made but very small. There's an inner waterproof pouch that fits inside the outside protective shell, so it doesn't hold much. Other than that, it's a really well-made bag, like all Arkel products. I think the yellow would be great as it would be a flash of color right at a lot of driver's eye level, and I'd bet it shows up from quite a ways off.

Can you fit tube/tire levers/patch-kit and perhaps keys or an iPhone?

[emily_in_nc]

Can you fit tube/tire levers/patch-kit and perhaps keys or an iPhone?

I sold it, so I can't check. You can probably fit the cell phone, tube, tire levers, and patch kit, but not keys also -- at least if your key chain is anything like mine! It's minimal, though. You might inquire with Arkel, or maybe someone on here has one?

[Catrin]

I sold it, so I can't check. You can probably fit the cell phone, tube, tire levers, and patch kit, but not keys also -- at least if your key chain is anything like mine! It's minimal, though. You might inquire with Arkel, or maybe someone on here has one?

It sounds like it would be large enough for my needs. I do use a hydration pack so I have other means of storage - and even if I didn't have that the keys could go in the jersey pocket.

Thanks!

[Crankin]

I see all those accessories as, well, accessories. Mine are all black and I really could care less. I was perfectly happy with my black handlebar tape until DH decided to put red tape on my bike, so it matches the frame.
I also have never even considered the color of my bike... I've had 3 road bikes, one yellow, one Trek utilitarian carbon colored, and the one I have now which is red and black. It was whatever color fit me and had the components I wanted. I suppose if I had some kind of really negative reaction to the color of the bike, I might have thought about it, but I've never seen any of this as an option to "think" about.

[indysteel]

Admittedly, I 'm pretty conservative when it comes to color and design, but my biggest concern about going with a yellow seat bag--beyond it potentially detracting from the frame itself, which should be the star of the show--is that it would get dirty. My seat bag gets pretty filty, which is why I buy them in black mostly.

[Catrin]

True, and I doubt that I would actually get a yellow one. I think I need to save high-vis stuff for my body :cool: If it weren't a custom bike then color wouldn't have been high up my list - but it was and I love color :)

[emily_in_nc]

True, and I doubt that I would actually get a yellow one. I think I need to save high-vis stuff for my body :cool: If it weren't a custom bike then color wouldn't have been high up my list - but it was and I love color :)

Me too, Catrin! I am extremely color-oriented. Perhaps this comes from having a father who was an architect and an extremely artistic mother and brother. I am not very artistic myself, but I adore color, choosing colors, planning color combos, and the like. Perhaps my avatar makes that a bit obvious... :D

[WindingRoad]

I think it depends which bike for me. The road bike I love to make it look cool with different colors but the commuter, meh. It stays pretty boring, well aside of at night when all the black reflective tape comes out of hiding then it looks like a christmas tree, :rolleyes:

[redrhodie]

I use this on my rack:http://detours.us/product_info.php?products_id=477 so you can see, I'm not afraid of a little color. ;) I also had to look high and low to find purple bar tape. My road bikes are more tame, but the commuter is meant for utility and fun, and if lots of color makes me a little more visible, that's great because I'm sometimes on it in at night.

The detours bag is really excellent. I can fit my lunch plus more in it, and since it sits on top of the rack, I don't even notice it. It has reflective piping around it, and it has a spot to hang a blinky on the back, so it's great for dark commutes. The only thing that would make it better would be if it had a short attached handle, so it's easier to bring into shops.

[Jiffer]

Think about what color bottles you plan to use before choosing bottle cage color. I had pink bottle cage and pink bottles, but they were different pinks and didn't like the way they looked together. I eventually lost all pinkness on my bike other than handlebar tape, because I opted for a saddle that I actually liked to sit on ... (imagine that!) ... and because I opted for better quality, lighter, carbon bottle cages ... neither of which come in pink. However, I am always decked out in pink, so it's all good!

Congrats on the new bike. Sounds very purpley! :D

[Catrin]

Think about what color bottles you plan to use before choosing bottle cage color. I had pink bottle cage and pink bottles, but they were different pinks and didn't like the way they looked together. I eventually lost all pinkness on my bike other than handlebar tape, because I opted for a saddle that I actually liked to sit on ... (imagine that!) ... and because I opted for better quality, lighter, carbon bottle cages ... neither of which come in pink. However, I am always decked out in pink, so it's all good!

