Nice bike - shame 'bout the colour scheme ...

[SnappyPix]

I'm currently compiling a wishlist for my next big bike purchase - sometime in the next year or so.

I really like the look of the Specialized Roubaix Pro, but am really, really disappointed with the colour scheme (black, basically).
This led me to spend a good while arguing with myself about how important a colour scheme is, if the bike rides like a dream, has all the components you want, and the fit is good.

But for me, the whole "I luuuurve my bike" thing also includes how good I feel on it - how sexy the paintwork is and how much I go starry-eyed when I pass it and give it a loving stroke.

Commonsense tells me it's the mechanics that matter - but I'm a girl!
I just wondered how much a colourscheme would sway everyone else into buying/not buying the bike of their dreams.

I might not get the Roubaix, or may opt for the Ruby (daren't test drive anything yet - waaaay too dangerous until I actually have the cash to pay for it!), so it's just a hypothetical question.
Respray/relaquer would be an option, if it wasn't carbon fibre.

Have you ever NOT bought a bike because you didn't like the colour?

[crazycanuck]

I didn't even think about the scott range of wsd mtn bikes because they're in a girlie blue colour...

I'm just happy with my new black bike...(scott scale 40)

c

[uforgot]

I wanted an entry level mountain bike, wasn't even sure if I would like mountain biking, and test rode a 2006 Specialized Hardrock Sport. Loved everything about it but I couldn't stand to touch that "matte" paint. To me it felt like a chalk board. (Gee, if you have and love this bike, my apologies. If we all liked the same things the world would be boring!) I'd even wait for a bike if the the manufacturers would offer a wider range of colors. I once pondered a Trek, in an ugly greenish grey. I asked the lbs "who picked out the paint scheme." He looked at me like I had two heads. He said that it was one of his most popular bikes. He sold a lot of them. 1. The color didn't appeal to me 2. He sold a lot of them and I don't want to be riding the same thing everyone else is.

I've rambled enough. Put me down as a "yes it matters"!

[SandyLS]

When I bought my new Bianchi road bike last year I paid $200 dollars more so I could order one in that beautiful celest (aqua) color that has been Bianchi's trademark color for years. For some reason they did not make the Bianchi Veloce I chose, in that color for a few years. I could have gotten the same bike in a perfectly good red that the bike shop had on the floor for less, but I just loved that celest color. Oh, for the $200 bucks I also got a 30 speed bike instead of the 27 speeds that were on the older modles.
My daughter deccided that her top priority for getting a new bike was color. She wouldn't even look at a bike unless it was pink which limited her choice quite a bit. She finally found one she liked at the price she was willing to pay on the internet.

[Bad JuJu]

It totally matters! Marketing companies and departments spend lots of time and money figuring out what colors will sell best, though IMHO they get it wrong at least as often as they get it right. And if you've checked out the possibility of buying a custom bike, you know it often costs extra for the coolest colors/color schemes.

I'm thinking about getting a Bike Friday, and I'm pretty sure I'll come up with the extra money for the color I want.

[tprevost]

heck, I went around hunting for the 2005 roubaix comp because I preferred the black (sorry, I like it! ) to the red/black combo they had for the 2006 models. So, yes, the color does matter to some extent! Let us know what you decide!

Tracy

[brok]

I would never buy a bike that wasn't in a color I love. I realize it is just a visual thing, but I think you must like the way your bike looks as much as the way it rides. I ordered a Trek Project One so that I could have the bike I wanted in the color scheme I wanted. Just my 2 cents but I think you have to make your eyes happy too

[Brina]

I just got a specialized ruby comp and one of the things I love about it is that it is black. I don't like girlie colored bikes. i guess it is the new yorker in me.

[Kathi]

When I bought my Aegis I was able to pick out my own color scheme. I dragged my SO though every bike shop I passed to look at color schemes. I'd already had blue, black, yellow, red and purple bikes so I didn't want those colors. I thought white would show dirt and didn't like orange. I ended up with Lupine (purple) and Blueberry inside, outside fade. Very different and unique. At the time Aegis didn't charge for the fade but I think they do now.

When I chose the colors for my new custom bike the LBS had paint chips and we used them to come up with a color combination that looked good together. Then we used the Serotta paint program to come up with a design.

I'm not a "pink" person but the colors I chose are a muted pink trimmed with quicksilver and slate. I think it will be feminine but not girlie.

I was in the LBS last week and saw flowers on some of the frames, no thank you!

[betagirl]

Heh. When I went into upgrade to a new bike (I have a Trek 1200, which is red and white) I was looking at the Lemond Versailles, which in 2005 was pretty much grey and black. Ick. But it was in my price range and fit pretty well. Somewhere in the conversation with the LBS guy I mentioned how much I like blue for a bike. "Oh you like blue? Let me show you the Zurich. It's beautiful." He rolls out this gorgeous blue and white Lemond Zurich, which was $500 more than the Versailles. Grant it it has better components also, better wheels. But my honest motivation was the color.

http://www.cc-sanwa.com/products/img...oad/zurich.jpg

[brok]

[QUOTE=Brina]I don't like girlie colored bikes.QUOTE]


Here, here!! I think it is a real poor assumption that companies make about women and the bike colors they would like. Crystal blue, pearl pink - heelllloooo, how about some choices.

[ladyfish]

Yep, like everything else, we have an opinion on color. Now not to upset the pink girls, but I didn't even want to test ride the pink Trek. I'm sure it's a great bike, but not my cup of tea. Now, the Bianchi pink is much more appealing, although I don't think I'd want any pink bike.

I am very happy with my red bike. I haven't named her yet, but "caliente" is in the running.

[RoadRaven]

LOL - good thread
The local bike shop told my partner when he was looking for a woman-specific bike for me that they sell very few because of all the pink bits.

I know there are a few pink fans here, but I have not been a pink fan (like LadyFish) - for me, since I started dressing myself.

I don't like red either - it just feels uncomfy - however, when I took all the garish red stickers off my first red road bike, she turned out to be a maroonish/blood red and quite nice.

I wish I could find a nice paint job in indigo or deep purple - or both... I def think I will start considering custom...

Oh, the question...? Does colour matter?


Heck YES!

[kaybee]

I also have to agree with Brina. The Giant I currently ride is red, which I really like. However, I'm looking at at Specialized Ruby or an Orbea to replace it. The Ruby comes in "basic, go-with-everything-black," which I really like, but the Orbea comes in pink and white (no, thanks), orange and white (wouldn't want to be mistaken for a Tennessee fan!) and blue and white (kinda boring). I have to admit, the basic black of the Ruby is much more appealing to me.

KB

[SnappyPix]

Yay, it's not just me!

Indigo/purple is my fave colour scheme, I think, but I'm so fickle
One of my pet peeves is that WSD often only come in either powder blue or pink; I was gobsmacked to find that even Sarah Ulmer (New Zealand's top female cyclist) had launched her own range of bikes - in the predictable light blue finish.