Ajmariff

Hello everyone,

I am new on this forum (so no pictures so far) and I am in the middle of my first bike restoration project. Expect to see more post about this project in the near future.

The bike is a De Rosa from early 70s with a complete campy Nuovo Record groupset + Cinelli handlebar.
Currently I am looking at the fork's crown which looks chromed. This seems to be a pattern with italian bikes of that era. That crown has also rust traces on the surface. The paint job on the fork was sloppy as some areas of the crown were painted. Therefore I am considering to make it overhauled by professionals.

I think that the paint must be stripped off completely as well as the chrome. Therefore my process would be, tell me if I am wrong:

• Remove paint and chrome on frame and fork. I was thinking about sandblasting it gently (with soda or walnuts medium)
• Chrome the crown or the whole forks
• Paint the frame and the fork masking off the chromed parts.

I could use a chrome paint but I am really considering the best restoration possible of the bike.

Maybe could you share with me your opinion about my process ?
This is really a first for me and I don't want to make a costly mistake.

Thank you.
Ride safe.

Axel

Hudson308 

You may be surprised by how well the chrome shines up by using crumpled aluminum foil and WD-40, followed by your favorite chrome polish. Excess paint on the edges of the chrome can be removed with bronze wool without scratching or hazing the chrome. Please note that even the factory paint on the finest bikes with chrome highlights can have a bit of paint on the lug and crown shorelines.


I have soda-blasted chrome frames with good results, but that's a drastic step that should only be taken if the paint is excessively damaged in large areas, especially on a DeRosa. Without pictures we can't give you good advice on how to proceed.

P!N20

This. I'm still amazed at how well shabby chrome comes up with a bit of al foil.

Ajmariff

Hello all,

Here are the pictures I have of the fork.

What do you think ?

You can also notice a dent on the thread on the top of the pitchfork. I have no clue if this is by design.

delicious

We'll be able to give you better advice if you post detailed pictures of the whole frameset.

Ajmariff

Alright, thank you for replying delicious .

Here are more pictures, sorry for the quality. My camera is terrible inside.


De Rosa Strada frame

Down tube rust

Top tube rust

unworthy1

If by "...notice a dent on the thread on the top of the pitchfork. I have no clue if this is by design." the OP means the slot cut through the threading at top of the steerer, then yes THAT is by design. The washer that goes on the top part of the headset will have a tab that fits into this slot to keep the washer from rotating when the headset top nut is tightened. If you mean something else maybe post another photo with "this thing" you mean circled.
Hmm the paint is not very good but what's the issue on the downtube below the DeRosa name? Water bottle "studs" (pre bosses) that were removed? How about some more close-ups of the lugs and dropouts, underneath the BB shell...etc.?
Looks like the top tube has cable clips but the BB has brazed-on guides and one on the chainstay top. Is there any "stop" on the underside of the downtube to hold a shifter clamp from sliding?

Ajmariff

unworthy1 Thank you! No need more picture on this topic. I think you replied perfectly.

unworthy1

Ajmariff well, do as you wish but I'm sure there are plenty of folks besides me (including a bunch of DeRosa fans who know much more than I do about that marque) who would LOVE to see many more pictures and follow your progress with this frame! We don't see very many early examples of authentic DeRosa frames!

Wildwood 

I like original paint and patina.
Here are my steps with a borderline frame.

Evaluate rust. How much inside tubes? Should I proceed?
If yes,
Clean it up as best you can by removing surface rust chemically. Clean frame and fork 100% - 'toothbrush around BB luglines clean'.
Try the chrome paint where necessary. Only do the easy paint touch-ups (if any).
Wax, Wax
Build the bike.
Ride, Ride
Then decide.
Is it worth the trouble
to restore it so fine?

Spend a season on it with ancient appearance, restore next winter - guaranteed 3mph faster in 2021 when shiny new for you.

It is a real shame to spend significant money on a bike that's not perfect.

