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Ok so this isn't directly car related but close enough. Beth has a new tri bike coming and it is on the way to get custom painted. We need some help with the paint color choice. She wants the base color to be a pearl white - the kind that has kind of a blue shimmer to it if that makes sense? Sort of like on cars. His first suggestion was more of a chameleon color but that is not what she wanted. I sent back this link as a suggestion: https://www.susanjablon.com/sample-of-3 ... -tile.html

After that he returned suggesting this: https://www.paintwithpearl.com/shop/met ... l-pigment/ (click on picture for larger)

Think that would be in line with what she wants? He also asked if I had a car in mind that has the paint color I would want.. any suggestions? We are both terrible at "seeing" things.

This was his email to me:

Pearls come in lots of different colors and styles. For the 'mother of pearl' rainbow look, the closest that I'm keen on would be this pearl flake. It's a bit thicker flake than a standard pearl and will not have a blue undertone. It being a flake will completely cover whatever base color we spray it over. We can do a blue pearl over white but it wont have multiple colors like the pearl you linked.

Is there a specific car you had in mind when referencing this color? Typically for a white pearl, the pearl is sprayed over a slightly tinted white and then with a white or other colored pearl on top of that. Let me know if any of this is confusing and we can talk it out in more detail.

Damn. I know I've seen a car with a color that fits that description, but now I can't remember what it was.

Maybe look through the Ferrari and Lamborghini portfolio. They've got tons of crazy colors.

Lexus Glacier Frost Mica? :d ontknow:

Jeremy Gleason (I think JeremyG on 3si/3sgto) had a Stealth that was white with a blue pearl to it. It was a beautiful color on the Stealth. Not sure that helps, but it could be a lead.

It's not really as common now as it was in the 80's and 90's but you could always do a plain base white, and then add whatever pearl you want to the clear. There are more metallic and pearl bases available today so not as many people opt for that, but it is still an option.

I remember my dad giving people whatever they asked for when he painted cars years back. One guy wanted black with a cherry pearl, so on went the black base, then he added cherry pearl to the clear and sprayed it and the results were great. The car was black in the shade, but when you caught it in the sun it looked almost black cherry.

After discussing more with her just now she pinpoints that she wants it to be more "creamy" like a pearl not sparkly per say..

I saw one of these parked outside the office the other day. It's nice. Not too sparkly.



Maybe instead of pearls she should consider a satin white? For that matter, have you considered just getting it wrapped instead of painted? That'd give her the option to change her mind later on.

Wrap would have been the logical way of doing it. She is female.

She absolutely hates the regular paint color of the bike (I like it.. go figure) so she wants it done right. But yeah wrap would have been logical.. Not sure if she would have gone for it even if I had thought of it though. Wonder how a wrap would hold up to all the sweat and sports drink being spilled on it as well.

Well, think about automotive wraps. They're meant to hold up to weather, UV abuse, high speed road debris, as well as car washes. Both mechanical and hand washing. A little sweat and something you're able to drink can't possibly be worse than that.

I'm guessing this thing is at least partially composite. A quality wrap will also help protect the material from stone chips.

I have seen what sports drink can do though.. the corrosion I found on my handlebar screws and for my rear brake wire scared me (my brake wire actually snapped on me during transportation to IMTX and the mechanics there had to do a replacement for me). But you're probably right.

Fortunately vinyl doesn't corrode. It's no wonder you're lactose intolerant if you're drinking something the can eat through brake cable

Get some sample pieces, put it on a piece of plastic or glass, and then spray some of your corrosive sports drink on it. Leave it out in the sun for an afternoon. See how it holds up.

Are you drinking brake cleaner?

So after a bit of a fail with the custom painter (no work was done) we decided to go custom wrap instead.. this is what it ended up looking like. Bike is on the way back to get built now.

Bike itself:
https://i.imgur.com/Ukt23ms.jpg

Behind the seat storage box:
https://i.imgur.com/QwCGT9F.jpg