Bit of orange is alright me thinks…

[/url]Untitled by Scud75, on Flickr[/img]

Historically I have said no to anodized stems but now that we are down to 35mm in length I’m not so sure? Id like input on this matter actually as I am currently on the fence over a black or red Hope stem…

I’m in favour, but I’d back off having a matched headset. My brown Chromag above with the red stem had a black faceplate. Chromag were just doing them like that at the time, which seemed to be a rather good compromise to me. I’m not sure I could be bothered to buy two stems to achieve the effect (and Thomson did coloured faceplates on black stems at one point, which looked naff).

Agreed – the Thomson face-plates were a daft idea! My Headset is an integrated one so its hidden and I’m not running any spacers…so maybe the tiny stem moves into the circle of trust??

Personally (and after all; it’s a personal decision) I think there are 3 camps that one can go for

1. Colour (see BD’s chromag)
2. Stealth/monochrome (all black, or single colour frame, everything else black)
3. Few bits of bling on an otherwise mono colour frame, say headset and hubs, or brakes and BB shell.

I think the bike with matching Hope “parts-bin rummage” is the worst look.

This bike sums up my feelings on ‘colour coordinated’ bikes.

(Not mine, but the owner is very proud of it, each to their own)

It’s also worth remembering to factor in colour fade associated with some parts. I can’t fit anything new in hope purple as it will now accentuate just how much the other parts have faded! Fit them all at the same time and they’ll mature together!

I must have one of the least tasteful bikes out there – nothing matches and all the components are mismatched bling – complete with alternated colour ti rotor bolts !

Not fond of colour matching in any shape or form.

It seems to be a thing with new bikes and I actively de-colour matched my Scott by replacing all the coloured bits with BLACK wohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Nothing tasteful about my Instinct, but it has ‘orange’ highlights. Luckily they didn’t go for coloured grips…
Photos don’t actually show how hi-viz the orange is (luckily)

Would’ve prefered this colour scheme..

I’m in the process of having my Stumpjumper frame repainted by Argos Cycles, in flamboyant candy apple green.

The problem is that I have blue Hope hubs, clamp and bashring, and silver Hope brakes. The correct combination of course is green with anodised black.

All in or all out. 🙂

Seeing as (I think) I bought this frame from you I’ll take the opportunity to use it to illustrate where colour oh so nearly matches and actually doesn’t quite. It would look better with a plain black saddle.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/QbACkz]Simple[/url] by [/url], on Flickr

rocketman – Member
Not fond of colour matching in any shape or form.

It seems to be a thing with new bikes and I actively de-colour matched my Scott by replacing all the coloured bits with BLACK wohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Sooo, colour matched in black then… 😉

Once you go black…

You’ll realise other colour anodising looks poo.

I like some colours for anodised parts in isolation but never felt they fitted on the bikes i have had (eg hope parts). My current bike is sort of mint frame with all black parts, its easy 🙂 .

I do like a bit of color with Ti, or black. also have bikes blacker than soul of Beelzebub himself so not everything is as gaudy as drag queens baubles

Do what you like – it’s for you not them.

My wife’s got a Cotic Soul in the Eggshell blue (or whatever it’s called) and the components (hubs, BB, seat clamp, headset and pedals) are Hope in their Gunmetal colour which is a different tone of blue. You only notice it when you look closely, it’s not a full on, in your face, contrast.

adsh: the Simple! Was reminiscing about that last night with a fellow Cotic owner. 🙂

So far I’ve gone for gunmetal frame, orange headset and seatclamp. Dithering between black or gunmetal bars (might order both and see). Stepping away from an orange stem. Now trying to find a UK source for the black-with-orange-lockrings grips that ODI and Lizard Skins can do if you order them from the US.

The following should be taken with a large pinch of salt. (I can hardly talk of “too much bling”, when my bikes are goping or “cheap nasty chav dripping in Elizabeth Duke jewellery”)

1: All anodised parts should be the same colour. No multi-shades from different manufacturers.
2: Headset, seat clamp and BB all match, colour and make.
3: QR and hubs to match, plus floating rotors if used.
4: Stem and seatpost, same colour and make. (This has been put on the fence because of dropper posts)
5: Bars the same colour as forks. Lowers or stansions, pick one.
6: All contact points to be athe same colour. Seat, grips and pedals.
7: Brake hoses can match the graphics on the tubes they route on. Cables look crap in any other colour than black though.

Have I been transported back to the 90’s somehow?

For me, simple and functional is better than covering the bike with colourful anodised parts……

Two things have struck me in this thread:

– ‘Too much’ bling really is a case of personal taste.

– I really don’t like coloured grips.

Have I been transported back to the 90’s somehow?

They were good times. 8)

This thread has been epic. More of this kind of thing.

I think bigblackshed’s rules are very sensible

My bike appears to break most of them, but still…

😆

I like a bit of subtle matching, not a fan of matching grips, pedals and seat, they just seem to stand out too much.

My frame came with the blue highlights:

My pro 2 hubs are red and the fork had red decals, so I used some matte vinyl decal and carefully cut out strips to cover up the blue:

The invisiframe kit covers all of the pieces (there’s the downtube strip too) and after 2 years it’s all still there with no discolouration 🙂

Steve, I think that’s the only other bike I’ve seen with Marz 350CR tango-stantions on here!

Nice job with the decals. 🙂

A bit of colour works I think, but you can end up a bit 90’s if not careful.

I liked my old grey Slackline with orange Z1 Anniversary forks, orange grips, pedals and a chainring. Everything else was black.

Agree that the shades need to match.

Anything that may be referred to as ‘bling’ is too much.

Nothing worse than a gaudy overblinged bike. A bit like a cheap Cockney tart at Ascot.

Not Gunmetal but black and orange.

The orange was sort of dictated by the Cube donor bike which popped out the factory garish overly color matched.

The answer is none, none bling >>>>>>> They all look pony.

Nothing on the bike (yet) but do have matching glasses 😆

Not deliberate I hasten to add! Although I have just ordered some orange jockey wheels for an extra go-faster incentive!

On my green soul I had a fabric scoop saddle with a green base that matched very well, other than that, all black, looked good.

Hope colours are gopping IMO, most of the stuff too fussy and sculpted in the machining too. Less is more.

I had some formula dark satin silver hubs on my old raw scandal, that looked smart.

letmetalktomark has it right.

This is very pretty!

Even a tastefully coordinated bike always seems spoilt when I see Kashima coated fork stanchions.

Just a pet dislike of mine.:-)

Get loads of bling on the bike, then go out and get a thin layer of mud on it.

Never criticise a bike that’s being used properly.

My riding mates think I’ve ruined my Fatty and it is now full ginger 😀 but, I love it, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as they say.
My last bike was a pretty much full on stealth Rose Granite Chief so maybe this is a reaction to that.
I won’t add any more ginger but I am happy enough – which is all that matters, really. Bling it up, motherfeckers!
Summer wheels…

Winter wheels…

I prime example of mismatching colours looks suspect. Sorry

No apology required, I love it, it pleases me, that’s all really. I’ve seen loads of bikes which to me look rubbish, which a mate will love.

Opinions, innit. 🙂