Mindcrime

Cool wheels. For Lo-pro get some good ROL hoops, or some HED Belgian rims. Or grab a set of plain black deep carbon chineese wheels to save the budget but look hawt! Flip the stem for a more aggressive look (may need a little tweaking of the post/saddle for fit purposes too.) Color matched quick release skewers. Colored tires (red?)

Maelochs

If she wants "pop" she should try some silver or yellow tape accents (don't go crazy) along the frame tubes. Or, mask off a few shapes on the frame and rattle-can them with a color of choice. or maybe just a decal on the top tube, which is the longest unrelieved area of blue.

Color-coordinated bottle cage and bottle will break up the blandness of the seat tube.

New tires when the old ones wear out--no need to be wasteful---but I know Continental used to make all red and all-blue tires---no black at all. Or get tires with colored stripes.

Wheels seems a bit much just for looks ... but I put some (I think) 38-mm carbons wheels on my Sportiv because it is disc and I wouldn't be eating my CF rims with my brakes.

Also ... try a colored tool bag, or get any average black bag and rattle-can it whatever color you like.

Tell your wife that she has an awesome bike and it is.

(I was going to suggest telling her you were going to get a hot teenager to ride the bike for her ... but once I saw that you got her a Sportiv, I realized she was special and you realized it ... so that is one less bad joke I get to tell. )

Wileyrat

I agree with the white tape and saddle. I'd go with white housings too.

mcpastor

Thanks for the ideas everyone!

My wife wanted to say, she really does like her bike, but just wants to spark it up a little with some custom touches.

While waiting for the red Salsa cork gel tape to arrive at a local store, I remembered I had a new set of wheels I bought for myself as a second pair for trainer and rollers. They were Fuji’s house brand, Oval Concepts, and they happened to be the right color for my wife’s bike. They add a little pop of red without overdoing things. She likes them, so I swapped cassettes and mounted the wheels. They were the same width as her rims which worked out great. The unused tires that came with wheels are 25mm, so they are a lighter, roadworthy replacement for the 28mm tires that came stock on the Sportif. Plus, I think the white letters look sporty.

I also turned the stem upside down for a little more streamlined profile and replaced the local shop’s branded bottle cages with a pair of Bontragers I had in the closet. They are lighter and more minimal. She likes them. I like the way aluminum cages work. They are black, like the rest of the bike hardware. She’ll be looking for just the right bottles

We took a ride around the neighborhood, and she likes how light and responsive the new wheels are. She adapted to the lower stem angle just fine.

We we are looking for nicer platform pedals and might get some strapless micro cages for them so she can experience some of the control and power a pedal system can offer.

I’ll post more pics when the bar tape arrives.



With new Oval Concepts 327 wheels and 25mm tires. Silver tape was added a while back. Red is on order. Flipped stem.

02Giant 

Red bar tape will be too much. Red cable housing will finish it off.

mcpastor

Yes, red tape may be a bit much now that the wheels contribute a little red.

She might stick with the silver bar tape for now. (Actually, the original black tape might have looked fine with the addition of these wheels.) Red tape may make the bike look red, white and blue, and that's not what she's going for. The frame is red, grey and blue. These wheels are also red and grey. All the hardware is black on bike and wheels.

Just the right bottle may provide the final color accent she needs.

Still looking for platform pedals with a strapless toe clip, and may try taking some spacers out of the stem, bringing the bars at least even with the seat and see how she does with it.

Paul Barnard

Stems, seatposts, stem spacers. stem top caps, bar end plugs, skewers, seatpost clamps, valves stem caps, pedals, bottle cages, and tires are all places color can be added.

Sy Reene

For about $5 you could get one of these seatpost rings for just a bit of color in that area of the bike

ridelikeaturtle

Vittoria Corsas with tan sidewalls would look hot.

mcpastor

Thanks! As it turns out she does have silver tape and might just stick with it, even though we ordered red. The pic I posted with black bar tape was just prior to the silver tape and I didn't catch it.

Done!

Yes, I'm looking for some sleeker platform pedals and would like to mount mini strapless toe clips to help her feel the security and power that comes with having that advantage.

-Slightly flashier wheels/tires[/QUOTE]

Done! I mounted my slightly flashier wheelset I bought for rollers and trainer, but unused. She likes them.

We've been looking at saddles, black or white. She's going to ride her stock one for a while. So far, no discomfort.

Stem flipped!




Here's her bike in its current state. New wheels, 25mm tires, bottle cages (still black aluminum tho), silver tape and flipped stem. Changing the wheels and tires made it a lot lighter!


The Missouri River.


We rode together this weekend. First, two times around the Kansas City Downtown Airport loop, then downtown around the River Market and along the Missouri River on the Riverfront trail. What fun to ride with my wife and best friend!

cthenn

Nice Mercx

mcpastor

Thanks!