I wanted to get white cycling shoes however they didn't have any in stock my size that I liked. I'm not worried about them staying perfect. Though my son has a pair of white shimano bike shoes that he wears and they seem to stay in very nice condition and clean looking.
I had white Fizik bar tape on my previous bike I rode for 4 years and it always stayed clean with very little trouble the few times I had to wipe off some chain krud that had gotten on it after I had to fix a dropped chain or other times my hands were filthy.
So if you want white, go for it and fear not.