Slightspeed

Good luck on your restoration. I can vouch for the aluminum foil trick. I used crumpled foil and Turtlewax chrome polish to bring back this old chrome Legnano crankset. This was just a quick test of the method, and I was really happy with how it turned out. When I get around to figuring out the cotter removal (my first), I'll give it a more thorough polish.

Before ...

After foil and Turtlewax polish .

The foil treatment worked wonders ...

... on the headbadge too.

Spaghetti Legs 

If you search this forum, there are a few threads on rehabbing chrome. Rechroming is an expensive process and chrome paints will not give a satisfactory result on a top notch bike. That pic, chrome doesn’t look too bad and you should be able to get it looking nicer using the methods noted above. Kind of strange about the paint slop on the fork. Makes me wonder if the fork was repainted once.

jiangshi

You cannot rehabilitate chrome. It is a process that leaves a surface that is microns thick. If the surface is penetrated, you cannot fix it. You can hide it.
You have a special bike. Ignore the aluminum foil people. It should be left to a professional.

The frame and fork are worth much more in the shape they are in than they would be with a non professional restoration.

Nemůžete rehabilitovat chrom. Je to proces, který zanechává povrch, který je tlustý mikrony. Pokud je povrch proniknut, nemůžete jej opravit. Můžete to skrýt.
Máte speciální kolo. Ignorujte lidi z hliníkové fólie. Mělo by to být ponecháno na profesionálním.

Rám a vidlice mají mnohem větší tvar, v jakém jsou, než v případě neprofesionální obnovy.

Ajmariff

Wildwood To be honnest, I would seldom ride on this bike. This is an emotional restoration for me and the rest of the family. My father won many races and allegedly a championship with it. He also dedicated it to my daughter before passing away. We started the project together but the bike was completely dismantled in the garage when he passed. I see it more like an investment that an vehicle if I may.

Slightspeed This is something I am willing to do on the parts. I also bought a cheap ultrasonic cleaner for something around $110 to help me clean the surface perfectly. Given the price of Nuovo Record components. I think it's worth the investment. I will also amortize the cost on a couple other bikes I'd like to restore ( less glamour tho).

Spaghetti Legs I am willing to chrome the crown of the fork but this seems pretty hard to achieve around here. Contacted a professional who told me there could be 18 months queue for actual nickel plating process

jiangshi Thank you for the reply. I am indeed willing to leave a professional do the work on the frame and the fork. But of course, I am not going to pour thousands of dollars into this restoration. Therefore, I must try to find the best compromise.

Do you speak czech or did you translate your sentences by courtesy ? I live in CR but I don't speak / read czech this well. I am french native speaker from Belgium but married a czech. Thank you for the attention though.

unworthy1 Count on me to share more pictures of the process. Cheers.

repechage

This frame set is an example of before Ugo "made it big".
The fork crown can be cleaned up a bit, and even the plating touched up to a decent degree, I forget the member here who saved much worse chrome on his frame.
Short of rechroming.
Caswell has plating kits, while not true chrome, not bad.

the downtube is the region that needs attention, something happened and a poor repair choice was made.
I would have to inspect this one in hand to figure out what to do.
MY first pass would be to inspect the inside of the downtube with a scope, this is kind of at the cusp of when DeRosa brazed on bolts facing up for the waterbottle fitting.
One route might be to reinforce the downtube with a elongated oval section of tube, then replace the waterbottle fittings. Further referencing would be needed to figure out which type to attach.

cb400

There's a difference between pitted chrome and surface rust. If the chrome has pitted or started flaking it can be made to look better but won't ever be the same and will probably re-rust easily. If the rust is just on the surface it can clean up nicely and is worth doing.

