23skidoo

I don't want to bother with a formal poll, but thought I'd just test the waters of opinion from fellow mem bers on a decision that is a bit too elusive for me to grasp at the moment. Several months ago I acquired an 85 Paramount frame and fork from a fellow member that needed some attention due to some rust on the top tube cable guides that was working it's way under the paint and beginning to involve more of the same tube. I saved my pennies and shipped it off to Matt Assenmacher for cancer treatment and the addition of a front derailleur braze-on tab and it's been primed and sometime this week will get the finish paint.

I'm going with something similar to the original Schwinn 'Fireball Red' but with a bit of metallic just to pimp it a little bit. My problem is that I can't decide whether to restore the decals or to leave it plain and I really should make the decision in the next few days. I'd be delighted to hear opinions from anyone who wants to weigh in on the decal issue. So, keep it clean or show the heritage? Here's a picture of the before:

luker

It'll always be worth more at resale time with decals.

vjp

When that was new I thought that the design was nice and actually it still looks good without seeming too dated. That being said I personally would go with a vintage Paramount set from the 60's or earlier.

vjp

-holiday76

+1

Gary Fountain

Decals

Kommisar89

Decals but not THOSE decals. As others have said, pick a different year with better graphics. Heck even have some made with your own name or something. I'm thinking of doing that if I ever get around to refurbing my Panasonic.

Charles Wahl

Well, using non-authentic decals pretty much shoots resale based on authenticity out of the water. Before doing that, think hard about what you want to achieve. I have no problem with "doing it your way," but I would do that with the understanding that the "collectible" value will suffer.

23skidoo

Here's what Matt Assenmacher had to say when I asked him the same question:

pastorbobnlnh 

I'd lean towards the original decals, but if you want to go just a shade askew, consider this option:

Sometime early during 1985, the Rainbow decals were replaced with the ones on your bike. There seems to be very few of those Paramounts left on the street. They were only used in '83, '84, and I believe briefly in '85 before the switch. During '83-'84 not many Paramounts were made, with only the '81-'82, and pre WW2 ones being rarer.

Just my 2 cents worth.

USAZorro

Disneyland

John E

When I had Capo #1 repainted, I did not get the elaborate and expensive seat tube and top tube decals reproduced, but I did go with a fairly decent reproduction of the big block CAPO on each side of the downtube. I just wish I had been a little fussier in specifying a more correct-looking type font, but the end result is quite good, and only a few of our more perfectionistic BF C&V members have criticized it.

Rob Bowman spent quite a bit more than I did and ended up with a full set of decals. You can decide which you prefer on:

https://classicrendezvous.com/Austria/Capo.htm, which also has a picture of a rare single-owner all-original Modell Campagnolo from late 1960 or early 1961.

Kommisar89

Quite true and certainly something to consider. I'm more of a "black hole" type collector. Once it goes in it never comes out so I don't consider resale. I guess my heirs might complain at the estate sale but I'll be dead so it won't bother me

Rabid Koala

I'd choose original style decals.

Charles Wahl

I think that's a perfectly reasonable approach, and I like it myself -- though I don't have a Paramount.

I do have a late French Motobecane Team Champion (later than what's currently "collectible," like OP's Paramount), and it needs new "decalage." I don't mind the graphics so much, so I'll probably get them reproduced. The headbadge was foil, and sort of sucks, so I toyed with the idea of replacing it with one of the round brass ones; but that's not playing the restoration thing out fully, so I may chicken out, and "respect" the original.

OTOH, I have a Guerciotti SLX frame that has graphics that, to me, border on "worst of the 80s," and they're poorly placed too. So that one, I have no problem "reinterpreting" to suit myself

As for the Paramount in question -- I actually like the graphics on that generation, whereas I don't like the ones preceding and following it. So were it mine, I might change color, but I'd stay with the original graphics.

Blue Order

Original decals.

I've seen a number of bikes on eBay and Craigslist that claim to be 531, claim to be this or that high end frame. But all I see is a painted (or powdercoated) mystery frame. I (almost*) always move on.










* I did buy one bike that purports to be a Gitane cyclocross, although all decals were removed when the bike was repainted. I won't call it a Gitane cyclocross until I know with certainty that it is a Gitane cyclocross. Until then, it's a cyclocross bike that may be a Gitane.

Scooper

This says it best. If you think you'll ever sell the bike, put on the original 1985 decal set. Express your individuality some other way.

This is Dr. Deltron's handiwork.

sciencemonster

I think that lettering looks great. I don't really care for Schwinn graphics, but those spare, spread out letters look fantastic. That said, as a theft deterrent, I like my Raleigh Competition decals because they faded so much, you really have to look for them. I put modern Campy stuff on there and stripped all the stickers and labels to match.

Anyone who looks at my plain black logo-less bike has to be really interested...and I figure anyone who'd give a hoot would have too much class to be a bike thief.

JRrestore

Decals are great

23skidoo

Heh-heh! A totally unbiased opinion I can respect.

OK, the decision is made. It's original decals just like the ones it came with. Scooper I sure hope mine looks as nice as yours when it's all done.

frpax

Decals.

RobbieTunes

Decals.

mswantak

You're shameless.

zephyr

I have a decal dilemma on a 1981 Italian road bike frame that I bought in 1982. I bought the frame from a Performance mail order catalog for about $200, including super record headset. They bought surplus Italian road bike frames and re-branded tham as a Performance store brand "Campione". The frame was a surplus Ciocc Mockba 80 that had no Ciocc serial numbers or Ciocc engraving on the lugs near the top of the seatstay. They were surplus because after the boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics (due to the invasion of Afghanistan by the USSR), there wasn't much demand for a frame named after the Olympics that most western nations boycotted. Everything else about the frame is a Ciocc Mockba, including the identical color and chroming, same lugs, same Columbus SL tubing and Columbus decals, same geometry and italian threaded bottom bracket.

About 5 years ago, rust had taken it's toll on the chrome and on the rest of the frame. I decided to have the frame re-painted. Would I be doing any harm to put Ciocc decals on this frame? I am never going to sell the bike because it is such a great machine and has sentimental value. I know it was made by Ciocc, even though it was never sold with Ciocc decals.