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    my neurotic debacle: mixing black and silver components

    this is my commuter bike—a ‘88 fuji tivoli i converted to a single speed.

    though this bike isn’t really the style of most in this sub, i feel you folks are primed for this question—is there a way to tastefully mix silver and black components?

    1-2 is what it looks like now, 3-4 is when i first built it up. i got the wald basket last week (bike shop only had black), and the parts itch began to hit me…luckily i had this fixed gear/single speed wheel set with black and silver rims that i felt like made the black basket make sense. i also put some cloth tape on the bar (nitto wavie) so i could use the whole surface instead of just the grips—hoping it will fade in the sun to match the pink logos and cable housing.

    this morning i had this moment of “did i ruin a classy look with all this shit?”

    so, i figured this sub was a good place to pose the question—open to friendly suggestions 🙂

    for the nerds:

    the frame is tange infinity, what soma uses on some of their road frames nowadays, and this thing fucking rips. it’s also beat up enough to not catch too many eyes when it’s locked up on the street.

    by JRKinney95

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    15 Comments

    1. 4tunabrix on

      Currently build is nice, don’t think the black basket is an issue at all. Personally think the grip tape(?) is the wrong choice tho.

      Switch back to esi grips and it’d look great

    2. rasmussenyassen on

      The aesthetic problem with the basket is how it affects the silhouette of the bike, not the color. It wouldn’t look much better if it were silver. Black rim brake wheels don’t look much different in practice as the brake tracks are generally silver anyways, I wouldn’t have noticed if you hadn’t told me.

      The bar tape is probably useful but the big wrap of electrical tape and black grips sticking out make it look not so good. There’s a reason the real perverts for deep wraps on flat bars, the Rivendell people, like to finish with twine and shove felt under there for more cushion.

    3. MalagrugrousPatroon on

      The basket in black is good because it disappears, it doesn’t draw the eye from the rest of the bike. Also, you can play off the tires and seat.

      I would go with different grip tape though. Maybe white.

      On my own bike I have silver and black, and the aim was to mostly have the black components on the bottom half, and the silver on the top half. Instead it’s all jumbled. I mostly like it but I would like to either get closer to original vision or make a better jumble.

    4. lemmycaution217 on

      Sure pics 3 and 4 look best, but if you want this for a commuter, which one rides best and is most practical.

      I need all my bikes to be able to run errands or just carry stuff, while I’m out on a ride so sooner or later I mess up whatever “clean” look I had in mind. What are you gonna do? It sucks more being unable to do what you need with the bike.

    6. double___a on

      If we’re being pedantic about component colour, here are my (somewhat arbitrary) rules:

      – stem, seatpost, bar should all match. Ideally brand as well as colour/finish
      – brake calipers should match your rims
      – hubs and cranks should match.
      – a black ring on a silver crank is acceptable, the reverse is not.

      Re: the basket.
      It’s perfectly functional, and can work aesthetically in black. That balances the black rims and saddle.

      However, it would look a lot better if it were set up lower. Ideally just above the front tire, in line with the headtube. This gives it a cleaner, more integrated silhouette and integrates the lines into the frame vs sticking up and out as it does now.

    7. double___a on

      If we’re being pedantic about component colour, here are my (somewhat arbitrary) rules:

      – stem, seatpost, bar should all match. Ideally brand as well as colour/finish
      – brake calipers should match your rims
      – hubs and cranks should match.
      – a black ring on a silver crank is acceptable, the reverse is not.

      Re: the basket.
      It’s perfectly functional, and can work aesthetically in black. That balances the black rims and saddle.

      However, it would look a lot better if it were set up lower. Ideally just above the front tire, in line with the headtube. This gives it a cleaner, more integrated silhouette and integrates the lines into the frame vs sticking up and out as it does now.

    9. BirdBruce on

      I used to have a stylish commuter. Then it got stolen from a garage full of other bikes that were locked up worse than mine, probably because it was the prettiest one. That was like 7-8 years ago.

      Now I have an ugly beater townie, and my “cool” bike lives inside. Never had a problem since.

    10. wecantdancelikethis on

      nah. silver+black always looks janky.

      if you want it to look janky- life’s short, so jank it up!

    11. RabiAbonour on

      It’s an old Fuji – I honestly think caring too much about perfectly matching the components makes it look worse. A sprezzatura build works.

    15. Boxofbikeparts on

      I built up a very similar SS to yours!

      I have never ever liked the look of anodized aluminum rims with silver sidewalls. Either all one color or all silver. I also don’t like the look of bright tanwall tires on black rims. The tanwalls always get permanently dirty after some time as well.

      In the end, ride what you like and build it to make yourself happy.

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