Opinions re Roadeo colors

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Jim S.

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Dec 6, 2021, 12:25:18 PM12/6/21
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Hi, I recently obtained a used Roadeo. It needs a new paint job. Does anyone have opinions on the ideal colors for a Roadeo? Photos are encouraged, of course.

David Hallerman

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Dec 6, 2021, 1:06:16 PM12/6/21
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British Racing Green, or a shade lighter, with a complementary off-white downtube panel.

Classic, and goes nicely with tanwall tires and honey shaded B.17s.

I love both seeing and imagining bicycle paint jobs. Want to make my wife laugh? See a car color you like, and say to her “Wouldn’t that make a great downtube panel?”

Dave, who recently got a bike whose main color is known in the bike/car paint world as “Vanilla Shake”

On Mon, Dec 6, 2021 at 12:25 PM Jim S. <jjsi...@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi, I recently obtained a used Roadeo. It needs a new paint job. Does anyone have opinions on the ideal colors for a Roadeo? Photos are encouraged, of course.

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Ben Mihovk

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Dec 6, 2021, 1:29:01 PM12/6/21
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I’m ALL in on green bikes (or shades of green) with my Russian Sub Green Atlantis and Sage Green Sam. If I were getting a custom or having a Rodeo repainted, it’d HAVE to be green with cream accents. No question.

Ben, who would argue it is quite easy being green, in Omaha

Sent from my iPad

On Dec 6, 2021, at 12:06 PM, David Hallerman <cycle...@gmail.com> wrote:



Matt Beecher

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Dec 6, 2021, 5:16:16 PM12/6/21
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There are not enough purple bikes, though I read a post a while back where Rivendell recognized that.  I have a purple Saluki and a purple XO-2.  The purple Saluki is one of my favorites and made the rounds before I got it.  

Here is a previous owner of my Saluki, for the color.  


Best regards,
Matt B in Oswego, IL

Kushan

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Dec 6, 2021, 6:03:16 PM12/6/21
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Rivendell used to have a AHH color called Copper Metallic. Why they stop carrying this color is beyond me. If I were to have any of my bikes repainted, it would be this color scheme. 

reynoldslugs

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Dec 6, 2021, 8:55:54 PM12/6/21
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Have fun with this.  I went through the same exercise.  Each of these suggestion thus far have merit and a certain flair.

I went with the conservative, classic and relatively rare maroon and battleship grey:

https://www.flickr.com/gp/41563482@N06/60vu9a

Whatever the color, these are great bikes.

Max Beach
Santa Rosa CA

reynoldslugs

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Dec 6, 2021, 8:58:56 PM12/6/21
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P.s., as shown in the pics, mine is the  “official” Team Strawberry Pancakes color scheme.

Campana in, Testico Sicca 

Max B

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Joe Bernard

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Dec 6, 2021, 10:32:41 PM12/6/21
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I started there for my custom..Mark @ Riv had those colors on a cyclocrosser, then the first Hunqapillars got it. I brightened it up to Dove Gray and Ferrari Red. Not a great pic but you get the idea of the gray between the sun and shade parts. 

Joe Bernard
On Monday, December 6, 2021 at 5:55:54 PM UTC-8 reynoldslugs wrote:
Screenshot_20211206-192840_Gallery.jpg

Bill Lindsay

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Dec 7, 2021, 10:04:48 AM12/7/21
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I have an opinion about the ideal colors for a Roadeo.  I think the best and most desirable Rivendells are the ones that remain true to their trademark color.  I think the Atlantis is best in it's recognizable Atlantis color.  I think the A Homer Hilsen is best in it's trademark blue (although there have been slight variations on what that trademark blue is).  The Roadeo has never had a production run, so a trademark color never was truly established, but the first ones were cream with an accent color in a seat tube panel and the head tube.  The first ones had a choice of red, or blue, or anything you want as long as Rivendell approved.  It's my opinion that the cream with red is the classic and most recognizable Roadeo color.  Here's a shot of mine:


I think sticking with a recognizable trademark color also has benefits for resale value.  Some people are willing to risk losing a little on resale value or know for a fact they will never sell their Roadeo.  For those folks who prefer to express their own individuality, then there are definitely ways to do that and remain recognizably a Rivendell.  Any color you want with a cream headtube is definitely classic Rivendell.  An earlier poster commented there are not enough purple bikes.  I agree with that and chose a shade of purple for my Legolas.  This shade is called Amethyst Smoke:


Those are my opinions about the ideal colors for a Roadeo.  Best of luck choosing.  

