Dan said a pink bike he rode in Europe attracted favourable comment...
Ehm, it was a pink-and-blue
jersey, rather than bike (my Miyata 1000LT wearing an understated "light metallic smoke [metallic grey] pain job). Still, I received a lot of compliments on the jersey, but I think it may have been the team rather than the team colors -- or the team colors evoked the team...or?
The leader/winner of Italy's Giro d'Italia wears a pink jersey.
Interesting the connotations we associate with color. Pink, for example:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink#Clothing...and...
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2831/was-pink-originally-the-color-for-boys-and-blue-for-girlsIn the early 1900s, pink was considered a more many color than blue; times change.
I used to tutor Saudi students in my doctoral program, back in the day. All went well until I wore my bright yellow shirt to our meeting. I was met with expressions of grave concern, much to my bafflement until I asked why: "Because you are wearing yellow; the color of illness".
Of course, the leader/winner of the Tour de France wears yellow.
I kind of wish Thorn would consider the wonderful pale green used on classic French touring bikes of the constructeur era...but that color may be so closely associated with the French bikes as to be unusable by a British firm, much as many shades of dark green are often referred to as "
British Racing Green" even when used by others. I'd love to see a metallic silver become available; from dark pewter to bright, silvertones can look very classy.
And, of course, you can never go wrong with yellow. When it came to choosing my Thorn, I'd already had (in childhood/adolescence) a red bike, a metallic green bike, and one in bright chrome-lemon yellow (called "fly yellow" when used by Chevrolet on their Corvette). As an adult, I had a bright silver, pearlized maroon, ice blue metallic with dark blue head tube, light metallic smoke, white with turquoise panels, and a Mercedes Glasurit red (tandem). I chose matte black in part because I'd never had a black bike before, because I thought it might help keep me stealthy when wild camping, because it is easy to touch up, and doesn't attract a lot of attention. Didn't expect to like it so much.
I really like the gunmetal color used on jags' Sherpa; it has greenish undertones, brought our by his recent taping with Brooks green leather handlebar tape.
Poor John has a tough job ahead choosing the "best" color, but oh! what luxury when the hardest choice comes down to color 'cos the bike is "right" in every other way!
Best,
Dan.
