Dear Bike Companies:

[jobob]

Well, a few years back, someone posted to the Rivendell email list that they had a used custom Rivendell road bike for sale, with the fancy lugs and the cool cloisonee headbadge. The frame color was advertised as "champagne pink". Some photos were posted and yep, it sure looked pink.

Some of the guys on the list chucked over a pink Riv but I thought this was a great chance to own an honest-to-goodness Rivendell at a great price so I responded to the ad right away. (Oh, and for what it's worth, the previous owner was a man. I never met him because he had passed away and a friend was selling it on behalf of the former owner's family)

I'm not a pink person but I figured, at the price they were asking, I if I didn't like the color I could have the frame repainted and still be ahead of the game.

Well, the frame turned out in real life to be a lovely dusty rose / mauve rather than a real pink, and I really liked it and it remains that color to this very day. And it's an absolutely wonderful bike.

If it weren't pink, I bet someone would have snapped it up before I ever saw the email. So, yay for pink !

[SadieKate]

Guess which bike all the male mechanics at my shop like?



My husband loved it when he was walking along Silver Creek (a particularly hard to fish far and fine stream) looking for me and someone asked him "is she the one in the pink hat catching all the fish?"

I love pink. Wear/ride/flaunt the colors you love and the heck with others.

[pooks]

I'd love a great orange or yellow or burnt orange.

What I really want, though, is a bike all glittery and red like Dorothy's ruby slippers.

(I agree with Xeney -- it's just COLOR, skip the baggage.

OTOH, I agree that I get annoyed when I see that Jamis Quest in a lovely copper that I love, and then see that if I need the WSD it's a color that only a Bianchi-lover could love.

(Have I insulted enough people? Do I need to keep going? Or just -- GO?)

Anyway, I think the "insult" is when the two bikes are supposedly the same, except for the WSD part, and you see they chose a color that they think women would more likely want -- and it's not a color YOU care for, and then you're insulted that they think YOU would want such an insipid color, and how disrespectful, they sure didn't do that to the guys!

"YOU" meaning "ME" when I checked out that Jamis Quest, of course.

[SadieKate]

Pooks, it is far too early in your test riding career to be getting your undies in a bundle over color. Go test ride a ton of bikes! Feel the ride, feel the fit, caress those hoods under your handles, tickle the brake levers. Worry about the color last. Not everybody needs a WSD and every company has a different take on "WSD". Go friggin' ride! Have I said it enough?

[pooks]

SadieKate, you totally underestimate the size of my frillies. I have enough fabric to get twisted over color, over type bike, over geometry, over availability of matching jerseys!

Just sign me --

Twisted Knickers in Dallas

[SadieKate]

Oh gawd. This project is going to take forever, isn't it?

[pooks]

Oh, and love that bike! (By the way there are so many shades of pink. I've seen some pink bikes that I thought looked hot and some that I wouldn't ever want. I tend to love strong colors, jewel tones.)

And I'm amazed nobody has made that Ruby Slipper Bike.

[pooks]

Too bad there's not a "mooning" emoticon, SadieKate.

Just use your imagination.

OO

[mary9761]

Too bad there's not a "mooning" emoticon, SadieKate.

Just use your imagination.

OO

How about THIS one???
Or maybe THIS one??
Sorry I couldn't resist!

[spokewench]

Pooks buy a bike that fits you and that you like the ride of. Don't worry about the color - As I posted above, that is what I did and I have a pink and carbon bike. Not my fave but it is what it is. Too bad people are not supposed to have an opinion on this forum!

spoke

[pooks]

I'm sure I'll buy a bike that fits, perhaps THE bike that fits.

But while the world is my oyster, I can dream, right?

(Ruby Slippers.)

[SadieKate]

And I'm amazed nobody has made that Ruby Slipper Bike.

Don't you be moonin' me, missy. Ask and ye shall receive.

Run, don't walk to your nearest Gunnar dealer. These are wonderful bikes made by Waterford. Miss Yellow just got a Roadie. Take a look at the website. They do this nifty thing with colors of the month, year and so on. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and check out May's color: Sunset Red over Fine Gold.

http://www.gunnarbikes.com/

Close enough? I think you'd be very happy with one of the Gunnar models. So pull your shorts back up. It's blinding.

[pooks]

Take a look at the website. They do this nifty thing with colors of the month, year and so on. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and check out May's color: Sunset Red over Fine Gold.

http://www.gunnarbikes.com/

I'm verklempt!

[divingbiker]

What I really want, though, is a bike all glittery and red like Dorothy's ruby slippers.

I have a ruby slippers bike! This picture doesn't do it justice, but it's a deep glittery red, just as you described. Personally, I don't think bikes should be any color but red, but then I don't rule the world.

[pooks]

Nicole, I love your bike, and the color!

And divingbiker -- is that glittery? It's a gorgeous red.