Bill Lindsay
El Cerrito, CA

Paul G

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Dec 7, 2021, 1:09:45 PM12/7/21
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Answers to this question of color is really open to preferences. Bill provides solid philosophy. The Roadeo was, and is, a club rider's road bike. Speed, group riding, pacelines, clipless pedals, that sort of thing. Of course, we all know that the designed-in versatility allows much more, but that was the original intent. That original creamy white with red or blue accents projected more energy than the softer, mellow hues of more utility models, and I think they matched the Roadeo's personality well. The red accent version had that Faema/Merckx scheme that directly tied it in to road racing even. It wasn't an accident. Mark at Riv verified that when I ordered.

eddy_faema.jpg
_20190716_180048.JPG

However, when my white/red needs to be repainted in the future, I can't help but love the Riv's with the green/cream colors!

23758433940_7fd3569d75_o.jpg
staff23-2.jpg
Note the lack of a cream band on the seat tube of that Roadeo above.

IMG_5629-scaled.jpg

lconley

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Dec 7, 2021, 1:42:12 PM12/7/21
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As has been pointed out here before, it is a proven fact that orange bikes are faster and Molteni orange are the fastest of the orange bikes.
frame.jpg

IMG_0595su.jpg

I am also partial to yellow.

Capture.JPG

Laing

Paul G

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Dec 7, 2021, 1:52:47 PM12/7/21
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^^^ Thumbs up for orange/cream. Remember the creamsicle Rambouillets?

2599416524_f7b2e34a50_o (1).jpg

Brian Campbell

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Dec 7, 2021, 3:34:17 PM12/7/21
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My Legolas was painted the same color green as the now defunct Rivendell Redwood. I would post a pic but can't seem to get one to show up using and iphone.......

Jason Glenn

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Dec 7, 2021, 4:15:23 PM12/7/21
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I don't have a Roadeo -- would love to one day! -- and I love the green suggested above, but I'm a huge fan of the black / cream that Eric Marth used for his repaint of the Sam Hilborne in the beautiful video he posted six-weeks back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OmJRDn5R8I.

Ryan

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Dec 7, 2021, 6:08:06 PM12/7/21
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I do like green and Harvest Gold or mustard to you clem owners and I really like maroon with cream; one of the Roadeos had that maroon/cream colour scheme that I thought looked elegant and understated. 

I like maroon so much I had my 2016  custom mixte painted in that colour. 

Back to the wayback machine for the work-in-process minus Brooks Select and drivetrain...but you get the idea


This was of course when I was still gainfully employed as a software developer and decided I should buy myself a nice retirement present...so...let's just say I pretty much went full out with the build...however the bike needs a seatpost with more setback ...so...for my birthday I ordered a lugged seatpost to replace  the S83 it already has.

Toshi Takeuchi

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Dec 7, 2021, 8:38:09 PM12/7/21
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Ryan, that's a beautiful bike.  I originally wanted my Roadeo to have a darker Bing cherry color, but after all these years I've had the bike, I'm sure that I'm actually faster with this hotter red color.  I can't argue with the fact that orange is the fastest color though.


Toshi



Ryan

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Dec 8, 2021, 7:55:27 AM12/8/21
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Especially under Eddy Merckx...I do like the orange of my 93 X0-1. Not sure it made ME any faster

Your red Roadeo is very racy....I think you had a grassy-green custom built up shortly after I got mine, correct? You have some beautiful bikes there, also  a lovely shot of your daughter beside one of your bikes. A future cyclist?

Toshi Takeuchi

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Dec 8, 2021, 3:37:19 PM12/8/21
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Yes, I'm very fortunate to have some beautiful bikes.  My daughter just turned 14 (the picture is quite old).  She rides a ~42 cm cross check ("ugly brown bike" according to her) and is demanding that I get her a beautiful Betty Foy like her mom's bike (she is threatening to just steal that bike).  Maybe a Platy is calling in a few years.

Toshi



Brian Campbell

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Dec 8, 2021, 5:40:49 PM12/8/21
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Gabriel Bruguier

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Dec 8, 2021, 6:09:06 PM12/8/21
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This is a great thread!  I really dig the variety of color combos on view.  I thought I might post a photo of mine to the mix.  

As far as I can tell, I'm the third owner, and it has the maroon & cream combo.  I decided to go with black parts because I thought they would go good with the darker color.
IMG_7436.heic

Toshi Takeuchi

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Dec 8, 2021, 6:32:17 PM12/8/21
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Yes, that elvish green is very fast when paired with Legolas, and maroon Roadeo looks ready for gravel.

Toshi


Kevin D norcal - santa rosa

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Dec 9, 2021, 1:51:18 PM12/9/21
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Lots of great pics and colors.  I didn't see a Silver one yet so will add this one.  * It's not mine but I wish it was (and if the owner ever wants to pass it on lemme know).  I recall a JP Weigle build with similar paint.  Fine silver - elegance.

silver Roadeo.jpg

On Monday, December 6, 2021 at 9:25:18 AM UTC-8 Jim S. wrote:

Scott Calhoun

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Dec 9, 2021, 2:07:34 PM12/9/21
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I briefly owned this silver one which was offered by The Pros Closet. For the record, it is not a Roadeo and was mis-labeled as such by TPC. It is a Rivendell custom built by Mark Nobilette. I loved the color, but it was build quite stout and more loaded touring oriented IMO. It was not the light lively ride I was hoping for from a Roadeo so I returned it. It also used long, rather than medium reach brakes so I would fit relatively huge tires. 

