>The older I get the more I prize and covet originality in bicycles. I'm
>sure some may wonder why I don't get some of my "rougher" bikes
>repainted though. Maybe it's an acquired taste not shared by everyone?
youre not the only one, chuck....
heck, ive always preferred a blemished (even severely, sometimes) original finish to a perfect restoration... for me, i liken it to erasing the bikes memory or something - washing it clean of the stories it has to tell... when it comes to parts, im the same way... cosmetic dings and scratches add "character"...
at the same time, i can understand the desire to restore to "as new" condition (or as close to it as possible) - its just not *my* style...
but then, ive kinda got a soft spot for anything with a "used" or "aged" look... crisp newness never did it for me... i like my furniture dinged, my dishware chipped, and clothes broken in... :)
-joel
--
joel metz : magpie@messengers.org : http://www.blackbirdsf.org/
bike messengers worldwide : ifbma : http://www.messengers.org/
po box 191443 san francisco ca 94119-1443 usa
==
i know what innocence looks like - and it wasn't there,
after she got that bicycle...