rootboy 

I like tan wall tires just fine, but tend toward black side wall tires for some reason. I like the way they look I guess. Three out of my four bikes carry them. I know some people don't like them, perhaps because they don't look quite so classic as tan side walls. But, I'm contemplating the purchase of a set of high end tubulars and again am leaning to all black. I'm on the fence. Anyway, I've posted these pics here many times before but figured I'd better start out with pics.

So, show me your BLACK WALL tires and, why you like them. Or why you don't.

Kobe 

Like your purple Gitane, I the think black just looks right with it. I have no better reason than looks. I do have skinwalls on everything else.

Chombi

None for me!....Except maybe if I ever decide to build some sort of totally all black, stealth themed bike, I'd never consider using them on my C&V bikes if I can help it....
Black walls just look too aesthetically dead and cheap to me, personally.
JMOs

Chombi

bobotech

I think the blackwalls make bikes look newer than gumwalls. You put a set of STI shifters and blackwall tires on an old '80s era bike that has a modern color, and it would look like a newer steel framed bike.

rootboy 

Funny but, I think that is why I like them, Chombi. Well, not the cheap part. I had some tan walls on that orange bike for a while and they just didn't look ...right, for some reason. Maybe I'm just a contrarian. But I think the aesthetic consideration come into play for me too, and I find tan just adds another color into the mix, which distracts the eye some. But only on some bikes.

JReade

I have blackwalls on all my bikes, I feel they look better, and never look dirty. They also look faster!

rccardr 

I'm not partial to just one color of sidewall, depends on the bike. Have black on the red bike and black on the black bike, but did orange on the orange bike, blue on a couple of blue bikes, orange on the polished ti bike, and will do orange again on a white Super Sport when it comes back from the powder coater. Not every bike can look good with colored or tan sidewalls.

RubberLegs

I have blackwalls on MOST of my C&Vs because it is more economical....I am looking at skin walls for my Italian build Torpado (27x1 1/4) and on 86 TREK 400 rebuild...I might go blackwall on that just for cost. Budget is just THIN these days, and Blackwall is what is available locally...

auchencrow

I think BW's tend to emphasize the utilitarian - and thus are a great choice for English 3-speeds.




On my ten-speeds though, I almost always prefer tanwalls, but I'll concede that black-wall tires can help to prevent having too-many colors "going on"- especially when the color scheme already has a lot of contrast.

20grit

I like them on this bike because of the mix of black and silver on the bike. It just worked with the theme. Sure, I could've gone gumwall to match the hoods, saddle, and sort of match the frame color, but I don't think it would have the same effect.

ilikebikes

I like 'em just fine, I find they give a bike and antique look as opposed to a vintage look. I had a set on my 65 Schwinn SS and replaced them with skinwalls 'cause the bike looked good with them in the catolog pic. Now I plan on having another set of wheels with blackwalls so I can switch them over when the mood strikes.

sloar 

All but one of my bikes have blackwalls. I like the look and they are cheap and easy for me to get. Every once in a while I make a trip to performance bike in Indy. They always have them on clearance.

JohnDThompson 

Black sidewalls remind me too much of the nasty, heavy, cheap K-Mart tires of my youth. I realize modern blackwall tires can be just as light and supple (and expensive) as any other modern tire, but I have a hard time getting past my initial revulsion. If I have a choice, I will get a tan sidewall.

Pars 

Don't mind them; it more depends on the tire I want to use. If they only come in black, then so be it.

Grand Bois

That's how I feel. All the really cheap bikes had blackwalls.

RubberLegs

Sometimes, colors look good on classics, black & yellow Vittorias on my Son's 86 Team Fuji.

puchfinnland

rootboy-you know what the purple bike really needs?!!?!??!

rootboy 

This is an interesting perspective too, which I hadn't thought of, not owning any bike newer than that '75 Le Champion in the picture. But it's true, most all modern tires are black wall.

rootboy 

Uh ...let me guess;

A Nuovo Record crank set?
A new home?
To be given back its Frenchness?

rootboy 

Yes. This. I think that Bianchi looks just right with black tires.

sloar 

IthaDan 

Offsets the white.


Brown of the bike and the tan of a tanwall wouldn't work all that great:


Not C&V, but I like how burly these 37's look:

ksisler

Chombi - Completely agree. Never saw a bike with blackwalls that wouldn't be seriously improved by two circles of tan cloth! I have to suggest that some of the recent increased appreciation of 650B's is due to the look most of them bring to a bike! /K

Giacomo 1 

No blackwalls on my C&V's.

I think tan walls or even color walls are a great opportunity to make a bike stand out.

azgreg

I like black wall tires, however gum-walls look great on green bikes.