[phantoj]

The first bike I remember with a black-on-black color scheme was the 1999 Cannondale Bad Boy. Back then, it was a bold look, gloss black decals on a black frame with black rims most components. I guess the idea was here was a stealth Cannondale you could safely park in urban settings without drawing attention to its premium brand.

In the many years since, I've seen a lot of other bikes with the all-black look. I feel like the popularity of this look peaked around 2010-2015 or so, maybe earlier. But I'm still seeing local Facebook "new bike day" posts of black bikes.

So what do you think? Has the black-on-black look been done to death? Do black bikes still matter? Is there a notable bike that took this look to new heights?

Another black bike of significance is the 1980's Cannondale Black Lightning road bike, but that bike had some tasteful gold bits (I guess that was the "lightning"). FWIW, I own a black-on-black 2014 Trance Advanced, but I don't think it's a great-looking bike.

 

[goldsbar]

It's a safe choice if it's not as bold as the first bike you mentioned. I have a semi-raw carbon Trek (more gray-black) with black logos that looks pretty nice. Not my choice, it's what they had in stock, and that was before COVID. I can't see it ever looking bad (nor great) as tastes change over time.

 

[noapathy]

I kinda like it, especially since the wife doesn't easily notice changing from one black framed bike to another. Right now I'm on the little brother of your Trance (Anthem Advanced, also black on black frame) so if you ever get tired of it...

 

[Impetus]

This is hilarious. What timing. My buddy is looking at buying a Banshee Prime V3, and I just texted him that he should go 'raw alloy' frame over the Ano-black, because "murdered out is 2015". doing up a full Raw and black "tuxedo'd out" would be way cooler.

 

[Train Wreck]

It's like, how much more black could this be? And the answers is none. None more black.
👽

 

[phantoj]

I'm seeing more new bikes in almost-black color schemes, or black+dark colors. I guess it's a reaction to the bright neons of a few years ago. Looks better than the true blacks, I think.

 

[SingleSpeedSteven]

I thought murdering things out died with spinner rims and crunk rap?

 

[Impetus]

If I'm doing a "murdered out" black, its gonna be that Vanta black pain that only reflects like 0.05% of light.

Everything. rims, spokes, frame, bars, everything but the suspension and dropper stanchions.

 

[RickBullottaPA]

I just finished my build:

 

[NorCal_In_AZ]

So black is the old black now?

 

[Rev Bubba]

The first bike I remember with a black-on-black color scheme was the 1999 Cannondale Bad Boy. Back then, it was a bold look, gloss black decals on a black frame with black rims most components. I guess the idea was here was a stealth Cannondale you could safely park in urban settings without drawing attention to its premium brand.

In the many years since, I've seen a lot of other bikes with the all-black look. I feel like the popularity of this look peaked around 2010-2015 or so, maybe earlier. But I'm still seeing local Facebook "new bike day" posts of black bikes.

So what do you think? Has the black-on-black look been done to death? Do black bikes still matter? Is there a notable bike that took this look to new heights?

Another black bike of significance is the 1980's Cannondale Black Lightning road bike, but that bike had some tasteful gold bits (I guess that was the "lightning"). FWIW, I own a black-on-black 2014 Trance Advanced, but I don't think it's a great-looking bike.

My 2017 Cannondale CAAD 12 Ultegra is murdered out in matte black with glossy black decals and the color scheme still looks current to me. Both of my Santa Cruz mountain bikes are colorful and they look fine to me too. Even my 2019 car is murdered out but there, I think, it is starting to look dated. I'm hoping my next car in a few months will be loud and make people say "why the Hell did you get that color?" It's a leasing advantage. I don't have to live forever with a color mistake.

So, no answer to your question, just some meaningless observations.

 

[noapathy]

I just finished my build:

View attachment 1923985

Looks a little too flashy for me.

 

[Mike Aswell]

I will say that black is and always has been one of my colors of choice for a frame. It just never wears on me the way some colors might eventually. My oldest still in the stable bike (technically used by the GF at this point) is black and it still looks good 5 years later. But it has some accent color going on and is not, in fact, murdered out. So maybe an invalid opinion to the discussion.

 

[SingleSpeedSteven]

I always wondered if the murdered out mountain bike trend was partially due to backlash from the god awful color choices some manufacturers make. I have seen some terrible bike color schemes through the years and a lot of them are so bright and annoying that it makes my eyes bleed.

 

[Impetus]

I always wondered if the murdered out mountain bike trend was partially due to backlash from the god awful color choices some manufacturers make. I have seen some terrible bike color schemes through the years and a lot of them are so bright and annoying that it makes my eyes bleed.

High end mountain bikes are ostentatious toys for first-world people with too much money. They're supposed to be bright any annoying the same way Ferraris are that signature red.

I love bright bikes. Yeti Blue, RSD tennis-ball yellow, Specialized "biohazard orange"... I want it all.

The worst thing to happen to mountain bike colorways wasnt bright or murder-black, it's the faux-utilitarian muted matte/satin browns and greens and greys from a few years ago. That can die quickly.

 

[davec113]

So black is the old black now?

Black is also the new black.

I have a raw carbon Enduro with black labels, pistachio 38, DHX2... I get many comments about how good the bike looks.

 

[Jayem]

I agree, this is why instead of murdered-out, I go all-black now.

 

[dir-T]

I guess I haven't been paying attention.

 

[2sharp7]

I kinda like it, especially since the wife doesn't easily notice changing from one black framed bike to another. Right now I'm on the little brother of your Trance (Anthem Advanced, also black on black frame) so if you ever get tired of it...

Yep, and I buy similar all black pistols and rifles all the time for the same reason lol.

 

[noapathy]

Yep, and I buy similar all black pistols and rifles all the time for the same reason lol.

Not sure I'd have mentioned firearms in a thread with "murdered" in the title...