Green, Green and... Green? Contemplating a Sage Decision
As you probably know by now, my main bicycle is Eustacia Vye, a Pashley Princess Sovereign. She is green. A dark forest green.
This is Eustacia.
And over the holidays I received a Rivendell Sam Hillborne frame, which will eventually be built up as my "road bike". It is also green. A shimmery olive green.
Now I must make my final decision about the colour of my Royal H. mixte frame. And the colour I am choosing is this one:
Sage green ...which, although different from those other two, is yes, also a green. Is it madness to have three modern bicycles that are all green? A rhetorical question I guess!
This is Eustacia.And over the holidays I received a Rivendell Sam Hillborne frame, which will eventually be built up as my "road bike". It is also green. A shimmery olive green.
Now I must make my final decision about the colour of my Royal H. mixte frame. And the colour I am choosing is this one:
Sage green ...which, although different from those other two, is yes, also a green. Is it madness to have three modern bicycles that are all green? A rhetorical question I guess!The paint will be done by Circle A. Cycles in Providence, RI, who are renown not only for the excellent bicycles they build, but also for their beautiful and durable liquid paint jobs. Initially I thought that I would get this frame powdercoated, but the logistics proved that liquid would work better. Choosing the colour is difficult, especially over the internet. So I am mailing Circle A. a little packet with physical colour samples, and they will choose the colour that matches them best. Hopefully it will look something like the sage green above.
If you could have a bicycle any colour you want, what would it be? Does it depend on the type of bicycle (silver racing bike, black roadster, etc.) or would your choice be universal? And has anybody else besides me ended up with all of their bicycles in the same colour family? I feel a little strange about this preference for green bikes, but apparently not strange enough to choose a different colour!
If you could have a bicycle any colour you want, what would it be? Does it depend on the type of bicycle (silver racing bike, black roadster, etc.) or would your choice be universal? And has anybody else besides me ended up with all of their bicycles in the same colour family? I feel a little strange about this preference for green bikes, but apparently not strange enough to choose a different colour!
I want a light road bike in Montblanc British Racing Green ink colour :)
ReplyDeleteMaybe I should talk to Bryan about it...
This way I would have a black Pashley, a racing green road bike (and I suppose two more vintage bikes, but we're only talking new bikes here, right?)
You art not strange having a preference for green! There are so many greens, how could you have too many? Alas, I am also a green fan, without a green bike. I seem to be attracting red bikes for some reason, 4 reds to date and it is my last color choice. Go for the green you have picked, it is completely different from your others and they are all great colors. You will be happy, I know it. There is a green for every type of bike, as yours well demonstrate. I would do it if I could and when I finally am able to have my custom build, it will definitely be green. Go green!
ReplyDeleteNothing wrong with green...at least yours are different colours not just shades.
ReplyDeleteBesides you can always tell people that you are going "green" ROFLOL.
Aaron
I had the choice of getting my rebuilt bike powdercoated any colour I liked, but it had to be a flat colour, not a metallic one. I did toy with fire-engine red, which I thought would be my first choice, but in the end I went with the original frame colour of the bike (sort of steel blue), because it just seemed to suit a tourer better. So it definitely depends on the bike, for me, but I can see the logic of having all my bikes the same or similar colour to make colour co-ordination easier...
ReplyDeletei don't think it's at all strange to want all your bikes various shades of green. personally, when choosing a color for a bike of mine, i try not to think of it in relation to the colors i already have on my other bikes, but rather what color i think would work best for that particular bike.
ReplyDeletei like the sage green you presented and think it would work very nicely on a mixte. (on my supposedly color-calibrated monitor it appears to have a lot of gray and blue as well, which is nice). i can picture it working well with cream or gold-contrasting lug details, aluminum fluted or hammered fenders, and dark brown or burgundy leather saddle, bar wrap and toe clip straps!
are there going to be royal H decals and headbadge? or are you going to go the minimalist route?