Kevin D norcal - santa rosa

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Dec 9, 2021, 2:27:46 PM12/9/21
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Hey Scott, thanks for the clarification.  Yeah, I saw it on TPC listed as a Rodeo (I thought it was listed recently but maybe not).  I figured it was custom and thought maybe Waterford.  I saw the fork braze-on but didn't catch the larger tire capacity.  Perhaps more like a Ramb then or even stouter yet.  Great paint either way.  
curious: are you saying you bought it from TPC recently and returned it to them?  Or you bought it new from Riv and returned to Riv a while back . . . and that it wound up at TPC later on.  

Scott Calhoun

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Dec 9, 2021, 4:14:03 PM12/9/21
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I bought it from TPC recently (in 2021--maybe 6 months ago), hoping it was indeed a Roadeo, but after I got it, using the serial number I confirmed that Mark N. built it and confirmed that it wasn't a Roadeo, but somebody's Riv custom. I rode it for maybe three days, but although it fit me and feel really stable and was beautifully made, it felt less nimble than my Ram, and it just wasn't what I was hoping for. 

To TPCs credit, they took it back and even paid the return shipping as they had mis-named it in their description. So it did go back up for sale recently I suspect. Anyone on this list pick it up? 

Jim S.

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Dec 10, 2021, 9:14:28 AM12/10/21
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Thanks for all the responses. I think I like all the colors.

Bill Lindsay: the cream-with-red-or-blue Roadeos apppear white to to me. Perhaps the difference doesn't show up in the photos? Are these Roadeos the same cream as the headtube cream on other Rivs? 

Bill Lindsay

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Dec 10, 2021, 10:21:14 AM12/10/21
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Jim S asked something about shades of white.  I don't know which photos of which bikes you are referring to, but my cream with red Roadeo has the same cream color as the head tube of my other Rivendells.  At least close enough that they appear identical to me.  I imagine there may be an actual WHITE Rivendell photographed on the internet somewhere.  The two photos I linked in my initial response were:

1. a shot of my own cream and red Roadeo.  I think the cream looks cream, especially when compared with the WHITE HED logo on the rims.  
2. a shot of my own Amethyst Smoke with cream Legolas.  The cream of that headtube matches the cream of my cream and Red Roadeo.  

Bill Lindsay
El Cerrito, CA

Paul G

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Dec 10, 2021, 12:57:47 PM12/10/21
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I don't have a cream-accented Rivendell to compare directly to my Roadeo, but on its own, one would call it white (with red accents), not cream. In reality, it is an off white that was selected specifically to soften the overall look of the bike just a tad. I confirmed this with Mark Abele at Rivendell. I also have a bottle of Roadeo White directly from Waterford. It matches the bike nicely and is indeed an off white. I think most would call my bike "white" rather than "cream".

Paul G

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Dec 10, 2021, 1:05:23 PM12/10/21
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Here's a daylight photo of my frameset when it was new.


DSC_2152.jpg

Austin B.

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Dec 10, 2021, 10:08:45 PM12/10/21
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I'm with Paul G--on the white being slightly off-white vs cream on my Roadeo. I do like it with the red accent. If I keep it long enough to repaint it, I'll probably go with the orange creamsicle color scheme.

 IMG_9720.jpgRambouillet.

Bill Lindsay

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Dec 12, 2021, 4:55:16 PM12/12/21
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OK, I happily concede the point that the two different off-whites that look the same to me are in fact different.  I'll stick with my opinion that the original white/off-white/cream with red accents is recognizeably a Roadeo, and looks great.  For the original poster, who was/is looking for inspiration on how to paint a Roadeo, I still think that original color scheme is worth considering.  It looks great, is recognizeable, and probably does well for maintaining resale value due to its recognizeability, in my opinion.  If you are keeping the bike 'forever', then who cares about resale, get what you want.  I still like the 'trademark' nature of it, just like I admire the 'trademark' look of an Atlantis.  

Bill Lindsay
El Cerrito, CA

Andrew Schell

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Dec 12, 2021, 5:26:37 PM12/12/21
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I’ve been watching obsessively for it to show up on their website again, and no luck so far….. unless someone snatched it up very quickly!

andrew in Calgary

Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 9, 2021, at 2:14 PM, Scott Calhoun <sc...@zonagardens.com> wrote:

I bought it from TPC recently (in 2021--maybe 6 months ago), hoping it was indeed a Roadeo, but after I got it, using the serial number I confirmed that Mark N. built it and confirmed that it wasn't a Roadeo, but somebody's Riv custom. I rode it for maybe three days, but although it fit me and feel really stable and was beautifully made, it felt less nimble than my Ram, and it just wasn't what I was hoping for. 
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