Roadies…..Colourful bike or black?

Colourful! Black bikes just look so boring. Total failure in imagination on the part of the designer. It's annoying that often the lower tier bikes are available in nice colour schemes, but go up the range a bit and the colour options fade to black and blacker.

Depends what colours the bike(s) I was interested in came in.

I have owned more black bikes than any other colour. None of them were through choice as tend to buy used frames and the frames I want seem to more than not come in black. I prefer framesets in bold colours given the choice.

Black for me. Or another simple block colour.

I ride for two club. One has navy, red and pink kit. The other has orange kit.

It's easy to add colour with cheaper things than a bike frame.

There are some great paint jobs available these days, but one reason higher end bikes are sometimes only available in black is because it’s lighter.

Multiple colours, flip paint and high gloss can add well over 100 grams to a frame. Whilst this isn’t much in the scheme of things, it’s a big percentage of a 750 gram frame.

Thinking of the variety of bikes on display on any given club run (at my club that is), there is nothing in, or out of style. Everything is on display. Real style is having your own choice and rocking it, not doing what everyone else is doing.

In contrast I have observed the Rapha club of Manchester and there is definitely an 'in style' to their bikes and kit. [[Shudders]]

Sort of somewhere in between

Chameleon tint 🙂

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I choose my bike colours like an excited small child high on sugar, but then I don't care or worry about resales or what other people think. 😉 😆

Some nice paint jobs around, personally though I’d only pick something bold if I was changing the bike regularly as the novelty would wear off.

I keep mine for a while so usually go black (or white), and as above it’s easier to match kit 🙂

Current paint is very light with the layup showing through in places, also a nice holographic logo which is enough for me.

The only place acceptable for black is the tyres, but not the walls. It makes bikes look heavy and dull. Rims and spokes should sparkle.
Perfect

I'm not a fan of the all-black look but my most recent road bike was such a bargain that I couldn't pass it up. I've added splashes of colour to "lift" it a bit.

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I guess there's an advantage in that I could change the accent without a respray being involved. However it does seem that plain black is quite common around here. Same for MTBs actually.

I really couldn't care less what colour my bike is but then I'm a cheapskate. The latest trends seem to be for darker colours with sparkly bits in, these do tend to look very nice I must say!

Colourful (custom paint)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/166882394@N07/51742043513/in/dateposted-public/

Or Anti-black - pearlescent white

https://www.flickr.com/photos/166882394@N07/51375445723/in/dateposted-public/

The new frame I’m considering comes in a horrible light ish blue, gloss red or black with hints of the horrible blue. It’s a tricky one. I’d almost rather it came unpainted and I’d take it somewhere for a custom job. It’s a Ribble so you can go custom but their online tool so workout what you’d get is terrible!

My ideal would be a deep metallic candy purple for a road bike at the moment. Maybe with a fine layer of spectraflare over the job.

Kind of nice in the sun when clean, but not too obvious for bike thieves to really attract attention.

I like a white bike. Have a qhitevTT bike, race bike and fixed bike. That said I also have a black best bike and a grey fixed bike.

Of course there is always titanium which removes the issue 😎

I think you need a lighter colour on the bike as black isn't a colour 🙂

I'm in my white phase although have had black bikes I just think a nice light coloured bike with a fat middle aged bloke in bright lycra on it really pops.

I've actually got a pair of rather nice bibs in white that I've never worn 🙁

I think a bike thieves gonna bike thieve regardless of the colour tbh, the £x amount of Rapha is probably more of a marker. 🙂

I'd choose something nice and colourful if all thing were equal, but my current road bike was so cheap I didn't care that it looks bland AF.

I have got some red bar tape to add in time, if that helps.

Dark bike and bright kit or vice versa. Our club kit is black, white and orange, so most of my bikes are dark coloured.

I had a succession of black bikes and felt like something completely different so my most recent one is a bright lime colour!

Much prefer colourful bikes but my current TCR was such a bargain that I had no choice but to buy black. It does mean that pretty much any kit you wear "goes" with the bike though.

Love that Specialized Aethos (I think it is) up there though^^^^^

Seems to be at least an option on most bikes, so at least it's black, or.....

Although judging by ebay some people should stick to black with black parts 😬

But I've never made any attempt to coordinate kit with my bike, is that a thing?

