choosing a color

[bicycletricycle]

Wondering what kind of experiences people have had with custom bike color selection.

For my last few bikes I have basically scoured the world/internet for a car painted in a color I liked, found the PPG code and sent it to builder. This way you can see the color out in the sun on an actual object before deciding.

If you don't do it this way you could possibly get a rude surprise when opening the box. Even this way you can still get a surprise but hopefully a good one.

What kind of experiences have you guys had? Sort of just curious about how different builders generally handle the tricky problem of color selection.

[MattTuck]

Wondering what kind of experiences people have had with custom bike color selection.

For my last few bikes I have basically scoured the world/internet for a car painted in a color I liked, found the PPG code and sent it to builder. This way you can see the color out in the sun on an actual object before deciding.

If you don't do it this way you could possibly get a rude surprise when opening the box. Even this way you can still get a surprise but hopefully a good one.

What kind of experiences have you guys had? Sort of just curious about how different builders generally handle the tricky problem of color selection.

When Joe Bell was painting my bike, I spent 10 minutes describing the blue that I wanted. And he pretty much nailed it.

I've also heard of people finding match box cars and sending those to a painter to color match, also to get the finish right.

Color ideas thread (http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=123502) from a few years ago, where I (and others) tried to collect pictures of objects/graphics that had colors I thought would work on a bike.

[malcolm]

I had a huge surprise with my most recent Kirk, it's been several years now. I told Joe Bell I wanted it periwinkle. Idiot that I am didn't realize there is periwinkle and periwinkle blue, well I was thinking periwinkle blue and when I got it it was a lavender color. I was shocked but it kinda grew on me. Several years later I love it and I'm glad it happened.

I found the colors for two zancs I had built a few years ago from home depot swatches and just sent them to the Zanc. Worked great

[FlashUNC]

Mine's been fairly easy in both instances. Both Roland and Paul have something of a signature color. For my Della Santa I wanted something in a Gios-ish blue, and he told me "Oh, I've got a blue we call Della Santa blue, looks way better." Easy peasy.

And as great a paint schemes as I've seen on Rock Lobsters, seafoam is the only one that really grabs my goat.

So....kinda straightforward actually?

To be fair, if I ever did something like a Speedvagen, I'd totally be the guy who goes for the "surprise me" paint scheme. I don't obsess over it too much.

[bicycletricycle]

I had a huge surprise with my most recent Kirk, it's been several years now. I told Joe Bell I wanted it periwinkle. Idiot that I am didn't realize there is periwinkle and periwinkle blue, well I was thinking periwinkle blue and when I got it it was a lavender color. I was shocked but it kinda grew on me. Several years later I love it and I'm glad it happened.

I found the colors for two zancs I had built a few years ago from home depot swatches and just sent them to the Zanc. Worked great

I think the pic link is dead on your posting for this bike, id like to see the color

[Peter P.]

I ordered a Bilenky back in '97. I asked for a specific PPG color #. When the frame arrived, it wasn't the color I asked for. Upon questioning Bilenky about the mistake he said, "We don't use PPG; we use Imron." (I may have gotten the brands confused but you get the idea.

Now you would think they would at least contact the customer and ask them to supply the Imron # to avoid any confusion.

When my Rock Lobster was to be powdercoated I merely supplied the RAL # and Paul Sadoff's powdercoater got it right.

If you're asking about INSPIRATION and color, if I were persnickety I'd provide a photo or the item to the painter, or the exact paint numbers (and hope it goes right this time). :rolleyes:

[sparky33]

Sometimes less is more with respect to color selection. I'm not a painter, but I can point to the look I want and say....that!

And it is kind of neat to give a great painter a basic idea and let them run with it. Surprise Me is a different thing though.

Agree that Lobsters look proper in seafoam, red Sachs, purple Spooky, anyshadeofblue Weigle, etc.

[tuscanyswe]

Ive done the ppg from a car but i find that even if the color is/was 100% match it looks different on round tubes compared to a car so you don't really c it the same way, or at least i didn't think so. This may not be true for all colors or for any paint job for that matter since i haven't done that alot.. But i think in the future I'm going to go with safer bets and more solid colors instead of a color that perhaps is sensitive to different shades or grades of light etc.

[MattTuck]

I already have my next 4 paint schemes picked out, and two of them are blue. :banana::banana:

Now I'm waiting for my bank account to catch up to my color choices. :crap::crap:

[Tickdoc]

I want to go crazy if I ever get to choose. My daughter has some nail polish that has chunks of sparkle glitter in it...something like that.

