Raleigh Superbe Green vs Raleigh Superbe Green Posing as Black

Certain colors change greatly depending on the type and amount of light present. Raleigh Superbe Green is one of those colors that ranges anywhere from a medium green, to a black-looking color.

Here's a look under a decent amount of sunlight, but not in direct sun:

How about a little farther away?

 It looks like a medium-dark green with some blue tones.

What about in the shade?

It looks more like a grey-blue-black color in the shade here. If you take this latter picture to the paint shop for a match, you'd come back with the wrong color.

When you want to match vintage bicycle paint at a paint shop, or when you want to mix your own paint, always work from a representative part of the bike. Look for a part of the bike that is closest to the majority of your project's color. Avoid working from just a picture of a bike, and avoid working from the more faded areas. Only work from a like-new area if you're re-painting the entire bike. It's better to match your faded original paint for touch-up than it is to throw like-new paint into the chips and have it not match.

And if you really are in doubt, get a black bike...