Originally Posted by PhilPub

Now this is interesting! When I came to upgrading my 1987 Ron Cooper I knew I wanted a modern set-up (10 spd/gear changing on bars...) but there was still a question over the whole retro-aesthetic. My first thought (naturally) turned to Campag, and silver Athena, but blasphemous as this might sound to some, I actually found SRAM better looking. (It's not as if I was swayed by experience; I knew little about SRAM and you don't see an awful lot of it in the UK.) Shimano was always out of the question because of their ridiculously ugly cranks (which appear to be getting slightly less ugly now, but still...)

Maybe it's a matter of degree; I'm happy to have a bit of carbon on the bike here and there. Even in the '80s and '90s bikes had a mix of black/grey/silver components, it just depends where on the bike the parts are. (For example, I think black hubs and spokes look heavy.) But I'd draw the line at things like deep section carbon rims, loud logos, etc. If others wish to accessorise as much as possible with silver parts, that can also work. If I'd gone down the route of silver rims, that might have swayed me on a silver group set and gum wall tyres rather than the black/white theme which I think works pretty well.