Even if you don't want to go crazy, it wouldn't hurt to check the nail polish aisle.

http://www.swatchandlearn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Urban-Outfitters-Green-Holo-Swatches-Review-smaller1.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/1b/92/6c/1b926cfe7d3276b4558f6424091f3ebd.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/37/fb/c4/37fbc42b40062e1ba1112ecd159a7679.jpg

[donevwil]

Searching for color inspiration as my Comare MAX was nearing completion I fell in love with a shiny metallic green color on some random econobox import. Never saw it, or one, again so had no brand reference. Searched RAL and PPG codes and nothing, Since I was having the frameset powder coated the builder alerted me that it would be even harder to find a match. After extensive Google-foo l did find a powder color called Granny Smith Apple Green that was very close, but lo and behold it was a custom formulation with a huge upcharge and minimum purchase. The framebuilder worked overtime with his powder coater to find an option. We settled on Grassy Green with a gold metal flake clear. Turned out very close, a bit darker, but beautiful none the less and I was/am very happy. More effort was put into the color search than conveying my special wants with the builder, stressful.

A year of so later I saw a frameset in daylight that was PC'd in Granny Smith Apple. I am so happy I ended up with the Grassy Green.

Next two bikes were Ti.

[parris]

This was the toughest part for me when I was having my Kirk built. I learned a long time ago that going with something custom took my Serotta out of the race bike in any weather camp and into the take it out on sunny days camp. I'll NEVER do something so stupid again.

[Steve in SLO]

Mine was a combination of my favorite Porsche color and a bike I used to own.
I communicated the color to the builder, Mike DeSalvo, who then communicated with Spectrum, who had powder coated the previous bike, and they then circled back to me to confirm what I wanted. It came out perfectly, A beautiful deep blue metallic with a hint of purple in it.

[Tony T]

Hardest part for me was brushed Ti or bead-blasted Ti :)

[eddief]

When Steve Rex built custom number one, I had been loving the Mini Cooper in blue. Found that color to called be electric blue metallic. Found the color code for that Mini paint, gave it to Steve. He gave to his painter and the rest is history. It was a gorgeous bike.

My Curtlo is powdered in a color called Brentwood Orange. Bob Ross on the forum showed a photo of his Carl Strong frame in an orange that I thought looked great. I emailed him and he did not know the name of the color but told me that Spectrum had done the powder. I actually emailed Spectrum and attached a photo of Bob's bike and asked if they could tell me the name and the powder provider. Brentwood Orange from Prismatic Powders. Told Curtlo, he told his powder guy, and I love the orange that Bob Ross turned me onto.

Prismatic will send out real aluminum strips / chips powdered in the colors you want to review.

[PacNW2Ford]

Wait, bikes come in colors?
Let's see... first you pick a theme...
White
Metallic Teal (Fat City)
Puget Morning (Klein gray to silver fade)
Black
Aston Martin Meteorite Silver (1st IF in this color)
Metallic Black (Co-Motion)
Audi Aviator Grey
brushed titanium
White
Black
Audi Suzuka Grey
bead blasted titanium
brushed titanium

How did that teal one get in there? This is 27 years' worth of bikes.

[donevwil]

Hardest part for me was brushed Ti or bead-blasted Ti :)

Don't underestimate this, absolutely legit !

[jamesau]

The wet and powder galleries at Spectrum Powderworks are a good place to kindle ideas. A color wheel is helpful for choosing complementary colors (for panels or logos).

At the time I chose the color scheme for my DeSalvo (2004ish), powder was not available in near the limitless color variety that wet paint was. I was hoping for a new-penny copper but was happy with a burnt orange with low-contrast goldish lettering.

As with anything custom, unless you're very specific about requirements such as prescribing paint codes for colors, you may get surprised.

Oh, and, brushed > bead-blasted!

[fignon's barber]

Mine's been fairly easy in both instances. Both Roland and Paul have something of a signature color. For my Della Santa I wanted something in a Gios-ish blue, and he told me "Oh, I've got a blue we call Della Santa blue, looks way better." Easy peasy.

And as great a paint schemes as I've seen on Rock Lobsters, seafoam is the only one that really grabs my goat.

So....kinda straightforward actually?


This. I think you consider the unique heritage of the builder. Bianchi? Celeste, of course. Enzo, would you build me a Kelly green Ferrari? I think not.

[joosttx]

I amassed quite a large fingernail polish image collection when I was looking for a color for my fork. The stuff out there is amazing.

I want to go crazy if I ever get to choose. My daughter has some nail polish that has chunks of sparkle glitter in it...something like that.

Even if you don't want to go crazy, it wouldn't hurt to check the nail polish aisle.

http://www.swatchandlearn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Urban-Outfitters-Green-Holo-Swatches-Review-smaller1.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/1b/92/6c/1b926cfe7d3276b4558f6424091f3ebd.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/37/fb/c4/37fbc42b40062e1ba1112ecd159a7679.jpg