JordonD

I have a beautiful but heavily abused 1977 Raleigh Grand Prix. I am in a bit of a stand-still as she (Frankie) needs some work and love. A lot of her paint is chipped and rusting. She has some original parts but not all. If I decide to customize her (repainting, removing the downward gear shifts ect.), will I be committing a bike sin?

-Jordon

howsteepisit

Your bike, do as you please. Be aware that by rebuilding it you will not see a positive return on your investment, cash wise. Joy wise - only you can tell that.

chet90si

I think it can be fun to restore a bike to its former glory, but as mentioned...not very cost effective. If I didn't have too much of a personal attachment to it, I'd do a custom build without hesitation.

randyjawa 

WE call that chipped paint and oxidized metals a "patina of age" and it not, necessarily, a bad thing. To Paint a Bicycle is something that should be undertaken with care and understanding. With that in mind, have a look at Should I Paint My Bicycle? That might open your eyes to potential costs and losses, if you choose to do so. Also...

Before any of us make a call, it would be wise for you to submit pictures, so that we can offer more informed advice. I love my old Legnano and have wondered, many times, if I should paint the bike. At this time, I think it best to keep it as original as I can. After all, I can make the decision to paint anytime, but I can't make the decision to un-paint a bike.

zukahn1 

I have a soft spot of these myself I would rebuild into a nice functioning bike with some upgrades like alloy wheels, these aren't a special enough to worry much about keeping it original. Value wise while nice bikes to ride these aren't really worth restoring or doing a pricey custom build on at the end all built up it will only be worth a $200-250 which ever way you go. Here's a pic of one I rebuilt road for a while then sold for $200.

daf1009

Your bike, your money, your options, your decision...

Kevindale

The bias here is to keep as much as possible original, within reason, especially if a bike is fairly rare or special. Mostly it depends on your taste. Do you need your bike to be shiny and new looking, or do you enjoy the patina Randy mentioned. I have a great Tommasini with badly faded and chipped paint, and I like the look. The bike serves me well in it's original condition (from the early 1980s), so I have no need to 'upgrade' to more modern components. That said, if I had a nice old frame that fit me and wasn't of historical significance, and it had worn out components or elements that didn't suit me, and paint that I thought looked horrid, I wouldn't hesitate to powdercoat or do a rattlecan paint job, and swap in different components.

Look at the 'retro-roadies' thread for ideas.

FBOATSB

There are almost no unforgivable sins in C&V. My main concern or buzzword, if you will, is simply "preservation" of a frame while it is in my possession.

JordonD

Thank you

JordonD

Thank you