Bike upgrade - a really important aspect: Colour

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GideonReade
Posts: 410
Joined: 4 Jul 2010, 10:46pm

Bike upgrade - a really important aspect: Colour

Post by GideonReade »

Ok, perhaps I'm being a bit shallow, or frivolous, but..

I'm getting lots of really useful tech input in other threads, about aspects of possibly upgrading my 1986 531ST Overburys Tourer, to repurpose it as a fast day ride cum winter trainer. I don't need it to lug bags now, I do "need" a fast winter bike.

As I much prefer Campagnolo ErgoPower to STI, I'm looking at Chorus 12speed. Nice wide spread, but mostly small jumps between gears.

But there's a big snag. As modern road groupsets come with carbon cranksets, all the parts are black. The bike's age, and a desire not to completely waste money suggest I should keep the current stem & post, which, naturally, are silver. In any case, black 1" stems are choiceless, and a black post would be ruined by the bike's rough seat clamp. I don't much fancy an ugly Aheadset on this bike even though I appreciate their practicality on other bikes.

I think an old school frame (presently silver) with old school silver stem and post, will look naff with all black running gear.

Admittedly, the frame is due a respray, and the silver paint, which I think suits with silver touring clutter, could go. Cherry red or electric blue with black groupset - yum! But oh - the stem and post in silver will clash!

My ideal, really, would be to get modern performance whilst keeping all the parts silver. Second choice is to go coherently black.

I do see that I could achieve a smaller upgrade, in silver, by opting for one of Campag's lesser groupsets in 11sp (Centaur, Potenza?). But they do have less gear range or bigger jumps, I think, and other minor performance hits. I think I have heard that one can't freely mix'n'match all Campag 11 speed - true?

I also am responsible for 3 other road bikes, which all might later be upgraded or replaced, without aesthetic constraint, which is another reason to lean towards the more recent 12sp standard.

Any suggestions, either aesthetic or technical?
Jamesh
Posts: 2963
Joined: 2 Jan 2017, 5:56pm

Re: Bike upgrade - a really important aspect: Colour

Post by Jamesh »

Mazda soul red any day.

A pig to paint though!!

My gear knowledge stops at 10spd and sti sorry!
Last edited by Jamesh on 30 Sep 2022, 10:41pm, edited 1 time in total.
richardfm
Posts: 969
Joined: 15 Apr 2018, 3:17pm
Location: Cardiff, Wales

Re: Bike upgrade - a really important aspect: Colour

Post by richardfm »

Tldr
Red
Richard M
Cardiff
roubaixtuesday
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Joined: 18 Aug 2015, 7:05pm

Re: Bike upgrade - a really important aspect: Colour

Post by roubaixtuesday »

TLDR anything but black
Jupestar
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Joined: 29 Feb 2020, 3:03pm

Re: Bike upgrade - a really important aspect: Colour

Post by Jupestar »

I've managed to keep my single speed all silver.

Much easier than doing full silver components on a geared unless your looking at old tech.

My road and MTB are both black groupsets, stem, seat post, handlebars etc.....

TBH black and silver mixed is fine. I don't to do it, but Lots of nice looking bikes which have a mix.

Looking forward to the day I can have a classic polished silver tourer. But not a n+1 that's space allows...
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Mick F
Spambuster
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Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 11:24am
Location: Tamar Valley, Cornwall

Re: Bike upgrade - a really important aspect: Colour

Post by Mick F »

AFAIK, all Campag stuff is horrible black.
I detest this fashion for black components. :evil:

I think some Shimano stuff is still silver, or perhaps another make.
If or when I replace my SIVLER Campag stuff, it sadly won't be Campag.

So, to our OP Gideon, if he wants to NOT have black, he'll have to re-think and not have Campag.

This really pains me to say the above.
Mick F. Cornwall
cycle tramp
Posts: 3531
Joined: 5 Aug 2009, 7:22pm

Re: Bike upgrade - a really important aspect: Colour

Post by cycle tramp »

Again as Brucey is not here to remind us, white or any light colour- it makes it so much easier to spot any cracks in the frame should they appear.
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jois
Posts: 334
Joined: 22 Sep 2022, 12:29pm

Re: Bike upgrade - a really important aspect: Colour

Post by jois »

GideonReade wrote: 30 Sep 2022, 10:21pm Ok, perhaps I'm being a bit shallow, or frivolous, but..

I'm getting lots of really useful tech input in other threads, about aspects of possibly upgrading my 1986 531ST Overburys Tourer, to repurpose it as a fast day ride cum winter trainer. I don't need it to lug bags now, I do "need" a fast winter bike.

As I much prefer Campagnolo ErgoPower to STI, I'm looking at Chorus 12speed. Nice wide spread, but mostly small jumps between gears.

But there's a big snag. As modern road groupsets come with carbon cranksets, all the parts are black. The bike's age, and a desire not to completely waste money suggest I should keep the current stem & post, which, naturally, are silver. In any case, black 1" stems are choiceless, and a black post would be ruined by the bike's rough seat clamp. I don't much fancy an ugly Aheadset on this bike even though I appreciate their practicality on other bikes.

I think an old school frame (presently silver) with old school silver stem and post, will look naff with all black running gear.

