I’m putting together a Velo Orange Polyvalent, and I’m really struggling to find any modern groupset in silver. Everything new I’ve been looking at is black unless it’s Shimano Cues for drop bar. I guess black is ok, I already have black hubs on my wheelset.
by laluneestjolie
25 Comments
Black would be ok to match the black hubs and black saddle. But ya, silver components are just prettier but for some reason very few places make them. You could check out the newish Silver rear derailleur sold by Riv that’s crazy expensive and probably sold out. Madrone is super cool but also absurdly expensive. Or just go for older stuff. I personally think that the XTR M-950 series derailleurs are my favorite and look good on just about everything. But there’s no clutch, if that’s important to you.
I feel like the most important aspect of a groupset aesthetically is the crankset. There are loads of silver 1x cranks out there. Look at Hope, Velo Orange, Origin8, White Industries, etc. Campagnolo has silver components (I know the 11sp Centaur was silver).
You can find pretty cool cranksets in silver, [like this one](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3SIzg6L).
[These are also quite nice](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4c4kaV1), and might fit your build well.
On these types of cranksets, you can also customize the look a lot with the sprocket.
And titanium pedals, [like these](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4qZAJqf).
I had the same goal recently, cheaped out and did not get the titanium pedals.. still waiting to get a good deal on them.
I think Shimano STX derailleur is the nicest looking silver derailleur, it has that titanium tone also. If you can find one in good condition.
One thing would also be these “probably” fake Ingrids : [derailleur](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c38VPH6X) & [crankset](https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c44gITgb).
Authentic set would costs like 1k€, that’s a lot to pay for just the fancy looks.
I have an old suntour xc pro that polishes up so well, it would look so slick in this build.
Silver Suntour XC triple and just use the middle ring.
Sram XO 9 speed would be perfect imo
You can get cassettes and chain rings easy enough. derailleur is going to be hard.
Even 12x you can do with silver/chrome.
I agree! I’m doing a resto-mod on an old 70’s Motobecane, I was trying to stick to the cheaper end of things and was considering Microshift Sword, but found that Tiagra was just $50 more, so I went with that, because it’s a little better aesthetically. Still, it’s grey, not silver, and silver would have been preferable.
You could copy this bike, which has a really nice silver GRX groupset, it’s probably what I would have gone with if I had a higher budget. Or, buy a 2010-ish Ultegra bike and strip for parts.
https://www.reddit.com/r/bicycling/s/Qkzw1jwV0y
I recently experienced the same thing. I ended up embracing both colors in my build. Went with a GRX rear derailleur since it has a little bit of silver on it. For my crankset I went with Paul Pure cranks. Couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. If you wanted to go 2x I really like the look of the crust heartbreaker crankset.
The [IRD Polaris](https://www.somafabshop.com/shop/ird-crankset-polaris-1x-2x-dm-38t-42-26t-w-spider-w-bb-9281?category=8359#attr=5548,5550) comes in silver. You can set it up 1x too. I have them paired with some Paul Cranks
https://preview.redd.it/bqajhdjg5keg1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e7471dba1f24d6c8609b2ff0a14ee86e88b996e8
What’s your budget? A Madrone derailleur in silver would look sick.
Merry Sales just released IRD’s new crankset in silver. It’s pretty “modern” in that it uses SRAM’s 3-bolt spider, outbound bottom bracket, and 12-speed compatible.
https://www.merrysales.com/shop/ird-crankset-polaris-1x-2x-dm-38t-42-26t-w-spider-w-bb-9281?category=973#attr=5548,5550
I have one waiting to install on a Surly Bridge Club and it sure is pretty.
Crank:
[https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/carmina.php](https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/carmina.php)
[https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/str-cranks.php](https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/str-cranks.php)
[https://global.bluelug.com/blue-lug-xmc-triple-crank-set-silver.html](https://global.bluelug.com/blue-lug-xmc-triple-crank-set-silver.html)
[https://global.bluelug.com/blue-lug-ymc-w-crank-set-silver.html](https://global.bluelug.com/blue-lug-ymc-w-crank-set-silver.html)
[https://www.rivbike.com/collections/silver-cranks](https://www.rivbike.com/collections/silver-cranks)
[https://www.rivbike.com/collections/clipper-cranks](https://www.rivbike.com/collections/clipper-cranks)
Rear Derailleur:
Microshift – [https://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=106567](https://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=106567)
[https://www.rivbike.com/products/derailer-rear-silver-om-1-reverse-action](https://www.rivbike.com/products/derailer-rear-silver-om-1-reverse-action)
When I thought I needed new rings, and thus new cranks too, I wanted to mix silver and black parts because my bike is setup with that mix. Just to visualize it I came up with this using the TA cranks. I thought it would make the second and third ring (not shown) look like they’re hovering, while the black connects to my black rear derailleur.
https://preview.redd.it/bohj3bnl7keg1.png?width=800&format=png&auto=webp&s=b2508b7161325521f70372e379effce9938718b0
For the front derailleur, I found an old one in silver which can handle a triple. It’s the Shimano Utegra FD-6503. A double, FD-6500, might be even easier to find.
Unless you’re trying to put a groupset on there that comes as a set, what’s the difficulty? If you want 2 or 3x, I usually go for Sugino, Rivendell’s Silver brand, or White Industries. Rene Herse has some as well.
The newer one from Paul Components looks amazing if you’re going 1x. I am eyeballing it for a project but need to do a little more research on that SRAM system.
Could buy used older components. Especially for a cruiser like that could look pretty sick.
I paid the silver tax on some things (crank, stem, bar, breaks) for my Polyvalent but for others just using bin parts will get you a lot of silver for not a lot of money.
You can get an old shimano 105 5600 long cage derailleur in silver there’s one I just saw a NOS on eBay for $75. Plenty of range on it, especially if you set up 2x or 3x.
For pretty much everything besides my full sus, I prefer 10spd or less. The chains just last so much longer. My commuter is 9spd sram x5 and I’ve had the same chain/cassette/derailleur for 10k miles, if not more. I barely ever clean it and leave it outside in NY.
For modern components, all I know of are IXF cranks and Deckas chainrings in silver, both brands being bulletproof but within reach. Likewise KMC chains come in different color varieties.
Otherwise raid the parts bins, as there’s the older Shimano, Suntour, Sugino, and Sakae sets mostly in silver.
Veloci cranks are available in silver. Made in Taiwan.
I’m a big fan of vintage deore XT components. Specifically the M730/M737/M739 groupsets. They look great.
Why does it have to be new?
I’d very much consider some nice vintage components for such a classic bike.
Sugino built cranks, maybe a suntour group 🤷♀️
That’s why I run mostly vintage components. There’s so many gorgeous vintage silver drivetrains for not a lot. All the alt bike brands are doing homages to vintage bikes already. Rivendell, Soma, VO, it’s all echoes of 70s and 80s designs. Shoot, my mainstay vintage bike came with a Nitto stem and bars.
Allegedly the Silver friction shifter will pull a 9 speed derailleur across an 11 speed cassette – opens your options quite a bit. Or invest in some de-anodizing gear!
I agree with others that the crankset is what mattes most, though.
[Shimano 105 R7000 was available in silver](https://res.cloudinary.com/delius-klasing/image/upload/v1639680266/tour/04f2ebdd69572d480080b6d7a3cd016d761710fc_df97ec0c07e960fc6dd25f3b2a5d17eb.jpg)
Silver components can be tough to find but brands like Campagnolo and some boutique options offer great choices, just keep an eye on the used market too for hidden gems.