I feel like you should either go bright frame with all black parts or vice versa, all black everything is a bit dull and colourful everything is OTT.

Red (and some white or black) for the road bike, and black for the MTB

Kit is red and black and can then suit a road or off road ride

My roadie is a Titanium frame but I've dressed it up with Red bar tape and tyres with Red sidewalls.

That's enough for me - I may change to Orange at some point :o)

But I’ve never made any attempt to coordinate kit with my bike, is that a thing?

I’ve just learnt it’s a thing too 😳 I must be doing it wrong.

Yeah I think you guys have missed the point a little here. I wasn't suggesting people buy a bike to match their kit or vice versa. Rather, the silver-lining to a black bike is that anything goes with black, as the saying goes. Sheesh.

But I’ve never made any attempt to coordinate kit with my bike, is that a thing?

Definitely!

Surely that fails completely with club kit?

Colour is always better... Mine is mostly black and white though.

Personally my club kit fails on all levels, fashion and function. If you put a gun to my head though, I reckon it fails less spectacularly with a black bike. I would like to stress this a happy coincidence rather than a well thought out strategy though before people think I might buy a 3k bike to match my 5 year old faded jersey.

As ever I'm gobsmacked, and TBH thinking the whole thread might just be an elaborate joke, that anyone gives a nanoseconds thought to what colour their bike should be.

I'm equally amazed at the number of photos people still have of bikes they have sold...

That is the case right.... the only reason I can think of to take a picture of your bike is when you need to sell it.🤔

( unless you bought it second hand, natch)

As ever I’m gobsmacked, and TBH thinking the whole thread might just be an elaborate joke, that anyone gives a nanoseconds thought to what colour their bike should be.

Bet you wear slides without socks 🙂

One doe not simply ride their road bike, the whole ensemble must match.

@plus-one, lovely looking bike but the seat is WAY too high, I suggest you need a larger frame and should offload that bike to me at a bargain price as thanks for my helpful advice 🙂

That is the case right…. the only reason I can think of to take a picture of your bike is when you need to sell it.

What about, in case it's stolen ?

I much prefer bright coloured bikes, but black does work sometimes. I just love a nice paint job. Some of the Cervelo colours are lovely, but even they, at the moment are a bit dull.

I've ended up with a couple of dull looking bikes, Grey one because it was a bargain, and a sort of greyey green one cos the 3 colours on offer were all dull as shit, so it'll probably get resprayed in future.

My road bike is devisive in itself, but I think it's a really nice colour, logos not so much, but the colour is lovely in the flesh.

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As ever I’m gobsmacked, and TBH thinking the whole thread might just be an elaborate joke, that anyone gives a nanoseconds thought to what colour their bike should be.

I’m equally amazed at the number of photos people still have of bikes they have sold…

That is the case right…. the only reason I can think of to take a picture of your bike is when you need to sell it.🤔

Well colour and aesthetics is vey important to some. Personally I'm not all that fussy but it certainly does mean something to have a bike I like, it's often a precious object with sentimental value to many people after all not just a tool (hence people taking photos etc).

Anyway...
My road bike is bright red, with bright yellow & white detailing 😀
Pretty much by coincidence by road bike, mtb, and 2 out of the 3 kids' bikes are a very similar colour scheme haha.
Also all my kit is red & black, again mostly by coincidence believe it or not.

I'm not part of a club so I can look like whatever, who cares 🙂

What about, in case it’s stolen ?

This. Always have up to date photos of your bikes. I sometimes take photos of my bikes in the garage before I go on holiday, just to show they were locked up.

I like a black bike, and I dont think they date better.

Time below is a 2005 model, and the Colnago is my new summer bike. Mind you I do like a Mapei colour Colnago...

black bikes

sorry I forgotten how to share photos again... old age

https://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=166689&sid=ee763bec59a446d583ada3a1b3a331c6&start=15

From a time when bling was in, my 2001 Colnago CT1 - I’ve had other road bikes come and go, but this has such a lovely ride. Which reminds me, it’s still in a box in my garage from our house move over 2 years ago.

That is the case right…. the only reason I can think of to take a picture of your bike is when you need to sell it.

What about, in case it’s stolen ?

Ahem, more importantly, what about for the 'Gram?

