Peter wrote:
The question I pose for listmembers, is if this bike were yours, would you restore the frame to accurate period look, and reassemble the bike once all componants are cleaned up, or would you clean the frame up as best possible and reasemmble.
Disclaimer: I've already made up my mind as to which direction I will eventually take this cycle, but I'm very interested in seeing other points of view.
Just curious !!
Peter Naiman
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I struggle with this stuff. I have a couple of frames right now that are tipped precisely on the line between too beat to ride with pride, and too cool with their original paint and graphics to repaint them. So they sit, while I dither.
With a Hetchins though, it seems to me the path might be clearer. Is there not a long history of british bike owners having their frames repainted on a routine basis? It sure seems like nobody dithers much in the UK (or, at least, they didn't formerly dither) about a repaint. When the finish will not protect the metal or the overall finish is too beat..or the owner just decided they didn't like the current color of their frame...they had it repainted.
That said, it's hard to beat the charm of original paint and graphics, no matter how worn. These days, unless a frame has already been changed by a prior repaint, I know I think a long time before I have a repaint done.
None of this very decisive. Do others here vacillate on this issue too?
Charles Andrews SoCal
"What concerns me is not the way things are, but rather the way people think things are."
- Epictitus