...why so many bikes are such boring drab colours these days?

[niggle]

I hate all these depressing metallic dark grey/matt black/gunmetal etc. "colours" that so many bikes are offered in now, they look like a wet weekend in Bradford circa 1969 to me.
In contrast I am building two bikes in cheerful, up beat bright colours:
2018 Salsa Marakesh:

Paul Milnes X-Wing Limited Edition:

Then there is my utility ebike, the frame is was originally finished in one of those detestable charcoal metallics, but fortunately was scruffy enough to justify (in my mind at least) me stripping and repainting it:

[Brucey]

each to his own and all that.

A chum of mine used to have a race bike which was a particularly virulent shade of green. The joke was that if he ever tried hard enough that he was sick, it wouldn't show so badly....

cheers

[niggle]

each to his own and all that.

A chum of mine used to have a race bike which was a particularly virulent shade of green. The joke was that if he ever tried hard enough that he was sick, it wouldn't show so badly....

cheers

Each to his own is absolutely fine, if there were options other than dull dark grey or bland white.

[al_yrpal]

Its just these lacklustre times. Go back into the 60s and 70s and there was a kaleidoscope of colours in fashion, furnishing and cars.

Look at these Triumph Stags... motors of the 70s

We have got really boring!

Al

[niggle]

Its just these lacklustre times. Go back into the 60s and 70s and there was a kaleidoscope of colours in fashion, furnishing and cars.

Look at these Triumph Stags... motors of the 70s

P6290025.JPG

We have got really boring!

Al

Cars are not so bad, we had a new MINI in liquid yellow and some of the other small cars can be quite colourful e.g. Fiat 500, Vauxhall Adam, Kia Picanto. Good news is that Bianchi still produce bikes in that wonderful iconic colour of theirs.

[Syd]

Every bike I have is black except for my mountain bike

[niggle]

Nice on Syd, positively acidic! Even if very bright colours are too much for buyers, how about a tasteful BRG or deep red for a change?

[Mick F]

I'm frequently on here talking about the lack of colour and bling.
Black components on a bland grey bike with black wheels, spokes and tyres. Matt black and grey everywhere.
Why for goodness sake?
Where is the colour and the chrome and polished finishes?

Also why do girls have colours in their clothes, and blokes have boring black?

Bought, by mistake, a pair of lady's bib tights. The padding on the inside was a lovely purple/red colour.
Took them back and swapped them for a man's version. Identical in every way except that the padding was black.
Why for goodness sake?

[Syd]

I'm frequently on here talking about the lack of colour and bling.
Black components on a bland grey bike with black wheels, spokes and tyres. Matt black and grey everywhere.
Why for goodness sake?
Where is the colour and the chrome and polished finishes?

Also why do girls have colours in their clothes, and blokes have boring black?

Bought, by mistake, a pair of lady's bib tights. The padding on the inside was a lovely purple/red colour.
Took them back and swapped them for a man's version. Identical in every way except that the padding was black.
Why for goodness sake?

A number of my pairs of bib tights have red or green pads.

[hemo]

My converted E-Norco Indie is in mid grey and is my main commute/errand bike, the colour saves me having to clean it too often and it's dull grubbiness might also be less of a target for when I lock it up in town when shopping.
The Pinnacle gravel bike I have is in a fetching Blue like the Bianchi and is a nice colour.
E- Boardman CX 700c is in tricolour Black/White /Blue livery and off set with mid blue rims.

[cotterpins]

I wouldn't think this is drap

[niggle]

I wouldn't think this is drap

Not at all, and reminds me of the On One Pompino I had:

[francovendee]

When I pop into Decathalon here, I usually wander past the bikes for sale. Their drab colours certainly aren't a selling point for me.
Blacks and greys have been the most widely available bike colour for years, time for a change I think.

[cotterpins]

Nice. In the old days of bombsite car dealers, and if it was a car, it would have been described by the car salesman as "a pretty little "moater" guvnor!" Anyhow! a nice looking bike!

[pwa]

I don't distinguish between bike colours on the basis of whether they are bright or not. I distinguish between good and bad colours, which will not be the same as other people's good and bad colours.

I once had a bright yellow bike from Argos Racing Cycles and it was certainly hard to ignore. But it took only five minutes of riding on a damp road for it to look dirty. So when the time came for new paint I had it done in a deep, lustrous blue, fading at the bottom third into a dark purple, and it did look nice. And it did look better than the yellow.

Among my least favourite colours, that would actually put me off buying a frame, is lime green. Bright pink also bothers me. Yellow and red together bother me, though either can be good on their own. Blue and red often work well together for me. But there is definitely more to it than whether a colour is bright or not.

Being a convert to titanium I am now detached from these concerns. Boring is the price I pay for not having paint worries.