Colors anyone?

Apr 7th 2011

By: RL Policar

A A

I’ve noticed lately that more and more commuter bicycles are being made with loud and bright colors. Personally I like my bikes to be somewhat low-key so it flies below the radar of bike thieves. But check out these photos of some really colorful bicycles.

This was a custom built bike from Road Warrior Bicycles in Fullerton.

A Puma bicycle that folds and uses a cable as a downtube.

Urbana

Another Puma bike…

What’s your personal take on this? Is your bike colorful? If not, what color is it?

Popularity: 3% [?]

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Comments

Comments (18)

Trackbacks (0)

rss

Leave a comment

Matt

April 7th, 2011 at 10:09

Return to top

The first looks like it came in an easter basket… I suppose some colors a thief might be less likely to steal. My bike is a matte red with black components. Not too showy at all…
holly

April 7th, 2011 at 10:12

Return to top

I really like the colorful bikes. But I ride an olive green Volpe with red Soma fenders; pretty subdued.
Jami

April 7th, 2011 at 10:40

Return to top

I wanted a more colorful bike when I purchased my Trek 520, but I knew that I wasn’t going to pick a touring bike based on it’s color. I have been customizing it with colorful accessories…everything is bright yellow. One of my favorite additions has been to add yellow reflective tape to it. My bike just about glows at night.
BluesCat

April 7th, 2011 at 13:05

Return to top

Hey! EVERY ONE of my bikes is REALLY colorful!

My Giant Yukon is blue and black.
My Specialized Hardrock is blue.
My Sun EZ-Sport is blue, too!

Whatsamatter with BLUE?
Raiyn

April 7th, 2011 at 13:14

Return to top

When the time comes to have my ol’ Schwinn project bike painted I’m having a hard time deciding between the more original Kool Lemon / Mopar “Lemon Twist” or going to a Mopar “Lime Light” like the Urbana.
Dacius

April 7th, 2011 at 16:48

Return to top

I think the bright colors are pointless when regarding safety. I have a black bike with strategic black 3m tape wrapped in visibility points. In the day it looks perfectly unassuming, but at night it shines!!!
Jesus Christ

April 7th, 2011 at 16:51

Return to top

Dacius,

You should send the Editors a pic of your bike, I’m sure the other readers would enjoy seeing it. info@bikecommuters.com

JC
Raiyn

April 8th, 2011 at 01:27

Return to top

@ Dacius & Jeebus

That’s nothing new. I call the concept <A HREF=""Stealth" reflectors"http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/297284-quot-Stealth-quot-Reflectors“Stealth” reflectors, but I got the idea from an “unmarked” police car I saw in an ad
Raiyn

April 8th, 2011 at 01:29

Return to top

Razzamafrazzing html block here’s the fraking link http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/297284
Carless in Philly

April 8th, 2011 at 07:39

Return to top

I’ve got a bright yellow bike and a bright red bag. The theory is that it makes me more conspicuous to autos. If it’s working, I wonder how many near misses I’d have regularly!
Dacius

April 8th, 2011 at 11:22

Return to top

Raiyn – That looks almost exactly like what I have. I just did loops around my frame so it looks like rings are lit up when light hits it.

My HD camera took a fall and it out of commision. I will get some pics when I finally decide to get it fixed or replaced. I refuse to take low resolution pics, especially of my bike. LOL!!!

I am a photo snob…what can I say.
Raiyn

April 9th, 2011 at 01:09

Return to top

I thought about using rings from an aesthetic standpoint, but I decided that maximizing the surface area of the tape in planes that were most likely to receive light while the bike was in normal operation would be the most efficient use of the material. Not that I’m made of money now, but at the time it was essential to get all the bang for the buck I could muster. Photoshopped dryers don’t grow on trees ya know?
Chip Haynes

April 9th, 2011 at 13:04

Return to top

I noodle around Clearwater on a bike with an orange frame. I like the idea of bright frame colors, as drivers might be more likely to see you and think, “Oh, there’s a bicycle there!”

I said MIGHT.
Chrissy J

April 9th, 2011 at 17:40

Return to top

A brighly coloured bike serves several purposes.
It’s part of the process that makes your bike YOURS, like the seat height and the cable freeplay and the pedal straps. It individualises your bike.
It draws attention from others to your bike, if it’s attractive. I’ve seen children stop their parents and point at the stripey bike, I’ve had people stop and ask how I acheived ‘the look’. If people see a bike that looks attractive they’re more likely to want one themselves.
And, if you’ve got a brightly coloured bike it makes it easier to see where you left it…

My singlespeed bike’s frame tubes are covered in black and yellow hazard tape. It makes people look twice and it’s cheap and easy to do.
Mike Myers

April 11th, 2011 at 04:24

Return to top

Bright is good. None of my bikes are bright, but I understand the concept.
a

April 11th, 2011 at 13:42

Return to top

The brighter the better, from a safety standpoint. Lime green or fluorescent orange can really make a bike more noticeable in traffic. If and when I ever get hit, I want to be able to ask the driver “You didn’t see THIS?”
Tnker

April 12th, 2011 at 13:23

Return to top

If it stops you getting smashed into raspberry jam, just once, that would be great. Which is why I bought the bright acid green (they call it metallic green) rather than the stealth gray Torker Cargo T, and wrapped it with all sorts of reflective tape. Yes, its hideous. Yes, I regret it. Would I do it again? Well, YES!
MelissaTheRagamuffin

April 13th, 2011 at 03:58

Return to top

I would think an obnoxiously colored bike would be a theft deterrent. They stand out too much. If you steal it and the owner sees you with it it’s not like you can say it’s just the same bike.

No Trackbacks yet

Bike Commuters

Recent Comments

Categories

Categories

Friends

Meta

Colors anyone?

Leave a Reply