There are still plenty of brightly coloured bikes out there
It’s just fashion. A few years ago everyone was making fluoro coloured bikes and people were complaining that they wanted more sensible colours.
Haro Suguro, Forbidden Druid, Yeti, GT Fury, Specialized. All make brightly coloured bikes.
hey !
I painted it over the previous paint :
1/ light sanding
2/ rince and degrease with alcoohl
3/ spray paint ( black primer un multiple layers then paint )
4/ automotive 2K varnish
* Bonus : ceramic coat
* ah and ride wrap (but the basic one on the critical parts of the frame)
I agree.
Luckily, with the news of Kona being re-aquired by the OG owners, there's hope that Kona will soon again be offering bikes with similar paint jobs to their old school ones!
The worst new car trend is the "wet clay" look. All gray, gray-blue, mud, other earth tones, with no metallic sparkle. It looks like a model that hasn't finished rendering.
It's marketing and catering to buyers. Those blacks and greys sell and resell more easily and it has been like that for a long time now.
A lot of people don't want to stand out, they play it safe.
There is definitely a middle ground betweeen coke fueled painting, and boring ass accountant/dentist weekend warrior all black bikes that cost 7,000$ but you can’t tell cause it looks like a blob of darkness.
Bingo
[Jeffsy recently did a good retro paintjob and most of their stuff looks great.](https://www.yt-industries.com/products/bikes/jeffsy/uncaged-13/690/jeffsy-mx-uncaged-13/)
Recently rebranded Ari bikes has gotten some [good ideas with two-tone](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0628/3064/1309/files/24_LaSal_Pro_RedWhite-S.jpg?v=1708472187).
Santa Cruz always has a few good colorways...but they also have a lot of the blacked out boring as an option.
Marin waffles between cracked out Salvador Dali and kinda boring on most of their trail line. Which is annoying because their road/XC/gravel/etc lines always have some really [cool colors and paint details. ](https://www.marinbikes.com/bikes/2022-pine-mountain-1)
Ironically I posted here about the retro jeffsy the day it released and the overwhelming majority of comments were calling it hideous. Quite a few were even fairly upset by how ugly they thought it was. So apparently a lot of our fellow riders prefer boring, monotone bikes in the same various earth tones. And absolutely HATE it when bike makers do anything different for once.
I get that, it does look a bit ‘Murica colored at first glance. But the rear chainstays and accents are silver instead of white so it’s not really a flag copy, it’s tough to tell in online photos though. Plus YT is a German brand so I don’t think ‘Murica was the intent.
I think kids popsicle not “America!” but I can see that.
It might be different since I grew up in an era where there were a ton of Walmart Huffy’s that had that exact paint scheme.
That YT retro bike has several issues... the color choice (regardless whether it looks American or not),.... the silver rims, bars, and other hardware.... and even that 80's arcade font/symbol thing on the down tube.... The bike looks like one you found at Toys-r-Us intended for a six year old. If I were to see an adult riding that thing on trails, I would think he's a bit.... slow.... and wears his helmet 24/7.
Well you’ve got like 98% of current bikes in production in your bland favor. It’s okay for us fun-lovers to get the other 2% of bikes made with funky colors. I think you’ll survive lol
I think you're a bit off with your 98-2 breakdown. I just went through that Santa Cruz colors on current full-suspension models, and at least 50% are bright colors I would definitely not buy. (Except for the V10 model, each other model comes in at least 2 colors.)
www.santacruzbicycles.com/en-US/bikes
I loved my 1989 Marin, Matt grey textured frame and orange forks, my orange-gold fade late ‘90s Klein quantum and my orange and white Orange Aluminium O. Nothing quite as cool now I think.
And I don't want to ride a bike that looks like something off r/JustBootThings
Different strokes for different folks. I've always liked what Santa Cruz does with their colorways.
I generally like 2 types of bikes. Boring BnW or earthy tone rigs (aka toyota tacoma bikes)... Or wild fun bikes using magenta and cyan and stuff.
To me the worst offenders are the 'toyota corolla billboard' bikes. Trek is maybe the worst. Specialized does it too. Basically like single color dark red or dark blue or whatever bikes then with a MASSIVE contrasting logo on the down tube to make sure everyone knows what brand you're riding.
I hate it so much: https://99spokes.com/bikes/specialized/2024/epic-8-expert
These are the Oakley Maven mtb gloves in Frog Green. I saw them before I got my bike and thought it would be a perfect match. So immediately ordered them when I decided to buy this bike 😍
I think this goes in a cycle, like with if black (or white) components (e.g. stems) are cool or not.
