I recently bought a De Bernardi SLX from the original importer in NOS condition sight unseen. Everything was fine but the decals started to bubble a little and the clearcoat was thin. Then another NOS frame came up on Ebay, same size and color. I bought it hoping it would be better looking and have less issues. After talking with the owner, it had less issues. So for a while I had two NOS frames and eventually sold one without a loss. I was lucky but now I want to take it to a shop for additional clearcoats. The problem I have is knowing what the original paint is...lacquer or enamel. The shop wants to spray it with PPG Global urethane clearcoat. Awesome stuff. Does anyone know what kind of paint De Bernardi used?
Originally Posted by
fixedgearhead
I recently bought a Debernardi via mail order and was less than satisfied with the quality of the paint job on the bike I bought. The bike rides great though in it's own way. It is a little more relaxed than a "true" dedicated track frame (Cinelli) for example. If you have the ability to see the frame that you will get before any money changes hands then make your decision based on what you see as it applies to paint. I have talked to other people about the quality of the Debarnardi paint and they all say it is marginal at best. I guess you get what you pay for. The forks on the Debernardi are in reality the same forks they use on the road frame. Not bad but not true track forks. They are a sloping crown drilled for brakes, and so is the rear brake bridge, if that matters to you. They used to offer true track forks but in the interests of production efficiency have gone to the one type for both bikes. Probably because most people who buy their bikes run brakes on them on the street and don't race them on the velodrome, where brakes are not allowed. If you can get it cheap enough then it is probably a "good deal". I paid $450. recently from the YellowJersey.com but I now see the price has gone up on their website. I don't know about the other bike so I can't comment.
Good luck.
fixedgearhead