Congrats on the new bike. Sounds very purpley! :D

I am looking forward to when I can post a picture - I am unsure when that will be as my frame and fork are still in their packaging at my LBS. I just placed the deposit on my parts though, and I will have all of that paid off in 4-6 weeks :cool: Layaway is a great thing!

It is very purple, but not pastel at all. It really has to be seen as it is difficult to describe. Most of the other purple bikes I have seen were pastel, this purple is most decidedly not a pastel.

The more I think about it,I will probably just go with black accessories - that was the choice I made for the badge after discussing it with Waterford when they asked my preference between black and silver. I have silver cages on my LHT, but that goes well with the blue and the white lettering.

On a side note, last summer I was using Mountain Berry Accelerade until I discovered that I like the Lemon-Lime better. The Mountain Berry is deep blue in color and my water bottles are the usual see-through plastic. I was accused on a couple of club rides of choosing the Accelerade because it matched my bike! That actually wasn't the case, but it was funny :)

[ridebikeme]

I'm anxious to see your bike Catrin... sounds incredible! Many years ago, I had a custom titanium bike built and like you, thought of trying to give it some color. Over the years, I've changed handlebar tape, tires, water bottle cages and the top cap for my headset. Two years ago, I even built a wheelset in orange...

Regardless of what you decide to do, make it yours and "keep it fresh". Can't wait to see some pics :p

[DarcyInOregon]

Catrin, the group leader of my Tuesday morning all-female training group rides a Lemond race bike that is a deep metalic purple (no pastel shading at all) with logo lettering in yellow, handlebar tape in yellow and tires with a yellow stripe. The contrast of colors on her bike looks real good and the yellow gives her road visibility. You might think about yellow on your bike.

Purple is a beautiful color on a bike, and not very common. I am confident you will love the color when you get the bike.

[Catrin]

Catrin, the group leader of my Tuesday morning all-female training group rides a Lemond race bike that is a deep metalic purple (no pastel shading at all) with logo lettering in yellow, handlebar tape in yellow and tires with a yellow stripe. The contrast of colors on her bike looks real good and the yellow gives her road visibility. You might think about yellow on your bike.

Purple is a beautiful color on a bike, and not very common. I am confident you will love the color when you get the bike.


Thanks Darcy - I am thinking that a flash of yellow will compliment it - but I want to actually SEE it first before I make my mind up. So far I've only seen a couple of inches of tubing peeking out of the packaging. They are wise in not wanting to unpack it until they are ready to put it together! I suspect the only accessory that I might add that won't be black would be the saddle bag...

It sounds like my frame's color is quite similar to your group leader.

[sundial]

Fuschia with purple are gorgeous together--maybe as an alternative to yellow? Your bike will be quite eye catching either way and you'll be the star on your steed. :cool:

[sundial]

By the way, the color of the year for 2011 is honeysuckle--a pinkish red color. :)

[Catrin]

By the way, the color of the year for 2011 is honeysuckle--a pinkish red color. :)

Color of the year from where?

I just noticed that one of Gunnar's current colors is Purple Pearl - while not quite as striking as what I chose, it is pretty. It was not a "current" color when I was in the planning/selection process or I might have selected it. I am not complaining though, I picked a winner even if it did cost a little more.

[sundial]

Pantone releases yearly color selections for the fashion and design industry and is considered THE authority on color.

[Trek-chick]

I have seen red and purple..... and it looked surprisingly good together. It's hard to say though without seeing the frame color first.

I think depending on the purple.......pink, blues and yellow all look good.

[Tanya]

As a Lakers fan, I am practically required by law to tell you that the accessories should be yellow/gold. :)

If I got a purple bike, I would probably go with a metallic (silver, but possibly gold) bottle cage or black. If you can get the exact same color bottle cage as the paint of your bike, that would work too, but if it's off by a bit it could look funny. Maybe you could buy purple touch-up paint from the manufacturer, paint a bottle cage, and match it exactly. :)

All of the bike accessories I've ever gotten have been black. I feel like they hide the dirt and grime well. It's also one of the reasons I opted to buy a black bike, as opposed to a lovely white bike of a similar model that was also in the running. I don't trust myself in keeping things immaculate, especially when I'm outdoors.