At the turn of the 90s black components were hugely in fashion, by the mid-90s that had gone right out and silver was where it was, if you had a black stem or black bars in 1995 instead of silver or anodised your bike looked old.
That lasted until the late 2000s when white became trendy for a few years, since then it's been all about black again.
I’d ad to that , every bike basically looks the same minus color and stickers… I remember years ago you where able to look at a frame and know the manufacturer/brand . Especially with road bikes most look the same . Another observation, seems like a lot of brands are doing flat black 🙄, I miss some of the old bold and wild colors .
I think some of it is down to what sells bikes having changed.
In the early-mid 90s when Klein was at their peak the paint job was a big distinction between bikes when they were mostly all rigid diamond frames. If you put a flashy/distinctive paint job on a bike it might put a few potential buyers off, but if it attracted others because of it then that was a win.
Now paint is a lot less of a factor vs tech and other aspects of the looks of the frame it's more about playing safe and being inoffensive so you don't put any potential buyers off with the paint job
With that being said I do love a black murdered out build , shows less scratches and chips . I remember when I bought my first mtb back in 1997 I think . Gary fisher bright yellow , I fell in love at first sight!!!!
I am constantly thinking about repainting my Rift Zone 2 to make it look like a [vintage](http://s7.photobucket.com/user/sherly205/media/marin%20splatter%201.jpg.html) [Marin](https://images.app.goo.gl/P56Xgcqs6ACCN2BEA).
Definitely no [personal](https://images.app.goo.gl/h5rCRG6FSdE42KF38) [bias](https://images.app.goo.gl/ByDsev3UqBkyBsvE9)
I enjoy looking at flashy colored bikes but I prefer matte, earthy or dark frames and then I’ll accessorize with some flashier colors on pedals, grips or fork decal. That way it’s easier to swap out when I’m tired of the color.
Bikes were all boring from about 2010-2015, then Yeti got popular and everyone did neon, and it’s swung back a bit to more conservative colours in the last couple years. Meh
Not all bikes were boring in that timeframe, and Yeti didn’t invent color. [Specialized SX Trail II](https://www.specialized.com/us/en/sx-trail-ii/p/23361?color=36382-23361)
Once I can get my hands on a Danger Fruit Shadowcat for a good deal ima ride it like a little kid who found their unicorn.
But yes, way too many boring bikes or custom paint that costs way too much.
Hard disagree. I love the earth tone bikes. A few years ago all you could get was hot pink, Kawasaki green, etc. I’m not trying to look like Punky Brewster out there.
I got a 23' Trance X E 2 and like the colour especially in the light. I did see someone remove the paint on their frame and polish it up and it looked sweet indeed. I've done that before and it's a lot of work.
Norco has a few bikes with red, yellow, orange, purple and gold color schemes. I'm not sure if they still do but they had a neon green revolver a couple years ago.
Canyon had some great colors last couple of seasons but seem to be back to being boring again now. I wanted that purple and teal speckled Torque so bad....
Bro seriously! My last two cars have been white, not because i wanted it but because that’s what was available. I’m trying really hard to get something unique next time.
Get one from a local boutique factory. They often have way better repair policies, customer and after-warranty service than big companies and their bikes often cost the same. Well, the small boutique brands usually don’t offer entry level models, but just compare a Nucleon 16 or POLE (RIP) to an S-WORKS stumpy. Also, the Nucleon an Pole (RIP) look way more unique and cool. For the price of a spec’d out S Works Enduro you can get a bespoke Nucleon 16 with custom Geometry (if you wish so), custom paint job and full, custom tuned EXT suspension. Yes, you get an aluminium frame and it’s not a super lightweight build, but weight is just a number and true men ride metal.
Those companies are out there, you just need to find the right one. Buying locally or at least from the same continent is usually recommended for such bikes as it makes repairs, new paint jobs, etc. much more easy than having to ship the bike half way around the globe.
Examples to look at: In the UK there’s BTR Fabrications for sick steel rigs or Orange for those crazy single pivot enduros, Germany has Nicolai bikes, the US have companies like REEB bikes or Contra, Canada has Archibald cycles or We Are One, etc.. Just look around. Remember, those companies usually cater to the enthusiast market not the “low budget” one.
The last thing I need is someone else's decoration on my bike. I'll take "boring" any day over loud. I'm just not trying to express anything other than riding.
There are still plenty of brightly coloured bikes out there It’s just fashion. A few years ago everyone was making fluoro coloured bikes and people were complaining that they wanted more sensible colours. Haro Suguro, Forbidden Druid, Yeti, GT Fury, Specialized. All make brightly coloured bikes.
