If you were building a steel bike, what would be your preference? Should I go with the classic silver look or the more modern black with some silver?
I'm considering buying the first bike pictured as it's £300 cheaper than the second bike. However, I can customise it. However, I like before purchase.
by ThiarAitEigin
20 Comments
i think this bike looks awesome in silver components and black des not fit. regarding the first one.
also i think the second bikes equipment is both nice and totally stupid. having two front racks but none in the back is just braindead. also the rear light placement is awful!
but at least it has lights and i guess a dynamo hub? which is nice.
The Faran is only £300 more than a spa cycles?! Damn I would not have guessed that. A Fairlight Faran is one of my dream bikes so I’d rather the Faran but the one pictured definitely needs a silver stem. The black is out of keeping with the rest of the bike.
Modern bike = black components.
Vintage bike = silver components.
This is purely my opinion of course.
Silver, silver is underrated.
Silver, allways silver baby 🙌🏻
They’re both equally mishmashed of silver and black, neither is a good representation of cohesive components.
I’m a fan of silver aluminum components like older Campagnolo, but with black rims and tires.
Silver always
Pick a side and go all the way. Pleas don’t mix.
Silver looks sleak and innocent, but crankset would be a mismatch imo.
Black wheels make it look “bad”, but I would go all the way – including seatpost, light holders and headset spacers. Better than silver imo.
While at it, though, I would probably look for fenders and crankarm taking up the orange of the headset – that would be the idea I would be pursuing next.
The silver one with silver crankset 👌
I think the second one is a good example of how you can build something nice (imo) mixing them both, I would not get to obsessed with choosing one or the other, and it will help you finding components more easily if you have that flexibility…
I don’t believe in polarisation regarding this topic. I don’t like a full silver component build neither a full black.. it just has like a stock vibe (imo) 🙂 I do think silver components are more beautiful as individual objects but builds are more complex than that
Definitely get the fairlight. You will replace the spa cycles, you won’t replace the fairlight.
Silver components might be coming back if you’re looking for a modern option:
https://bikepacking.com/news/shimano-cues-polished-silver-intro/
Silver with cork tape. Or complete blackout
Silver works better with the fenders and the frame color. A brighter frame color like yellow or orange would look fine with black components.
Shine brightly to one and all.
Go, Hi Ho Silver !
The 2nd pick is a mix of black and silver.
Heck, so is the first.
If you go silver, get a silver crankset. Otherwise…why go silver?
If you go black, get a black crankset, spacers, and seatpost. Otherwise…why go black?
I greatly prefer the old school silver for aesthetics when new. After the bike is old and scratched – scratches on silver don’t stand out as dramatically.
I’d prefer a mix of black and silver, but mostly because the drivetrains I want to use are modern and therefore, sadly, black only. But I think it looks the best when done right. I love a black seatpost and stem on silver cranks for instance.