Categories: ExportFolkloreLa Vie VelominatusNostalgia

Celeste

The icon of an iconic color gives a lesson in Casually Deliberate. 1

In grade school, a teacher once asked me to name my favorite color, a query to which I responded with the only logical answer for any prepubescent boy surrounded by scary girls in a small classroom: “Celeste.”

“No, you have to pick a real color.”

While the rest of the world believes the most iconic color in Cycling is made-up, our little world is fascinated by it’s legend. Bianchi once proposed to do away with the color and replace it with another more usual hue and the public overwhelmingly rejected the notion, permanently cementing that particular shade of hangover-green as the official color of the brand.

No one knows the origin of the color, but there are two prevailing theories on the matter. The first is that Eduardo Bianchi matched the color to the Queen of Italy’s eyes, whom he was teaching to ride a bicycle. I don’t buy this theory, personally. I mean, this was before color photography or the internet and no one has a good enough memory to match a color to anything without having a photo to work from. It’s too far-fetched.

The other theory is that Eduardo needed paint and was feeling a bit pinchy with the pennies when he came across an enormous quantity of gray and blue paint at a price – possibly from the Italian Navy which was trying to unload an inventory of paint after it realized that fighting a war on the seas is the worst kind of war you can fight because you have to ration the vino rosso. Eduardo mixed the two colors and out came this iconic shade.

My beloved Bianchi TSX is red, a fact which has me constantly wondering whether I should have it repainted in celeste. A red Bianchi? I love that bike, but who let that sneak out of the factory? My other beloved Bianchi, my XLEv2, is black and yellow with celeste lettering. When I ordered it, the owner of the bike shop – Grand Performance in Saint Paul, Minnesota – pressed me on the fact that only the black frames were available as all the celeste ones had been sold. He wound up giving me a discount out of pity.

I love the fact that no one I interact with outside the Cycling world has any idea that this color exists, or that legends have formed around its existence. These are the sorts of things that separate us from the masses. Vive la Vie Velominatus.

¹ Fausto is not, in fact, riding a Bianchi in this photo. The photo is simply too rad not to use, and its black and white.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

Next Velominati Super Prestige: Giro Di Lombardia 2015 »

Previous « On Rule #12: The Bike #1 Paradox

View Comments

frank says:

Sep 30 2015 at 10:16 am

@cognition

@1860

… I love the fact that there is a debate how the color now is not a true celeste (which I agree but it still looks awesome)…

It’s true, though — or at least in a way. The hue of celeste has changed over the years. In some years it’s more blue, in some closer to a true green, in some more vivid and in some more pastel. Perhaps it depends when you first fell in love with a Bianchi, although I’ll still claim that the 1980’s celeste (it of the semi-infamous 1983 ad campaign) is the truest!

A proper TSX frame:

@frank,

If you do end up looking for a repaint on either frame, Allan Wanta does gorgeous work (although I’d argue that the Bianchi he shows is a little too blue…).

I will need to find a crowned fork as well; I have the fork @Oli has on the Bianchi photographed on the top above. I love how the one you're showing has the chromed crown. Beauty.
frank says:

Sep 30 2015 at 10:19 am

@cognition

@wiscot

Out of respect, no other bike manufacturer should use celeste. I’m looking at you, Condor.

Or, worse, Trek Factory Racing 2013:

Yes, it’s a shade more blue than true celeste, but sweet Merckx, Coppi, and Gimondi — have some respect.

That's turquoise not celeste, but I agree; a non-Bianchi brand doing a celest-ish color is similar to one of us tools riding around in the rainbow jersey.
wiscot says:

Sep 30 2015 at 10:22 am

@Oli

Here are my Bianchis, both built with identical 1997 Columbus TSX-UL frames.

Damn Oli, is that your garage door with all the tags on it?
frank says:

Sep 30 2015 at 10:24 am

@Phillip Mercer

I find myself loving the colour one day and hating it on others. My local shop near my work is a Bianchi dealer and I will likely be buying a new bike about this time next year. The question for me is can I handle riding a celeste bike every day? Am I better off getting a black Oltre with celeste highlights? Given my opinion of the colour changes with my mood at the time this makes it a tough question. That and I do like the look of the Propels…

I think if you have a celeste Bianchi, you'd find yourself loving it every day.

@Bee-An-Key

Have 4 Bianchi, Steel celeste, Carbon Celeste, Carbon black with Celeste markings and Aluminum with no celeste but at least has classic panels. In a world that was Titanium grey for years and now is Black or Flat Black it still stands out even when unpopular. Ferarri Red, Mercedes Silver, Belgian Blue, Merckx Orange, Wilier Copper, etc. Who will remember Specialized black, BMC Black w/red, Trek USPS Blue?

Think Ulrich in that classic Bianchi retro jersey. Maybe not the best, cutting edge bike, but they handle great and everyone who buys a non-celeste always regrets it.

Team Bianchi 2003, such class. The VMH has the XLEV4 of that year, which Jan rode for part of the season but it was a bit light for him so he preferred the XLEV3. The line of bikes from the EV2-EV4 were probably the best-handling bikes I've ever ridden, and many of the Pros who raced them echoed the same thing.
frank says:

Sep 30 2015 at 10:27 am

@Celeste

@wilburrox

My name just happens to be Celeste. Really. So I can only love the color. And my bike is a Colnago, and it is pink. Tragic, no?

I bet you spend a lot of time in therapy.

@ChrisO

I have a funny thing about over-cooked vegetables. High heat, quick sear or go home, I say. Except potatoes and tomato assuming you're making the tomato into a red or green sauce.
Tartan1749 says:

Sep 30 2015 at 12:34 pm

@cognition

A proper TSX frame:

Is that real gold inlay or just paint? Either way, it's Class.
Stephen says:

Sep 30 2015 at 6:02 pm

Great thread! And while I don't for a minute suggest that the new carbon bikes have the panache of the classic photos already posted I thought I'd throw this out. I acquired my celeste frame at a charity auction. It wasn't even on the radar before I bid on it and I actually had no intention of buying it at the time - I was just trying to get the bids up to the reserve price so that it would sell and the charity would get the money. It has since become my favourite colour.

https://picasaweb.google.com/101664482593222908911/September302015
Stephen says:

Sep 30 2015 at 6:04 pm

Great thread! And while I don’t for a minute suggest that the new carbon bikes have the panache of the classic photos already posted I thought I’d throw this out. I acquired my celeste frame at a charity auction. It wasn’t even on the radar before I bid on it and I actually had no intention of buying it at the time – I was just trying to get the bids up to the reserve price so that it would sell and the charity would get the money. It has since become my favourite colour.
Gianni says:

Sep 30 2015 at 6:23 pm

@Hans

The plate just before the first white truffles were served in Bianchi’s Milan flagship store. My hosts kindly organised a great business dinner in the store plus a tour. I heard both Celeste stories from their EU marketing manager – so it must be true then!

Wow, I must find this place if I'm ever in Milano again. God help me from putting the plate under my shirt on the way out the door. Outstanding.
Oli says:

Sep 30 2015 at 6:25 pm

@Sue Woollatt

Everyone loves the cactus! It's about 40 years old, apparently...

@wiscot

Haha! Nope, it's the garage for a house up the road.