Dale wrote:
I personally am just not attracted to that bike aesthetically, nor does it seem to convey a sense of it's heritage or character in that paint job. Not sure what should have been done; that very well could have been it's original color, and if it were severely distressed, it may well have had to be refinished... but the result is not good IMHO.
Dale Brown Greensboro, North Carolina USA
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at the risk of an attaboy, aside from questions about the exact nature of this particular beast, I agree with Dale...even if it was a completely legit Alcyon from the 30s, I wouldn't be much interested either, with the bike like this.
restoring these very old bikes seems like a real challenge to me. I've seen a few pre-war paramounts that have been lovingly restored, and I could see the appeal, although not enough for me to buy one, or restore one.
How you restore or preserve these very old bikes without ruining them is something of a puzzle. Of course, everyone's different, and some people love a nice, shiny new paint-job, to the point where that alone is enough. But with these very old bikes, it seems like keeping the mojo and making them like-new are mutually exclusive goals.
That said, it can probably be done, given a very devoted and expert owner, and an equally fanatical painter/restorer.
I'm going to be parting with a couple of very cool old Gloria frames soon, precisely because of this dilemma. They are challenges beyond my devotion or desire.
Charles Andrews
SoCal