I know most folks here will say silver, but I voted black. I think you have a little more leeway with the modern black decals. If it were a more classic bike, it would demand silver, and I would go with the record 8 speed and tubulars in that case. I went through the same thought process with my Bianchi. I knew I wanted to go Campy, but I debated between the more modern black/silver stuff or piecing together older silver record stuff. I finally landed on the fact that I had "modern" bianchi decals and therefore, I wasn't as worried about pulling off a classic look as I was about having a great riding steel bike. If I had an older Merckx, I wouldn't have made the same decision.