So - onto the complex and (for me) difficult to decide matter of paintwork colours and other finishing options.
Merican's colour options are here, though some of them actually look a bit different "in the flesh" on the actual bike frames I saw:
https://www.merciancycles.co.uk/frames/colours/[click to expand]
I should perhaps state that both my current bikes are British Racing Green, my Hewitt Cheviot a *very* dark green, my Bromption quite a bit lighter. I like green, but want this bike a different and probably lighter colour.
As a reminder, all components will be silver and will probably have a brown or honey leather saddle and possibly bar tape too..
I initially was going to get it in #63 - orange pearl (flamboyant) and silver (much like here:
https://www.merciancycles.co.uk/frames/strada-speciale/ ), the Strada does look pretty nice in that, but think I've changed my mind...
Instead, I'm now thinking of a light-to-mid blue - #12 - Metallic Blue Polychromatic in fact, though I was a little dissappointed to see it looks quite a bit lighter on the bikes I actually saw in this (apparently the actually shade can vary quite a bit). Never-the-less, this is what I've now asked for...
Other colours I quite liked were a bianchi-esque turquoise e.g. #15 Green Polychromatic or #35 Bianchi Blue Enamel), or somewhat differently, flamboyant red (which is actually quite dark, not bright). I'm still not 100% decided, argh!
I definitely don't want just a single solid colour, I want a contrasting colour head tube and seat tube - for the later with either a "barber's pole" or panel and stripes (contrasting with the main colour) - see below for more on this... For the contrasting colour I've now decide to go for #46 White Pearl (instead of silver or just flat enamel white), also for the main lug lining and also to fill the clover-leaf lug cutouts and fork lug cut outs. I've asked for the lug cutout lining and headtube lug lining (against the white at the front) to be in gold, instead of the more usual black.
I've also asked for the gothic Merican downtube logo to be in white, with gold edging.
Other options:
1) Barber's Pole or just panels and stripes on the seat tube? I guess this one is a bit 'Marmite", but for me a barber's pole spiral stripe on the seat tube is so classic Mercian, I just had to go for it (in white pearl, with gold edge lining), though I also do really like the look of one big panel and a smaller stripe top and bottom too - for comparison:
Barber's Pole:
Panel and Stripes (BTW I think this was done in #41 French Blue Enamel - quite like this, actually...)
2) Headtube transfer/badge options - Modern "World Over" Mercian transfer (or enamel badge) or retro "Olympic" one (or enamel badge). I chose the retro "Olympic" logo, though just as a transfer, not enameled badge - easier to clean and less likely to rub on cables on a small frame, I'm thinking. Also cheaper. Though the retro "Olympic badge" *is* rather nice... BTW if going for the Barber's Pole (which is what I've asked for) I *wouldn't* put a second badge/transfer on that (which is what they do standard).
Retro transfer:
Retro badge (would be screwed, not riveted these days)
Modern transfer:
Modern badge (would be screwed, not riveted these days):
So to summarize - what I've now asked for (unless I change my mind *again*) is -
a) Main colour #12 - Metallic Blue Polychromatic
b) Barber's pole (#46 White Pearl, with gold edge lining) seat tube, against the main #12 blue (with the Reynolds sticker at the top, just below the top tube)
c) #46 White Pearl headtube, with gold lug lining
c) #46 White Pearl main (and fork) lug lining and lug cutout fills, with gold inner lug cutout lining
d) Gothic Merican downtube logo to be in white, with gold edging
e) Retro "Olympic" headtube (-only) logo transfer
How does that sound? If the blue is quite light, maybe black, rather than gold edging would stand out better?