Better. My two black road bikes, one is a year old and the other is 17 years old and done about 50,000 km's. I like black bikes 🙂

sorry I forgotten how to share photos again… old age

https://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=166689&sid=ee763bec59a446d583ada3a1b3a331c6&start=15/blockquote >

Dreamy

EDIT: and there's more! That is some collection of bikes bfw. Which rides the nicest?

 

That Colnago above is a beaut. Mines an understated blue and tanwall affair

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As ever I’m gobsmacked, and TBH thinking the whole thread might just be an elaborate joke, that anyone gives a nanoseconds thought to what colour their bike should be.

Yeah,a bit like worrying about what shirt to wear at a climbing wall ... 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🙃👍

I'm not especially fond of all black, but black with some highlights looks very good. I like the Colnago, but I'd like it wven more if the decals were coloured. Black decals on black is a bit meh....

For skinny tube bikes, more block colours for me.. I don't like skinny tubes and busy patterns.

I'd normally go with as neutral, inoffensive colours as possible, generally grey or black, as I've found bikes/frames easier to sell that way.

But my current bike is the opposite, mainly because it's a keeper, and also I liked the colour. Wife thinks all bikes should be as bright as possible for visibility on the road.

From a time when bling was in

Bling is always in 😉

Black...

[img] [/img]

@finbar

The Colnago of course 🙂 Tbh my Enigma Etape is ace to ride, but the Colnago is so much faster to ride. The Time is stripped and in the loft, parts all sold off. I will never sell it we have been through too much now.

The Colnago I love the black decals tbh, but then I would love a Mapei coloured one also ... I will check with the wife and see if she will let me...

My point is I dont think the Time looked like a 17 year old bike, I think black (especially matt black) is good for that.

Ah I thought the Mapei one on WW was yours as well!

I was thinking maybe colourful bikes are harder to sell on? A few people on here say they have colourful bikes because they were a bargain which kind of points to that. I’m a born and bred mountain biker and have a brightly coloured bike because again it was in a sale with 50% off. I didn’t even consider that a lot of roadies belong to clubs and wear colourful kit so don’t want it to clash with their bike.

Yeah,a bit like worrying about what shirt to wear at a climbing wall …

Don't recall asking advice on the shirt colour.... 🤔

I don't bother taking photos of my black bikes, but the black road bike in particular is my most ridden bike, probably because of the mudguards and the cheap, Putolined drivetrain, there are no conditions I won't ride it through. If I only had one bike it would probably be black.

(oh and yes, the pink one was 50% off when I bought it).

i came here looking for jazzy pics of road bikes... i wasnt disappointed.

I do like a Ti bike, and course matt black bits 🙂

Funny think is my favourite bike is my Clockwork

I love riding it and love just looking at it with a cuppa in my hand. I even had a German dude stop me on the top of a Swiss mountain for a chat about it. We were the only two with HT's in a sea of £8k+ Full-suss bikes

My Project One Emonda SLR….love the chameleon colour scheme on this….

And a my old black bike which I loved…..

I had a Cannondale Supersix Black Edition was another great bike. I’d not hesitate to buy another.

Not into Trek's but that is nice @w00dster

I was thinking maybe colourful bikes are harder to sell on?

From experience, yes they are, also any anodised parts (any colour). I guess they aren't necessarily just harder to sell but it's a combination of less value or longer sale time in my experience.

I was thinking maybe colourful bikes are harder to sell on?

Who cares about resale? I'd rather ride a bike I like than one that might "hold its value", but then I tend to keep a hold of my bikes for quite a while.

I don't think I've ever bought a bike where I had a choice of colour...

Whilst I've definitely ruled out certain bikes from any potential shopping short list if I didn't like the colour scheme, once I've decided on the bike I want to buy, it's then down to whatever the manufacturer has available. I'm usually too impatient to consider a custom-build or custom paint job so just get whatever is available first.

When I bought my Giant TCR, the previous model year was a gorgeous blue so was slightly disappointed when it was out-of-stock so ended up with the next model year in, what I thought, a bland red colour but, since then, many people have complimented the colour of bike. So I guess my taste is questionable.

When I bought my Giant TCR, the previous model year was a gorgeous blue

Just missed out on a lovely blue Basso, the alternatives were black or white 😭

Will go for white and just try to accessorise tastefully. Oil slick everything 😉

Colourful always wins. Always.

