RE: [CR]re: to restore or not to restore

(Example: Framebuilders:Alex Singer)

Content-class: urn:content-classes:message
Subject: RE: [CR]re: to restore or not to restore
Date: Fri, 17 Nov 2006 08:32:50 -0600
In-Reply-To: <25890876.1163716849244.JavaMail.root@mswamui-bichon.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
Thread-Topic: [CR]re: to restore or not to restore
Thread-Index: AccJ0FQSYCv00CtPRgirMNOtH5b/CwAg/RqQ
From: "Watts, Gary J (Vancouver, WA USA)" <gary.watts@hp.com>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>


Not surprising that there are retro clones being made. In the electric guitar world, Fender started making the Relic series through their custom shop about 10 years ago. Faded lacquer, wear spots on the fingerboard and body, dents, chips, damaged chrome,rust and you get to pay MORE than the non-worn guitars. This concept also has had fraud implications. Late 1950 Gibson Les Pauls fetch $50-100K thus certain people started making copies to fool folks into purchasing.

The bicycle world doesn't have example at this price range but obviously can at near 10% of those prices, still real money to most of us.

I do admit to finding the process an intriguing one, doing it properly so that it's not outwardly obvious, at least overtly so, to create such a bike. Mint, with a hint of patina........sounds like a dish description at a fancy restaurant:-)

Gary Watts Vancouver, Washington USA

I had a Bianchi Paris-Roubaix restored by CyclArt some years ago, and Jim and his crew did a great "velotique" job on it. So good that it fooled a few people who really should have known better. Jim made that bike look like an authentically clean, used bike from the 1940s. Even at that though, Chuck Schmidt's extremely well-worn PR from the same period, with original paint, is more pleasing, in my view.

My sense has always been that if your restoration could be plausibly regarded as original, then the job has been done about as well as can be done. But....it's still not as pleasing, nor, usually, as valuable, as original, especially with highly collectible bikes.

Charles Andrews
SoCal