The chroming process involves several highly toxic chemicals so is now heavily regulated and very expensive.

jeirvine 

What a wonderful thing to have. What's your Dad's name? There's a lot of on-line race results that one could search. And above and beyond the family history, the bike itself is a somewhat historically significant bike. DeRosa's from the 60's and early 70's were all pretty much pro race bikes, ridden by top teams and riders (Faema, Gianni Motta, Merckx). It is well worth finding someone local-ish who specializes in proper restorations. Otherwise, any work done would likely lessen the value from it's as-is condition. Were you in the US, I would recommend Franklin Frame, who can do re-chroming and authentic color matching and vintage style thin paint finishes. They did my '73 Colnago Super for under $500US. Folks on this forum may be able to point you to a more local resource who would do the bike justice. If you spent maybe $1,000 it would be a good investment.

And luckily, 70's Campagnolo parts are comparatively very common, so less of an issue to restore or find.

Edit: these guys in Berlin may be worth contacting: https://cicli-berlinetta.com/

Also - post some pictures of the parts. If they have original DeRosa pantographing, they would be quite interesting and also valuable. There are many reproduced panto parts, but originals are quite scarce.

-John

jiangshi

I translated out of courtesy, but your English is better than my French, so English it is.

Do not sell this bicycle short. You need not spend thousands, but perhaps 500 Euros could have it done respectfully. You have a very unique link to your family's past. Don't change too much, just find someone who will keep it as original as possible while making it as pretty as possible. Preserve it wisely. You should never paint over a da Vinci.

Steel Charlie

Standard bike shop practice was punch and hammer. There are however C-clamp sorta tools made for the task that are rather more elegant in operation. A quick ****** with liquid wrench might assist as well.

since when is dxoxuxcxhxe some forbidden word?

Salamandrine 

FYI, chrome is not removed by sand or media blasting. It requires toxic chemicals and a pro plating shop.

The rust on the fork crown doesn't look too bad to me. I'm not a big fan of abrasive methods. I suggest for now to treat it with oxalic acid or "Evaporust" or similar mild acid based rust remover. Follow with chrome polish (ie simichrome) and then wax. I bet it will look near brand new.

The main frame looks more beat up. Rubbing it down with some auto product fine polish can improve the looks and wax will slow down further rust. My inclination would be to either stop there, or do a full professional restoration. Choose one.

Drillium Dude 

Interesting. The brazed-on bits in this photo are common brake bridge reinforcements. I wonder if they were used to "artfully" cover up where the original bottle cage holders once were?

Neat old frame well worth restoring - but I'd try to save as much of the original finish as possible. Slowly and methodically file to remove the excess metal and then color match to touch up the paint on the down tube. Good luck.

DD

unworthy1

Hah! Guess since it's used as an insulting slur these days...but that's a new one in the "banned bucket"

Kilroy1988 

Sorry, but that's ridiculous. Aluminum is softer than steel or even the chrome surface being rubbed by it, and with a bit of water a chemical reaction occurs that creates aluminum oxide, which is a common metal polishing compound. It removes surface rust and other debris without doing anything at all to harm the chrome. I've rubbed the hell out of chrome with aluminum foil and never began to penetrate the chrome itself - the usual remainder of some of the most deeply seated rust spots is evidence of that.

It's a very simple and safe technique that does not cause abrasions on any sort of metal or alloy harder than the aluminum foil itself.

-Gregory

(p.s. I've worked in automotive restoration before and have been around professional restoration work my whole life, being a family business, and far cruder techniques are often resorted to for cleaning rust.)

jiangshi

There is no such thing as surface rust on chrome. If it's rusted, the chrome is compromised.

Kilroy1988 

Right, the rust is underneath the chrome on the steel. And what are you doing to do about it? Send every little chromed bit to a shop to wait a few months and spend hundreds of dollars getting new chrome? Or are you going to polish out the rust and grit that's appeared in the cracks and chips between, and move on with life?

Rubbing aluminum foil does nothing to cause further corrosion to any area of a bicycle frame that is already pitting, to whatever extent. If you want to make a frame presentable without a full restoration, then chrome polish of whatever sort is the most viable and easiest method, and as long as abrasive materials harder than the chrome itself (like steel wool) are not rubbed against it, there will be no further degradation due to that activity.

-Gregory