I sometimes wonder if manufacturers actually stop to think about their choice of colours, but more importantly..the finish.
A couple of days back, I popped into my local E-bike shop to collect an Intuvia upgrade kit for my Haibike Trekking. Whilst there, I helped to prep a couple of 2014 KTM's ready for delivery (his and her's job I think
). These latest machines with the gen 2 Bosch drives look absolutely gorgeous, except for the colour...white! Now, there is nothing wrong with white bikes, I have just purchased one myself. The significant difference is, my bike has the correct finish for a light coloured paint-job, deep gloss. Fifteen minutes with a damp cloth and it's gleaming. Compare that with the two brand new KTM's, pure white with a.....wait for it......MATT finish!!. And already they were covered in grubby paw marks which I found very difficult to remove.
Matt finish is fine for dark colours. I have two matt black bikes, and one in Kalkhoff's matt olive green. Once a year, to maintain the lustre, they are treated with Turtle Wax "Black in a Flash" (keep it away from the braking surfaces). This "polish" by the way, is not black, it's a sort of translucent gel that would suit any colour with a matt finish. In between, they are easy to keep in pristine condition with just a damp synthetic chamios.
Another culprit for specifying the wrong finish is Juicy Bike. The classic model in custard yellow and duck egg blue...MATT FINISH. And they always look scruffy, with frame tubes covered in grubby finger prints.
I do appreciate that some riders never clean their machines by choice. But my choice is to at least start the ride with the machine in pristine condition. It is after all, an ambassador, not only of the marque, but E-bikes in general, and as such is always presented to the public in a gleaming and therefore noticeable condition.
I really wish the manufacturers would show a little consideration for those of us who experience, and demonstrate pride in ownership.
'ave a chew on that then
A couple of days back, I popped into my local E-bike shop to collect an Intuvia upgrade kit for my Haibike Trekking. Whilst there, I helped to prep a couple of 2014 KTM's ready for delivery (his and her's job I think
). These latest machines with the gen 2 Bosch drives look absolutely gorgeous, except for the colour...white! Now, there is nothing wrong with white bikes, I have just purchased one myself. The significant difference is, my bike has the correct finish for a light coloured paint-job, deep gloss. Fifteen minutes with a damp cloth and it's gleaming. Compare that with the two brand new KTM's, pure white with a.....wait for it......MATT finish!!. And already they were covered in grubby paw marks which I found very difficult to remove.Matt finish is fine for dark colours. I have two matt black bikes, and one in Kalkhoff's matt olive green. Once a year, to maintain the lustre, they are treated with Turtle Wax "Black in a Flash" (keep it away from the braking surfaces
). This "polish" by the way, is not black, it's a sort of translucent gel that would suit any colour with a matt finish. In between, they are easy to keep in pristine condition with just a damp synthetic chamios.Another culprit for specifying the wrong finish is Juicy Bike. The classic model in custard yellow and duck egg blue...MATT FINISH. And they always look scruffy, with frame tubes covered in grubby finger prints.
I do appreciate that some riders never clean their machines by choice. But my choice is to at least start the ride with the machine in pristine condition. It is after all, an ambassador, not only of the marque, but E-bikes in general, and as such is always presented to the public in a gleaming and therefore noticeable condition.
I really wish the manufacturers would show a little consideration for those of us who experience, and demonstrate pride in ownership.
'ave a chew on that then