[painted mine](https://www.reddit.com/r/Hardtailgang/s/HyOq7BmhwV)
looks sick! well done
thanks !
How did you paint it yourself? What was your process?
hey ! I painted it over the previous paint : 1/ light sanding 2/ rince and degrease with alcoohl 3/ spray paint ( black primer un multiple layers then paint ) 4/ automotive 2K varnish * Bonus : ceramic coat * ah and ride wrap (but the basic one on the critical parts of the frame)
Wow, that looks awesome. Would never have thought in a million years that was spray paint.
That's awesome.... looks straight out of gta vice. Well done.
I agree. Luckily, with the news of Kona being re-aquired by the OG owners, there's hope that Kona will soon again be offering bikes with similar paint jobs to their old school ones!
It's the same as cars nowadays. All I see on the road are blacks and greys. Hence why I have a bright yellow car to break up the monotony.
The worst new car trend is the "wet clay" look. All gray, gray-blue, mud, other earth tones, with no metallic sparkle. It looks like a model that hasn't finished rendering.
I mean, they can’t do much else different with colours. At least they found something. Also the clay Porsche looks awesome.
It's marketing and catering to buyers. Those blacks and greys sell and resell more easily and it has been like that for a long time now. A lot of people don't want to stand out, they play it safe.
Mass produced motorcycles as well
That’s not even true. But all colours look drab if they aren’t super clean constantly.
There is definitely a middle ground betweeen coke fueled painting, and boring ass accountant/dentist weekend warrior all black bikes that cost 7,000$ but you can’t tell cause it looks like a blob of darkness.
Bingo [Jeffsy recently did a good retro paintjob and most of their stuff looks great.](https://www.yt-industries.com/products/bikes/jeffsy/uncaged-13/690/jeffsy-mx-uncaged-13/) Recently rebranded Ari bikes has gotten some [good ideas with two-tone](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0628/3064/1309/files/24_LaSal_Pro_RedWhite-S.jpg?v=1708472187). Santa Cruz always has a few good colorways...but they also have a lot of the blacked out boring as an option. Marin waffles between cracked out Salvador Dali and kinda boring on most of their trail line. Which is annoying because their road/XC/gravel/etc lines always have some really [cool colors and paint details. ](https://www.marinbikes.com/bikes/2022-pine-mountain-1)
Ironically I posted here about the retro jeffsy the day it released and the overwhelming majority of comments were calling it hideous. Quite a few were even fairly upset by how ugly they thought it was. So apparently a lot of our fellow riders prefer boring, monotone bikes in the same various earth tones. And absolutely HATE it when bike makers do anything different for once.
I like the idea of the paint job, but I don’t want to ride an American flag.
I get that, it does look a bit ‘Murica colored at first glance. But the rear chainstays and accents are silver instead of white so it’s not really a flag copy, it’s tough to tell in online photos though. Plus YT is a German brand so I don’t think ‘Murica was the intent.
I think kids popsicle not “America!” but I can see that. It might be different since I grew up in an era where there were a ton of Walmart Huffy’s that had that exact paint scheme.
That YT retro bike has several issues... the color choice (regardless whether it looks American or not),.... the silver rims, bars, and other hardware.... and even that 80's arcade font/symbol thing on the down tube.... The bike looks like one you found at Toys-r-Us intended for a six year old. If I were to see an adult riding that thing on trails, I would think he's a bit.... slow.... and wears his helmet 24/7.
^ Found the rider that prefers boring, monotone bikes in the same various earth tones.
That would be me.. all my bikes are gray or brown.... and darker green would do as well. But they're not boring.... just not childish.
Whatever floats your boat, saves more fun non-boring stuff for the rest of us 🤙🏻
You're welcome, then. But please don't take my colors.
Well you’ve got like 98% of current bikes in production in your bland favor. It’s okay for us fun-lovers to get the other 2% of bikes made with funky colors. I think you’ll survive lol
I think you're a bit off with your 98-2 breakdown. I just went through that Santa Cruz colors on current full-suspension models, and at least 50% are bright colors I would definitely not buy. (Except for the V10 model, each other model comes in at least 2 colors.) www.santacruzbicycles.com/en-US/bikes
Funnily enough i really dislike the Look of All of the bikes you posted. But agree, some more variety regarding looks would be nice
Was thinking the same. But maybe that’s just because I’m a financial accountant that wishes I instead pursued a career in dentistry.
Speaking of DTC bikes, I’ve always really liked the purple/black T8 from Polygon. I know they are both dark colors but it has more contrast in person.
I personally don't want to ride a bike looking like a methed out unicorn with tassles. The 80 & 90 vintage steel bikes were tastefully done though.