As DeNiro (in Meet the Parents) said, "They say geniuses choose green."
ReplyDelete:-)
All the bikes I ride are red, though it was not a conscious choice. Come to think of it, my very first bike was red as well.
ReplyDeleteGreen is good, but I chose black for two of my bikes.
ReplyDeleteI like the greens... I am a big fan of greens in general and I am disappointed that most car companies have phased greens out of their paint color schemes. As to your sage color, I like it (from what I can see of it over the internet) so I say go for it, why not? Is there any metallic to the paint or is it flat?
ReplyDeleteAs for my bikes... yeah, there is a theme there. My first commuter was a metallic grey (the frame broke last Summer), my new commuter is black, my MTB is light grey (with white accents), and my road bike is charcoal (or, "graphite" as I like to call it ;)
The only one of the 3 that I did not have a lot of choice in was my commuter, but the fact that it worked with the theme of the other 2 already was a plus.
I have a green Legnano, a green Pashley, and a green Motobecane moped. I did not choose any of them for their colour - the seem to have chosen me, instead. I think green bicycles are good luck, somehow. Don't they look great?
ReplyDeleteRegards,
-Mike
MDI - That vintage racing green is available as a powdercoat "RAL" colour, like on Mike Flanigan's Roadster here. Unless you want it to be even more muted. Of course with liquid you can do any colour, and I like the idea of you getting a matching roadbike...
ReplyDelete2whls3spds - Your green little family is an inspiration : )
somervillain - The bike will have "Royal H." painted on the downtube like this, only in bronze, and there will be an art nouveau style headbadge. I can't find examples of it online, but it looks like a woodcut print of "RH" in 1920s lettering.
Nice to hear about other people's colour preferences! The funny thing is that I don't like all greens, only muted shades of it, such as olive, dark forest, and sage. I dislike "kelly green" or any kind of bright "normal" green. So not just any green bike would do.
There are other bike colours that seem "perfect" for a specific bike, like the blue-gray of the A.N.T. lady's basket bike, the faded teal of the Rivendell Atlantis, and the clear coated Brompton.
I probably shouldn't mention that when I get a Brommie it is going to be the bright "Apple Green"...with Red or Yellow components. :-D
ReplyDeleteAaron
No, that's too regular green. MB Racing Green is much darker, I think. I'll bring an ink splatter and use rich liquid coat. I am of the opinion that powder coat suits transport bikes and liquid is best for road and racing bikes. Something about rough vs light & refined. (Not to suggest that transport bikes cannot be refined...)
ReplyDeleteI guess I agree about powder for transport and liquid for road. But I am still nervous that both my Hillborne and my Royal H frame will chip as soon as I start to ride them. I don't want to coddle my bikes because I am nervous about the paint. But I have seen a couple of Circle A-painted bikes at this point that look like they've been ridden pretty roughly and the paint looked fine. So there is hope.
ReplyDeleteAs for "racing green", I think the definition of that colour is pretty subjective and it is not necessarily the Montblanc ink colour you like. Some people refer to the Pashley green as "racing green", whereas in my mind it should be more of an olive. But yeah, I am sure they can just find the colour to match the ink if you bring it : )
I am on a serious muted bike color kick...ever since seeing the Retrovelo line two years ago, and now the Achielle bikes with those lovely creamy colors, lighter tones and complementary colors are swimming through my head. My neighbor's 1957 Phillips Roadster and Herself's 1953 Indian Princess are going to be getting age-appropriate two tone paint schemes: the Phillips is getting a late 50s specific VW color set (muted bamboo green and a light warm tan, I think she wants) and the Indian is getting Indian Motorcycle colors, probably a crimson & yellow cream array. Both will have honey brooks saddles and either honey leather-wrapped cork or shellacked cork grips.
ReplyDeleteAnd creme Delta Cruisers.
(Unless Wazzabike in the UK gets a mold to me so I can repro his 1914 Sunbeam Art Nouveau celluloid grips; this is a distinct possibility.)
