Jerry, I faced a somewhat similar situation a couple of years ago.? I got a Cuevas that had decent decals, but the toptube was in bad shape with lots of paint chips and a small indentation.? Frame was presentable elsewhere.? I had to make a decision to 1) leave as is 2) attempt to paint only the toptube and match the paint or 3) repaint entirely.? I selected # 3 and here is the result:?
http://photos1.blogger.com/
Jonathan Greene & I obtained decals from Fernando Cuevas in New York.? The decals were original 80s vintage and brittle.? If you repaint, you have a choice of putting the seattube Cuevas decal on the front of the tube, which is more traditional, or on the rear of the tube, which is how I saw it on one of Cuevas's showbikes.? Mine has it on the rear.???
The decision is really yours and as you said, this topic?has been scrubbed and rubbed many times before on the list, so you wont' get a consensus if that is what you desire.? Lou Deeter, Orlando FL USA
-----Original Message----- From: Jerome & Elizabeth Moos <jerrymoos@sbcglobal.net> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Sent: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 11:03 am Subject: [CR]Vintage Cuevas and a familiar dilemma
Received the vintage Cuevas frame from eBay that was discussed here a couple of times. Good news is that what appeared to be rust in eBay photos was just dirt, and all the dirt washed off. The 531 frame decal is 90% gone and the fork blades have Campy decals where one would expect 531 fork decals. And there is the small dent in the top tube, which was clearly shown in the eBay photos. But most of the Cuevas decals are in pretty good shape. Paint overall is pretty good, although there are a number of small chips and stratches, most notably on the left seatstay. The bike is without doubt a genuine Cuevas, with the point at the front of the seatlug, the cross at the bottom of the steerer and the unusual joining of rear stays to DO's.
But this brings up a familiar dilemma. I had thought to have it restored, but now I inspect it closely, I think some touchup paint and a dab of Bondo on the dent, plus a few coats of wax, would make this frame pretty presentable. So what do y'all think? Would you rather have a presentable, though far from NOS, original Cuevas or a pristine restored one?
Regards,
Jerry Moos Big Spring, TX
Jerome & Elizabeth Moos <jerrymoos@sbcglobal.net> wrote: I bought the Cuevas bike on eBay that was discussed here a few days ago:
Components are nothing special, frame is dirty, dented, will definitely need repair and refinishing. Shipping is a bit high, but all that said, it seems to be a genuine Cuevas, and therefore $380 including shipping doesn't seem a bad deal.
The Cuevas information on the CR site says Francesco Cuevas retired to Spain, (Is he still living?) but that his son Andreas continues the business in New Jersey. Does Andreas restore classic Cuevas frames? If so, anyone on the list have a Cuevas restored by Andres? Is the contact information on the CR site still current? Anyone have an email address for Andreas?
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Big Spring, TX