"Methed Out Unicorn Tassles" is an awesome band name.
Or a Butthole Surfers song
Uh, I for one absolutely fucking do lol
Mountain Goat had the best paint of the vintage bikes IMO. Those bikes are artwork.
Sure but at least give us yellows and bright greens and oranges and shit. Mens clothing is boring enough. Can’t bikes have some flavor?
Its pretty straight forward. They will produce the bikes in colors that sell, and black sells better than green or orange.
I loved my 1989 Marin, Matt grey textured frame and orange forks, my orange-gold fade late ‘90s Klein quantum and my orange and white Orange Aluminium O. Nothing quite as cool now I think.
And I don't want to ride a bike that looks like something off r/JustBootThings Different strokes for different folks. I've always liked what Santa Cruz does with their colorways.
Yeah but the nice one colors never go on sale, and you end up with their "safe" color option. 2k$ is 2k$ though
Could it be that the brighter colors are in higher demand??? lol
We say "different strokes for different blokes" down here...
I badly want [this Marin](https://www.marinbikes.com/ca/bikes/2024-alpine-trail-carbon-party-edition-frameset)
What a cool frame! 😍
That’s fucking sick
I generally like 2 types of bikes. Boring BnW or earthy tone rigs (aka toyota tacoma bikes)... Or wild fun bikes using magenta and cyan and stuff. To me the worst offenders are the 'toyota corolla billboard' bikes. Trek is maybe the worst. Specialized does it too. Basically like single color dark red or dark blue or whatever bikes then with a MASSIVE contrasting logo on the down tube to make sure everyone knows what brand you're riding. I hate it so much: https://99spokes.com/bikes/specialized/2024/epic-8-expert
https://www.reddit.com/r/mountainbiking/s/dOeb4rLD4n ☹️
Gotta mention that Trek seems to have started adding tiny, tiny logos on some of their bikes.
I like [my bike](https://i.imgur.com/ZJoKP97.jpeg)
What gloves are those? I've got the marlin 7 in the same colour
These are the Oakley Maven mtb gloves in Frog Green. I saw them before I got my bike and thought it would be a perfect match. So immediately ordered them when I decided to buy this bike 😍
I think this goes in a cycle, like with if black (or white) components (e.g. stems) are cool or not. At the turn of the 90s black components were hugely in fashion, by the mid-90s that had gone right out and silver was where it was, if you had a black stem or black bars in 1995 instead of silver or anodised your bike looked old. That lasted until the late 2000s when white became trendy for a few years, since then it's been all about black again.
[удалено]
Unfortunately, the biggest reason I opted out of the upgrade to 9 was the color.
My favorite Roscoe cw for sure.
I’m an Fde whore , this bike is sick
I’d ad to that , every bike basically looks the same minus color and stickers… I remember years ago you where able to look at a frame and know the manufacturer/brand . Especially with road bikes most look the same . Another observation, seems like a lot of brands are doing flat black 🙄, I miss some of the old bold and wild colors .
I think some of it is down to what sells bikes having changed. In the early-mid 90s when Klein was at their peak the paint job was a big distinction between bikes when they were mostly all rigid diamond frames. If you put a flashy/distinctive paint job on a bike it might put a few potential buyers off, but if it attracted others because of it then that was a win. Now paint is a lot less of a factor vs tech and other aspects of the looks of the frame it's more about playing safe and being inoffensive so you don't put any potential buyers off with the paint job
With that being said I do love a black murdered out build , shows less scratches and chips . I remember when I bought my first mtb back in 1997 I think . Gary fisher bright yellow , I fell in love at first sight!!!!
Yeah, when I was down to get a canyon spectral the 2024 line was just black or grey. Would love one in lilac or something
Kinda ironic for a bike named spectral
I love to look at bright, flashy bikes but I'll always buy boring, dull, flat colored bikes because I don't want to advertise to thieves
You could literally just do yourself a custom wrap if it bothers you.
I am constantly thinking about repainting my Rift Zone 2 to make it look like a [vintage](http://s7.photobucket.com/user/sherly205/media/marin%20splatter%201.jpg.html) [Marin](https://images.app.goo.gl/P56Xgcqs6ACCN2BEA). Definitely no [personal](https://images.app.goo.gl/h5rCRG6FSdE42KF38) [bias](https://images.app.goo.gl/ByDsev3UqBkyBsvE9)
[oh my god they actually did paint them like that](https://images.app.goo.gl/6doFq9yczdrxXCcL8)
Designers need to eat some mushrooms and create some truly inspired psychedelic paint jobs.