Always any colour you like so long as it's not black. Black bikes look a lot heavier than they are, they look old enough to have come out of the Ark, and they're just drab and boring. Especially with black wheels and black groupsets (making me yawn just to think about it). The world is in full technicolor, why buy things that look joyless and dull when you have a full spectrum of colours to play with?

And don't get me started about black decals on black framesets!

Bright frame and all black components 👌

Maybe with contrasting bar tape.

I tried the contrasting bar tape….didn’t work with my rather poor attempts!

I went from zesty green:

[img] [/img]

Which I loved, to black with a couple of highlights;

[img] [/img]

Non-cyclists like the colour mismatch with the bar tape, the roadies definitely not.

Pure black is boring, needs a little highlight somewhere.

My Canyon Aeroad with a bit of contrasting colour, I don’t think the contrast worked, prefer it all black in the picture I posted a few posts above.….

And another one of the Emonda P1 in the sun…..

And this was a nice bike, hired it for a week in Girona….black and green contrast worked I thought…

My bit more colour oriented fixie 🙂

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Black bikes look a lot heavier than they are, they look old enough to have come out of the Ark, and they’re just drab and boring. Especially with black wheels and black groupsets (making me yawn just to think about it)

My road bike is logo-free matt black with matt black logo-free wheels and blackwall tyres, black-taped black bars
Groupset's dark grey though - you know, to cheer it all up a bit - and the saddle has some pink stitching !

I used to have a planet-x that was a lovely sort of 80s Gios blue.  That was pretty

I went black and white.

I do like that Colnago @Zerolight
You went with SRAM Red rather than Campag though?

And @Plus-One that’s a cool looking bike, but makes my back twinge looking at the saddle to bar drop!

I can't imagine caring! I bought mine because it was a carbon endurance bike with mudguard mounts and it was in stock. It's black and white and looks good like all new bikes do.

You absolute tart 😉

Definitely pic #1 for the Aeroad, always liked the look of those frames in black and I’m a sucker for tan walls

My main / summer / fast road bike is very black, but also orange
[img] [/img]

Son No.1's is one of the brightest things on the planet with a combination of a Belgian blue frame, and Fulcrum wheels with red & white graphics
[img] [/img]

I tried the contrasting bar tape….didn’t work with my rather poor attempts!

The green's just a bit too different to the downtube stickers, would be great otherwise.

Are those all your current road bikes or some old ones?

@chakaping - the chameleon Emonda SLR and the Domane with the green bar tape are all that remain. Bar tape is now black.
The Domane is my winter bike. It’s from 2017, done a fair few miles and isn’t in great condition…..looking for a gravel bike to replace it. I’ve done a lot of off-road riding on that bike (with 33mm CX tyres).

The white emonda is my old race bike, it’s got the naff wheels on it in that pic due to it being spring and for crit racing I preferred the aluminium braking strip, I also had the Aeolus carbon wheels that didn’t brake particularly well in the wet….or dry, but they looked good.

The Aeroad is probably the best bike I’ve had. The rim brake Emonda SLR was just over 6kgs, Dura Ace with the 1300g wheels. But the Aeroad just always felt fast and fun. Weight wise, it was just over 7kgs in a size small with 50mm wheels. Slightly heavier with the 60mm Reynolds. Back in 2018 I was browsing the Canyon site, there was rumours about a new Aeroad but nothing confirmed, I noticed they had reduced the rim brake models from £4400 to £2700. Snapped one up! Now the disc brake version of that Aeroad (CF SLX with Di2) is £6500.

Have to admit I never found the black Aeroad boring to look at, but I thought the same with my old Supersix Black Edition. Id have both of those bikes again if I could. (I don’t mind rim brakes on a dry weather bike)

But the Aeroad just always felt fast and fun. Weight wise, it was just over 7kgs in a size small with 50mm wheels.

(apologies, massive hijack) Interested in this, as a heavy guy who enjoys chasing times on flat twisty roads AND on climbs, I'm still torn as to what wheels to upgrade to.

I like my shallow section Fulcrum Racing 3s so my heart says go for the carbon equivalent Racing 0s, maybe gain some stiffness and a useful weight saving.

Heart also says that aero wheels would probably be faster but bike might not feel as responsive or fun through the punchy twisty stuff?

Could you put your finger on why the Aeroad felt more 'fun'?