Anyway, I might ask Brian H what he recommends as a contrast color for the green. He seems to have a an eye for good color.
To me, BR Green is a better motor vehicle color-tubing and even fenders don't allow the richness of it to come forth.
Corey K
Velouria? To make the internet presence more "velo" like, to pay homage to the greatest band ever... the Pixies, or both?
ReplyDeleteOld english Jags (and MGs, I think) in racing green are "british racing green," the MB ink is the same colour but somewghat desaturated and, at the same time, about a stop darker.
ReplyDeleteAstroluc - I consolidated my velo-identities. I am "Velouria" on flickr, bikeforums and Open's blog, so that one won over "Filigree" just due to the number of changes required. But yes, the choice of Velouria in the first place comes from one of the greatest bands ever.
ReplyDeleteMDI - I remember the MGs being the Pashley Princess colour. Don't remember the Jags. Will have a look at the internets out of curiosity. Steve A would know all about this.
Corey - The Indian Princess is getting a custom paint scheme?.. Please, please share the images! I think cream might be a good contrast for green, as white would be too harsh and other colours too distracting.
IIRC BRG (British Racing Green) was actually quite a variety of greens. I had an MGB-GT and a Triumph GT-6, both were the darker green considered BRG but the Triumph was a fair bit lighter than the MGB. Both were factory paint jobs, so call it what you like as long as you like it.
ReplyDeleteAaron
What I like best about Sage is the way it smells after a fresh rain!
ReplyDeleteastroluc, not only does velouria elicit thoughts in my mind of the pixies with her new screen name, but thoughts of robyn hitchcock with "RH"... two of my fave bands from way back when.
ReplyDeleteFili... I mean Velouria; ah, so a good coincidence then!
ReplyDeleteSomervillain; indeed, indeed!
My Mercians are chameleons: They are painted in that shade that, from most angles, is purple (about a shade darker than lilac) and from a couple of angles is a sort of sage green color. They are both custom bikes, and I chose that paint job. Purple and green are my two favorite colors, and the finish happened to work well on both bikes. (One is a road bike; the other is a bike modeled on British "club" bikes from the '30's through the '50's.)
ReplyDeleteMy Raleigh Sports three-speed is the same shade of green as "Lucy". I bought it used, so I didn't have a choice in colors. However, it's a color I happen to like and, of course, is classic.
"Is it madness to have three modern bicycles that are all green?"
ReplyDeleteYes, yes it is. Madness MADNESS! Should be at least five or six...
Seriously, that is a nice shade you've picked out!
see what I miss when I work two days in a row and have evening plans after each workday!
ReplyDeleteI love green. I keep thinking what color I would want and I think a sage green would be my fav. Either that or deep purple. I think all three greens are lovely.
Justine - your Mercian is an amazing bicycle, and the colour is so uniquely its own. It is the perfect bike for riding into the sunset along an endless winding hilly road...
ReplyDeleteVee - I know it seems odd that I should have any opinion on what colour looks good on you (you know, given that we've never met!), but if you do get an ANT there is this one particular dark deep dusty violet colour that I think would suit you perrrrrfectly!
nowhere - Ah, the voice of reason!
Funny, I never noticed before that all of your bikes are green. I'm generally a fan of black and dark green for bike colors - classic and practical. But my absolute favorite bike color is the sea blue-green color of Betty Foy. Sooo creamy. Of course, I am biased.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite color is green, preferably on the yellowish side like avocado, lime, kiwi, mojito, even a bit on the sage side. I even like my blues on the green side -- turquoise, teal, aqua and their brethren. Alas all but one of my bikes is blue. That just seems to be how fate dealt my hand in the great bike lottery. And my next bike? White. HA!
ReplyDeleteI've been very curious about the Velouria name for ages, and finally decided to search for the reason on your blog. Happy that you too are a Pixies fan!
ReplyDelete