Originally Posted by
T-Mar
There's merit in the cost concession argument. However, also consider that top end components are made of carbon fibre, which is black. Consequently, black has become the colour associated with high end components. If you want to boost the sales of lower end bicycles with aluminum or even steel components, you spec components with a black finish.
True today, but it seems to me that black largely replaced silver long before the advent of carbon fiber components. I actually like the look of carbon fiber components. I don't like plain old black-painted components.