Opinions, please

[lulubel]

I've just changed the headset and put new bars and stem on the Surly. The bars are OnOne Midge bars, so they're quite a lot wider than my old "female specific" bars. One thing that didn't occur to me until after I'd done it was the extra distance the brake cables would have to travel, with the result that they're now rather on the short side. It's rideable, but I'm going to have to take the bar tape back a bit before I ride it because the bars don't turn freely enough at the moment!

As you can see from this photo, the Surly is all black and white/silver, which I rather like ....

.... except that the Fulcrum wheels have a bit of red on them, which isn't all that noticeable in this photo, but really jumps out at you in real life.

So, I'm wondering if I should stop trying to ignore the red and embrace it instead, by going for a full set of red cable outers.

What do you think?

 

[Herzog]

I'd stick with the black, it keeps in line with the majority of the bike.

 

[MrJamie]

A little red might go nicely, but i think it looks tidier to have cables blend and hide in than make them stand out.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

De-sticker the wheels?

 

[Booyaa]

I vote for the red! Although if you like the black/silver look it won't be long until you wish you had kept it like that. Go Red Go Red Go Red

 

[biggs682]

why change it at all

 

[Pat "5mph"]

That wee bit of red is enough: don't change

 

[CopperCyclist]

Black handlebar tape with red stitching could have worked

 

[smokeysmoo]

De-sticker the wheels?

+1, and another vote for keeping the black.

 

[4F]

Black is faster

 

[HovR]

I'm personally not a big fan of coloured cables, stick with black in my opinion.

 

[Crackle]

black or silver

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Black. Because if (when) you change the wheels.....

 

[andsaw]

They look different, never seen handlebar drops shaped like that, but look like they could make sense as your forearms are not rubbing on the uprights is that correct, shouldn't those hoods be straight they look uncomfortable, is it cold enough in malaga to have a draught snake in your doorway lol.

 

[lulubel]

I decided to stick with black, on account of finding some black cable outer in one of my (many) boxes of bike bits.

I might still go over to red at some point in the future, though, because I do rather like the idea of contrasting cables. I wouldn't want to go for red on the bar tape because I'm really not a fan of saddles and bar tape that don't match.

They look different, never seen handlebar drops shaped like that, but look like they could make sense as your forearms are not rubbing on the uprights is that correct, shouldn't those hoods be straight they look uncomfortable, is it cold enough in malaga to have a draught snake in your doorway lol.

The hoods are in exactly the position they're supposed to be. I haven't ridden it yet, but it's supposed to be more comfortable because your forearms are at a more relaxed and natural angle. They're technically off-road bars - the extra width on the drops helps with control over rough stuff - but OnOne market them as suitable for any bike.

And it does get cold enough for a draught excluder in Spain. There's no point in letting the colder air from the unheated room mix with the air in the rest of the house and increase your heating bills, is there?