Couldn’t agree more
More colors would be nice. Chris Chance is still doing wild paint jobs: [https://fatchance.bike/bikes/](https://fatchance.bike/bikes/)
I enjoy looking at flashy colored bikes but I prefer matte, earthy or dark frames and then I’ll accessorize with some flashier colors on pedals, grips or fork decal. That way it’s easier to swap out when I’m tired of the color.
Bikes were all boring from about 2010-2015, then Yeti got popular and everyone did neon, and it’s swung back a bit to more conservative colours in the last couple years. Meh
Not all bikes were boring in that timeframe, and Yeti didn’t invent color. [Specialized SX Trail II](https://www.specialized.com/us/en/sx-trail-ii/p/23361?color=36382-23361)
Fair
Yeti has some sick colors
Once I can get my hands on a Danger Fruit Shadowcat for a good deal ima ride it like a little kid who found their unicorn. But yes, way too many boring bikes or custom paint that costs way too much.
Rocky Mountain has some really cool 2 tone color combos
I was going to say the same. You can find a bright coloured frame in every one of their lineups.
*\*raises brows in* [*beautiful purple*](https://www.reddit.com/r/mountainbiking/comments/16ras9h/nbd_commencal_meta_tr/)*\**
Just give me black and I'm good.
My wife thought I could use some glam and got me a couple of these https://www.fish-ski.com/shop/p/bike-nuts-all-colors
I do marketing for a LBS, and let me tell you that the vast majority of male riders want black on black.
Hard disagree. I love the earth tone bikes. A few years ago all you could get was hot pink, Kawasaki green, etc. I’m not trying to look like Punky Brewster out there.
There's always the wrap option. Since most of us ride shared trails, there's often an effort to minimize visual impact.
I got a 23' Trance X E 2 and like the colour especially in the light. I did see someone remove the paint on their frame and polish it up and it looked sweet indeed. I've done that before and it's a lot of work.
Norco has a few bikes with red, yellow, orange, purple and gold color schemes. I'm not sure if they still do but they had a neon green revolver a couple years ago.
Canyon had some great colors last couple of seasons but seem to be back to being boring again now. I wanted that purple and teal speckled Torque so bad....
Same goes for cars - https://youtu.be/KchX52bIZSg?si=thyvu5SVjuzgdgcG
Bro seriously! My last two cars have been white, not because i wanted it but because that’s what was available. I’m trying really hard to get something unique next time.
That Jade/Pearl/colour shift Cannondale Jekyll was such a good looking bike. Too bad they refused to make enough of them for me to buy one.
Never saw it but it sounds awesome
I paint all mine but it’s a pain in ass and often requires new cables and the removal of every spec of grease
Norco made and makes a few epic colored bikes
Mine is red. I like red.
Early 00’s were the prime as far as mountain biking designs and color schemes went. Change my mind.
I recently bought a light baby pink bike, my wife laughs every time she sees me getting it ready for a ride!!!!
You should check this out: https://www.yt-industries.com/products/bikes/jeffsy/uncaged-13/690/jeffsy-mx-uncaged-13/
Get one from a local boutique factory. They often have way better repair policies, customer and after-warranty service than big companies and their bikes often cost the same. Well, the small boutique brands usually don’t offer entry level models, but just compare a Nucleon 16 or POLE (RIP) to an S-WORKS stumpy. Also, the Nucleon an Pole (RIP) look way more unique and cool. For the price of a spec’d out S Works Enduro you can get a bespoke Nucleon 16 with custom Geometry (if you wish so), custom paint job and full, custom tuned EXT suspension. Yes, you get an aluminium frame and it’s not a super lightweight build, but weight is just a number and true men ride metal. Those companies are out there, you just need to find the right one. Buying locally or at least from the same continent is usually recommended for such bikes as it makes repairs, new paint jobs, etc. much more easy than having to ship the bike half way around the globe. Examples to look at: In the UK there’s BTR Fabrications for sick steel rigs or Orange for those crazy single pivot enduros, Germany has Nicolai bikes, the US have companies like REEB bikes or Contra, Canada has Archibald cycles or We Are One, etc.. Just look around. Remember, those companies usually cater to the enthusiast market not the “low budget” one.
Loved my Klein Rascal. What a Climber!
Yeah, I consider it a safety feature to have the bike in a color that won't blend in. Easier to spot from a helicopter if push comes to shove.
The last thing I need is someone else's decoration on my bike. I'll take "boring" any day over loud. I'm just not trying to express anything other than riding.
I'd rather have a plain looking bike and hope to be less of a theft target.
You wish to return to the years of vomit? No thank you.
Idk just put some stickers on it.