So? A red bike will always be even faster.

So the red bike owner says but that's because he doesn't see the stealthy black bike passing him.

Many years ago, I remember Bicycling magazine doing a time trial test. Riders were outfitted in "normal" colored skinsuits for one ride, then all black for another. They had better times wearing black.

Black looks aggressive and says speed these days. I was kind of into it for awhile but now I'm back to preferring silver or polished parts and skinwall tires.

I likes me a black bike. But I also like the shiny bits.

Untitled by galoot_loves_tools, on Flickr

I've never seen a front fender wrapped that far around the wheel. Obviously you find it to be most effective in stopping water from getting your feet wet?

What about a red AND black bike? Haha! I like black, but for me, the Trek 7.3 FX was too black. You know what it looks like stock. Here's what I did to mine in my efforts to have a little less black.



It's still too black for me. I want to paint the arms on the v-brakes white. Wish I could get rid of the branding on the downtube too.

Are you any good with an exacto knife? If you make a template of the white "TREK" letters, you could cover each with a tinted "letter" to create a filter that cuts down the brightness.

Hobby shops, auto paint supply stores, etc. all carry sheets of adhesive-backed tint in various shades. I'd pick a neutral grey (approximating a 40-60% tint of black) to knock down the white glare. Haha

Orange bikes are actually a lot faster than black bikes. Just ask Eddy Mercx.

VO Zeppelin fenders. That was where the hole had been drilled for the bracket. However, there is no way your feet will get wet.

I love my sleek Fuji Ace.

My daily commuter is black, though this isn't the actual bike, same model but I've switched the handlebars, grips, saddle and pedals.



I combine it with this really shiny helmet, to be better seen in traffic since the black is so stealthy:

between, goth, punk, rock 'n roll, Orsen Wells and Batman, it really never left, did it?

i took my black Mu Uno out for a spin along the lakefront this past weekend.

Nice bash guard. I like.

that bash guard came with the bike. as a folder, i don't think it's there as an actual bash guard, more to just help keep an errant pant cuff out of there perhaps.

Yeah, I agree. But it looks cool too. :-)

last fall when i had the opportunity to pick my very own colour to powder coat all by myself, i opted for no black (except the tyres, and maybe a bit of the rear derailieur...)
was a Nishiki, now a Detroit Bikes bike...

once all the WalMart bikes are matte black, you'll move on....

I think the manufacturers often offer black as a subdued alternative to their flashier color-of-the-year. For example, Surly usually offers their frames in a custom color that may not be to many people's liking, so they also offer a "neutral" black color option on most (all?) of their frames. They probably wouldn't sell as many bikes if they offered them in "hospital foam green" and nothing else. Color is a factor for many buyers, so manufacturers would probably lose sales if they didn't offer a color choice, and the old "black goes with everything" adage still applies.

I feel the same way. I don't like the black-on-black look. I need some chrome components on there. That said, one of my bikes is pretty blacked-out because it is my lockup bike. I'm hoping that thieving eyes won't notice it as much. So far, so good.

Got the frame Fork and racks of my Touring bike all done at once in black polyester Powdercoat..


+ since chain grunge is Black, my Trousers are too.

Same here. So I buy only fix-fix flip flops so I can actually use both sides.

Black bikes: My first two geared bikes, 3-speeds. First got stolen. Replacement started my downhill slide. Dropped handlebars, centerpull brakes and a 2-speed derailleur. Then a 10 speed. 15 speed. Sew-ups. But these bikes were all colored. Black didn't happen again until my first 10-speed died. Replacement needed a paint job. The 2-part epoxy paint I could get my hands on was black. That bike got stolen. I think I should stay away from black.

Ben

The English know. The bottom couple of inches of the front fender stops more water that the rest of the front and rear fenders together. Hence all good fenders (and every fender from England I have ever seen) have real flaps. Or come way down low. I take every pair of fenders I buy and install a front flap before it goes on the bike. And run the flaps even lower than what you see here.

Ben

Don't forget Johnny Cash! My wife and I saw Bruce Springsteen perform just days after Johnny Cash had died. Springsteen came out alone, dressed in black, with his acoustic guitar and sang a stirring rendition of "I Walk the Line". We all teared up...

Black frame lets you wear any color of jersey . . .

I agree black rules!

I guess I need to get my frame powder coated to match its new wheels.





And, of course, thanks to this thread the yellow pedals are just screaming at me now.


My fancy plastic road bike is nominally black, but it's so over-branded you hardly notice.



(BTW, I do use a Sharpie to fill in the heal rub on this crank pretty regularly.)


I had a black 2008 Muirwoods 29er with black lettering.




I also had a black Kona Jake (because, let's face it, I've had nearly every variety of Kona Jake imaginable).



The right mud helped cover up the white panel.