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Gitane blue colour code / match 
PostPosted: Tue Mar 31, 2015 12:52 pm Reply with quote
roubaix
Joined: 31 Mar 2015
Posts: 5
Location: SWANSEA
Hi I'm restoring a Vitus GTI gitane that's currently painted in the Histor team colours but I was going to change to the blue used by Renault from 83. I'm looking for the paint code, any help would be much appreciated.

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hjtyutg
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No Paint Codes 
PostPosted: Wed Apr 01, 2015 11:28 am Reply with quote
verktyg
Joined: 14 Jan 2007
Posts: 2814
Location: SF Bay Area
There were no paint codes listed by Gitane. Back then bikes had a 5-6 year life expectancy before being consigned to the dustbin or crusher for recycling!

No one ever thought that some people would actually collect these bikes and restore them 30+ years later! Shocked

The best bet is to find a blue color that you think is close and that you like and enjoy your bike.

1983 Team Bike - notice that the placement of the decal on the seat tube is on the front, not on the sides like later bikes.



My 1984 Team Pro Bike





cyclomondo in OZ makes replacement decals: http://cyclomondo.net/

He also has these French Columbus tubing decals and French Reynolds decals. You have to email him for prices.




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Chas.
SF Bay Area, CA USA
==============
1984 Criterium
1969 TdF
1971 TdF
1974 TdF
1984 TdF x 2 Bikes
1970 SC
1971 SC
1972 SC
1984 SC
1984 Team Pro
1985 Professional
1990s Team Replica
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 11:30 am Reply with quote
roubaix
Joined: 31 Mar 2015
Posts: 5
Location: SWANSEA
I've been looking at colour matches but was afraid of going to the expense of getting it painted and getting it wrong, yours looks spot on. What blue is it . thanks.
Fairly sure that fignon pic is one that i took of my poster.


Last edited by roubaix on Thu Apr 02, 2015 12:55 pm; edited 2 times in total

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PostPosted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 12:52 pm Reply with quote
roubaix
Joined: 31 Mar 2015
Posts: 5
Location: SWANSEA
https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8751/16895170301_2ff6c7373f_k.jpg

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Blue? 
PostPosted: Sun Apr 05, 2015 11:44 pm Reply with quote
verktyg
Joined: 14 Jan 2007
Posts: 2814
Location: SF Bay Area
roubaix wrote:
I've been looking at colour matches but was afraid of going to the expense of getting it painted and getting it wrong, yours looks spot on. What blue is it . thanks.

When I used to do a lot of technical writing my monitors and computers were calibrated to accurately display colors as they appeared in the original scene.

This was back in the days before inexpensive digital cameras.

Standardized color and gray scale cards were used for calibration so that graphics would have the proper colors for commercial printing.






So what does this all mean?

For starters, the blue colors (or any colors for that matter) that you see on your monitor may not even be close to the original colors. A lot of it has to do with uncalibrated digital cameras plus lighting and so on.


Secondly, I have 5 blue Gitanes like the color you are inquiring about. They all look different, especially in different light conditions.

The paint on those bikes is 25 to 40 years old.

The tint in metallic blue comes from dyes not solid pigment colors. Those dyes tend to fade over time, especially when exposed to sunlight or other UV sources.


As I suggested before, try to find a metallic blue color that you like and go with it.

Any shop that professionally paints bikes should be able to help you. They will have books with actual paint samples to choose from.

Next place to look is a store that sells automotive paint. Last would be an auto parts store that sells touch up paint in spray cans.


Don't fret about something that never existed... Accurate paint colors on bikes! You'll drive yourself nuts!

Friends who visited Bianchi over the years discovered that the trademark Celiste aqua/blue/green color was mixed daily and could range from pastel green to blue!








roubaix wrote:
Fairly sure that fignon pic is one that i took of my poster.

BTW, I copied the 1983 Fignon poster from an eBay auction a number of years ago.


Last edited by verktyg on Mon Apr 06, 2015 11:25 pm; edited 1 time in total

_________________
Chas.
SF Bay Area, CA USA
==============
1984 Criterium
1969 TdF
1971 TdF
1974 TdF
1984 TdF x 2 Bikes
1970 SC
1971 SC
1972 SC
1984 SC
1984 Team Pro
1985 Professional
1990s Team Replica
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 06, 2015 1:09 pm Reply with quote
roubaix
Joined: 31 Mar 2015
Posts: 5
Location: SWANSEA
Yeah I'm just going to have to bite the bullet pick a colour and go for it. It's a cracking poster I bought it off ebay few years back, takes pride of place in the garage. I've got quite a few renault and system u posters I'll post them on here.
Thanks

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PostPosted: Mon Apr 20, 2015 8:15 pm Reply with quote
scozim
Joined: 26 Sep 2008
Posts: 629
Location: Ellensburg, WA
To me the color seems to be somewhere between the 90's Ford Bimini Blue and the early Subaru WRX blue. When thinking about repainting a bike I was actually leaning toward the Subaru hue.

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1984 Gitane Sprint
1984 Gitane Tour de France
mid-1970's Gitane Olympic
Plus many more
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Gitane blue colour code / match 
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