Admittedly, the frame is due a respray, and the silver paint, which I think suits with silver touring clutter, could go. Cherry red or electric blue with black groupset - yum! But oh - the stem and post in silver will clash!

My ideal, really, would be to get modern performance whilst keeping all the parts silver. Second choice is to go coherently black.

I do see that I could achieve a smaller upgrade, in silver, by opting for one of Campag's lesser groupsets in 11sp (Centaur, Potenza?). But they do have less gear range or bigger jumps, I think, and other minor performance hits. I think I have heard that one can't freely mix'n'match all Campag 11 speed - true?

I also am responsible for 3 other road bikes, which all might later be upgraded or replaced, without aesthetic constraint, which is another reason to lean towards the more recent 12sp standard.

Any suggestions, either aesthetic or technical?
Wouldn't the answer be to stick a black seat post and stem on it, the are not exactly exspensive by comparison with new drive chain, a tenner the pair ?
GideonReade
Posts: 410
Joined: 4 Jul 2010, 10:46pm

Re: Bike upgrade - a really important aspect: Colour

Post by GideonReade »

jois wrote: 1 Oct 2022, 5:59pm Wouldn't the answer be to stick a black seat post and stem on it, the are not exactly exspensive by comparison with new drive chain, a tenner the pair ?
Cheers, yes, it's a possible answer. Definitely plan B though, aesthetically.

With a quill stem, it's never a question of "just stick" - quite a bit of work. And, black quill stems are relatively uncommon, so choice gets a bit limited.
jois
Posts: 334
Joined: 22 Sep 2022, 12:29pm

Re: Bike upgrade - a really important aspect: Colour

Post by jois »

GideonReade wrote: 1 Oct 2022, 6:23pm
jois wrote: 1 Oct 2022, 5:59pm Wouldn't the answer be to stick a black seat post and stem on it, the are not exactly exspensive by comparison with new drive chain, a tenner the pair ?
Cheers, yes, it's a possible answer. Definitely plan B though, aesthetically.

With a quill stem, it's never a question of "just stick" - quite a bit of work. And, black quill stems are relatively uncommon, so choice gets a bit limited.
I find black alley wheel paint works well
cycle tramp
Posts: 3531
Joined: 5 Aug 2009, 7:22pm

Re: Bike upgrade - a really important aspect: Colour

Post by cycle tramp »

GideonReade wrote: 30 Sep 2022, 10:21pm
I think an old school frame (presently silver) with old school silver stem and post, will look naff with all black running gear.

Any suggestions, either aesthetic or technical?
How about social suggestions?

Personally I don't care about the colours on my bike or if they clash. From my point of view any time looking at the bike (other than cleaning or fixing it) is a waste of time when I could be riding the thing or looking at the view. And if I'm doing either I'm not staring at my bike..

If other people think my bike looks naff, then that's great. There's less chance of it being stolen. Ideally if I could come up with a colour scheme that makes any potential tea leaf violently evacuate both their stomach and bowel contents if they stared at my bike for longer than a minute then that's the one I'm going for...

Right now I'm thinking of using jubilee clips and a mixture of both hex and allen screws to see if I can get anyone with any engineering sensibilities to throw up when they look at it.

H'mmm jubilee clips.... so many uses...
www.theradavist.com/adams-performance-s ... r-harding/
Last edited by cycle tramp on 1 Oct 2022, 7:37pm, edited 1 time in total.
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cycle tramp
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Joined: 5 Aug 2009, 7:22pm

Re: Bike upgrade - a really important aspect: Colour

Post by cycle tramp »

Mick F wrote: 1 Oct 2022, 8:52am AFAIK, all Campag stuff is horrible black.
I detest this fashion for black components. :evil:
I don't know if its fashion, I did read somewhere that it's health and safety. After all when a component is forged, it then has to be polished. This meant exposing workers to polishing chemicals and agents which may have been damaging to their health.. not sure if its true, perhaps someone can confirm or deny it.
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jois
Posts: 334
Joined: 22 Sep 2022, 12:29pm

Re: Bike upgrade - a really important aspect: Colour

Post by jois »

cycle tramp wrote: 1 Oct 2022, 7:35pm
Mick F wrote: 1 Oct 2022, 8:52am AFAIK, all Campag stuff is horrible black.
I detest this fashion for black components. :evil:
I don't know if its fashion, I did read somewhere that it's health and safety. After all when a component is forged, it then has to be polished. This meant exposing workers to polishing chemicals and agents which may have been damaging to their health.. not sure if its true, perhaps someone can confirm or deny it.
I doubt there are plenty of polished components

It's not so much fashion, as them changing the look to deliberately make stuff look old fashioned, then they will change it back again.

Stereos change colour from black to silver and back again every 10 years as do computers
cycle tramp
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Re: Bike upgrade - a really important aspect: Colour

Post by cycle tramp »

A quick Google search does show that there are long term health effects for those who polished aluminium on a long term regular basis...
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GideonReade
Posts: 410
Joined: 4 Jul 2010, 10:46pm

Re: Bike upgrade - a really important aspect: Colour

Post by GideonReade »

Clearly it's time to bring back chromed steel cycle parts!

Or, for theft prevention, pre-rust-spotted thinly chromed parts.
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