Bikes used to break down more frequently than today’s high-tech marvels. As such, grime and grease from tire and chain maintenance were an integral part of riding. Black became the color of choice to hide the dirt from the road and was quickly adopted as the standard for bike racing. Black shorts were so ingrained in bike racing that fines were still being handed out not that many years ago to professional teams who adopted a non-black color. While black is still the most common color, other colors are also now available (and you won’t be fined, we promise).