jbman100

Alright here's the deal. I want a certain brand name bike. It has everything I want, fits and rides perfectly and has a snazzy paint job on it. However, I will have to wait about 3 months to get the money together to get it. I found another brand bike on Craigslist. Same geometry, same components, same ride and feel. Close you eyes and you couldn't tell them apart while riding them. I can pay for it now. The original owner took me to the shop where he bought it and the owner verified all the work that has been done to the bike which is a basic tune up and wheel trued/tires replaced, etc. The only difference is the paint color. The CL bike is black. Would that make a big deal to most of you. The reason I'm asking is this. A friend and fellow rider says that I should wait because I won't be getting the bike that I want and will be settling for something less. I feel that except for the color the CL bike is exactly the same as the other bike. I'm thinking go for the CL bike and color be dammed right now. I rarely look at the paint except when putting the bike on the car rack anyhow.

What are your thoughts?

cyclefreaksix

Go with the CL bike.

thirdgenbird

you can always repaint bikes

Dr. Banzai

I hate red. I mean I hate how it looks on me, I hate cars painted red, I do NOT own any red clothing.

My bike is red and I don't care. Odd? No, it was the right price, the right size, the right weight and I really, really like the bike. The colour is something I compromised on. If I can compromise on red anyone can compromise on their bike colour.

jayvo86

I think it just depends. I am not really picky with the paint job, but if I was going to get something I'd want it to be something I can live with. I don't really like the bright and exotic so if it came down to that I would wait. Keep in mind, whatever you get, you are going to have to like with it. So I always go with what I really want unless my want changes.

randomguy2

black is cool because it is very versatile. Get the black one on craigslist. It sounds like a great deal and in good condition. And then put some new tires on it in the color you like.

7bmwm3gtr

1. Handling
2. Comfortability
3. Color

My opinion^

If my bike is an ugly color, I wouldn't enjoy riding it. I want at least 3 colors on the bike, that match well.

4000Miles

As the previous poster said, I wouldn't buy a bike with **** components and bad handling because it was the right color... but if I'm going to drop a princely sum on a bike, I want to like how it looks as well.

mazdaspeed

Colors grow on you after a while. I still miss my pink bike... lol

portland376

Me personally, I'd wait the 3 months to get the bike you originally wanted. Ride quality is definitely top on the list, but aesthetics is important as well. Would be a bummer to drop the cash on the CL bike and then find yourself later wishing you would have waited the short 3 months for the one you really wanted.

dooodstevenn

i say get the cl bike, but if you really really have a problem with the paint, you probably wont be motivated to ride much, i've been compromising on bike purchases just because i couldnt wait for what i really wanted, and after the new bike excitement was over, i didnt really like it much. this time i took the time to find a bike i eally like, and i find myself riding more than ever

Retro Grouch 

As nearly as I can tell that bike only has to make one person, out of the entire world, happy. You're it. It sounds to me like your friend cares more about the color than you do but your friend isn't the one that bike has to make happy. So why not buy the CL bike and start having fun on it today?

enjoi07

for some reason i like most of my accessories to be a neutral color. so when team kits change or whatever it wont look bad with a neutral bike. i personally love all black, black/white, grey, and the brushed alu caad9. look at some black bikes and get inspired. here are some of my favorites.

this one is mine.


inspiration for the build.

i'm in love with this bike

cyclezealot

It shouldn't be important but it is. Particularly if you hate a certain color.. My first road bike, I knew I wanted a Klein. No problem there. Klein bikes are known for exquisite paint jobs. Mine is white and silver..
But, when I decided I wanted a Surly Cross Check, I knew I did not want the standard , ugly Army Green.. I owe my Local bike shop owner a six pack of some premium beer.
The mechanic went to work and got me the Fire Engine Red Surly I wanted. That without his pull, I'd never would have had. They said, for that model year, there were no more reds.. But, my local shop found me one.

Carbon Unit

There was a saying about car colors. The color of a car is only important on the day you buy it. I think that is true of bikes too. I like shopping for a deal and if the price is right, I wouldn't let the color stop me.

Besides my bike is black, but it doesn't have any paint on it just raw un-coated carbon fiber. My next bike won't have paint on it either, just unpainted titanium.

Velo Dog

I don't care much about color, at least not enough that it's been a factor in a purchase. I have five bikes at the moment, three bought used--two in an ugly not-quite-celeste greenish, two blue and one metallic orange. The only one I really like is the orange. Doesn't affect my enoyment of the other four, though.
What I DO hate, and probably wouldn't buy, is anything with garish multi-colored NASCAR kind of lots-of-logos team paint on it.

Menel

1. Fit
2. Performance
3. Appearance

Unless appearance involves the color red, would kill the deal, can't have red on bike/gear or even car. White, black, blue, green, orange, yeloow, etc all good.

Though, I gotta admit sometimes a red/black two-tone can be pretty badass looking, but it's a pretty narrow sometimes.

kandyredcoi

u can always repaint it

it depends how much money you would be saving on the CL bike, if its considerable, buy it then just repaint it

my .02

Bah Humbug

I'm the opposite of some of you - I love red, and it's the only "color" I really want on a bike. Black, white, and grey are fine, but I don't want blue, or green, or whatever. I do feel there are enough bikes out there that it should be possible to find one in the right size, in the right color, with the right components, in my budget.

corbett1010

color is important to me

you could get the CL one powder coated

colombo357

Depends on how fast you are.

If you're very fast in your area, get the color bike you want and wear lycra to match it.

If you're slow, it's important to do the exact opposite. Mismatching colors = slowness forgiveness.

Soloist Assassin

I wouldn't buy another white bike ever. I own one now, the one in my sig, and it gets dirty far too easily. Funny thing is, I hate the color red, but my new bike is red, and my truck as well, and like both of them allot despite the unappealing color. I do wish the bike was black though, it would show dirt even less. I clean my bikes every time I ride, I would rather clean them once a week or something like that.

Bah Humbug

Unless it's different with bikes, black is worse than white about showing dirt. If you want it to always look clean, go with tan, or silver.

mustang1

When I was a lot younger and my parents bought my bikes for me, I went with whatever color as long as the bike was good for me. If the color was nice, that would be a plus. When I was a little older and bought my own bikes, again, color didn't bother me as long as price and fit/feel was right.

Now I'm older and can afford nicer bikes. So color is very important.

It seems to me you're in the position I used to be in a long time ago, a time when I didn't care about color.

Soloist Assassin

Yeah it's not like a car at all. My old downhill bike was black, and it was always dirty, but you couldn't hardly tell. It seems bikes mostly pick up black crap, grease, and what not. A car's body is totally different, because it has large flat panels, and bikes don't. Raw carbon would probably be the best color in my opinion, the weave would hid dirt well. It does on the raw carbon parts of my red bike.