Component colours- aesthetics etc

[3narf]

Hi!

Just a trivial post about a bike I'm building.

It's going to be a nice wedgewood blue colour and I always thought I'd be doing it with black components; however, as I've acquired a few bargain items in silver (campag brake calipers, stem) and the cranks I'm using are silver, should I use all silver components?

What's everyone's opinion on a mix of black and silver?

The wheels I'm using are black, and I thought I might use a black seatpost, headset and bars, and brake levers with silver blades, plus the silver brakes, stem and cranks...

I'm embarrassed to post this, it's just fluff!

 

[derrick]

If you like it it's fine, i myself like all black.

 

[jayonabike]

One of my bikes has a mix of black and silver, wheels bars stem & seat post are black, chainset and brakes are silver. It looks fine. I say go for it!

 

[hoopdriver]

It is not fluff at all. Aesthetics are important on a bicycle - or at least they are to me. When I had a custom tourer built I agonised for days over colour schemes, read books on the psychology of colour, looked at colour charts again and again, asked artist friends etc. It is not small matter.

If it were me, with Wedgewood blue I would go with silver for sure. No question. Just silver.

But then - that is me.

 

[booze and cake]

Blue and silver components look great, its a particular weakness of mine, see my Rourke and Merckx. But I think you can mix and match a bit too, my Simoncini has a combo of silver and black, I even have different coloured chainrings . Its on pedalroom if you want to look, and see my other bikes for comparison with the silver look here: https://www.pedalroom.com/bike/simoncini-super-record-26281

Personally I reckon it looks better if the stem and seatpost are the same colour, so I'd say go with the same there, but that's just personal opinion.

 

[smutchin]

When I built my Holdsworth (green frame) about 18 months ago, I went for a silver chainset, seatpost, stem and handlebars but black brake levers and callipers. Wheel rims are silver. Bar tape, saddle, tyres, mudguards and cable outers are all black. It's a fixed gear so no derailleurs of any colour. The component choices were made largely on price grounds but I did stop to think about what it would look like. And I'm happy with how it has turned out.

I'm thinking about adding a set of crosstop levers and have been umming and ahhing over whether to choose silver to match the bars/stem or black to match the main brake levers. I think it'll probably look fine either way.

 

[Drago]

I'd try and keep the accessories all one colour, but wouldn't lose sleep if a key component came up half price in a different hue.

 

[Katherine]

Silver is more forgiving on marks and scratches.

 

[Alan O]

I've traditionally liked having all the parts silver, but for a fixed-wheel bike I'm building I got a pair of wheels with silver rims and hubs, and black spokes - and I really like the look. So yes, I think silver and black can mix nicely - especially with a blue frame.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Hi!

Just a trivial post about a bike I'm building.

It's going to be a nice wedgewood blue colour and I always thought I'd be doing it with black components; however, as I've acquired a few bargain items in silver (campag brake calipers, stem) and the cranks I'm using are silver, should I use all silver components?

What's everyone's opinion on a mix of black and silver?

The wheels I'm using are black, and I thought I might use a black seatpost, headset and bars, and brake levers with silver blades, plus the silver brakes, stem and cranks...

I'm embarrassed to post this, it's just fluff!

Silver only.

 

[Dave 123]

Silver, just like this beauty

https://www.biciclettavelo.com/new-...tar-ultegra-di2-medium-51cm-7ps5f-tmb93-ysg3n

 

[Heltor Chasca]

With wedgewood blue? Silver is your only aesthetic option.

 

[3narf]

Thx all. Wheels will be black so probably something else will have to be; maybe the bars...

 

[Buck]

C’mon pictures man, pictures!!

I think that you need to decide on what you like - It’s your bike and I’m sure it’ll look good in either colour.
Wedgewood Blue sounds a nice colour for a frame.

Black bar tape might be all it needs to complement the wheels?

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Thx all. Wheels will be black so probably something else will have to be; maybe the bars...

Or brown walled wheels (WTB?) brown bar tape & saddle.