artclone

I bought touchup paint for this bike but then realized it hadn't been touched up before. Should I just leave it? It's chrome under paint so I don't have to worry about sealing against rust. And some of the touchups would be fairly large so might not hide much anyway.


On the other hand, the bike isn't a time capsule or anything: the seat is new, the wheelset not original, it has an aftermarket decal or two, etc. so a bit of touchup isn't going to hurt maybe.


Opinions sought. This is my first vintage bike of real value so not sure what the protocol is.

Jon T

I'd leave it as is. Each little scratch and scrape is part of its history.
Jon

norcalmike

I don't mind battle scars but I did touch up my Peloton to keep the chips from spreading. the paint doesn't stick well to the chrome once it starts.

steelbikeguy

I touch up my bikes, but a big factor is how well the touch-up paint matches the bike's paint. If it's too far off, it's more offensive than the scratch itself.


Steve in Peoria

bfuser10291295 

If the bike got it battle scars from the years of gribding out miles I'd leave as is.

Colnago Mixte

Is it rusting? Looks like it isn't. No rust, no problem. Touch-up paint never matches anyway, unless it's white or a very dark color.

I would find a small sticker or decal to put over the chip near the shift lever. Any small sticker would do the trick, even a Chiquita Banana sticker if that's all you can find. Would make a great conversation-starter.

bikingshearer 

I've had several old frames repainted, but I'd leave this one alone, not for any aesthetic or history preservation reasons, but because (1) I'm lazy, (2) those scratches and chips strike me as minimal at worst, and (3) there appears to be zero harm being done to the frame. To be honest, (1) is the single biggest reason.

artclone

Thanks all. I'll leave alone unless it starts flaking off of the chrome in the areas with paint loss and only then touch it up. Or put a banana sticker over it, lol.

Salamandrine 

Another vote for leave it alone.

Paint looks really good to me. Real racing bikes always had some wear and tear. Battle scars. Honest use. Beausage. Wabi sabi. Whatever....

Practically speaking, the bike is fully chromed so it's not going to rust. Paint touch up would be for aesthetic reasons only. If the color isn't exactly right it will look worse.

Thank you for not putting celeste tape, seat and housing on it...

artclone

Lol, tell me about it. And tires and bottle cage and toe straps. The pump and waterbottle were sold with the bike when new but are still pushing my limits . . .

Colnago Mixte

I just noticed those chrome lugs, very nice! This bike already is dangerously close to the "too nice to actually ride and get dirty" category. I would watch out not to fall prey to that.

Those scuffs are really a blessing, now you don't have to walk on eggshells working on it or leaning it against something for fear of scratching it.

artclone

Good point.
It's for sure a rider. Just got an even bigger range freewheel today to tame the 53 up front.

mackgoo

Leave it alone and ride.

Salamandrine 

BTW, that is a completely stunning bike. 1981 Super Corsa I think? Once upon a time it was my dream bike. That one is just perfect.

Lovenutz

When it comes to vintage bikes I like the Japanese Buddhist concept of Wabi-sabi. Finding beauty in imperfection. That chip gives the bike more character IMO. You would expect a vintage bikes to have a few. My voter is to leave it as is.

3alarmer

.
...the nice thing about touch up painting is that you can make an attempt, and if you don't like the way it looks, it's easily removed with mineral spirits if you get it within a day or two. I've been trying to figure a way to touch up a Carlton Flyer in flamboyant green, a sort of transparent green over a bronze metallic over chrome, and it's been a trial and error sort of thing so far. But the stuff is pretty reversible as long as you get it fresh.

But your paint on that one looks pretty good already.

Hardrock23

Beautiful bike...another vote to leave it.
I seem to not mind paint chips as much when it's over chrome.

sanmi

I've never had good luck with touch up paint. My usual strategy is to do a deep cleaning and then apply car wax. Seems to work pretty well.

What a beautiful bike in fabulous condition!

USAZorro

I don't follow Bianchi's very closely, but I noticed that the head tube graphic looks different from what I recall. Might you have a closer image of it?

rlorenz2

A magic eraser may remove the scuffs on the seat stay.

Colnago Mixte

Or some cleaner wax or even toothpaste.

artclone

From what I can tell, the 79/80 models had Piaggio Vespa head tube decals out lined in black (even though Piaggio took over in 1980).

In early 81 they had the standard Bianchi heraldry crest on the headtube and no Piaggio decals anywhere. At some point in 81 Piaggio decals outlined in black and white were added to the seat tubes on most models.

Here's the catalog pic from Mark Bulgier's great site. The index says it is fron 81 but I suspect it is actually a 1980 catalog.

artclone

Here's the 1981 lineup:

USAZorro

Looks like you have the exact bike from the catalog - right down to the cable routing.

artclone

1980 as far as I can tell. I sold three bikes and a frame to save for it and to keep my spouse. A good strategy for [MENTION=468540]norcalmike[/MENTION]-type addicts..