Classic & Vintage - advice for rustry raleigh professional

Hi guys,

Newb here, I've been enjoying reading all your great posts over the las week or so. My bridgestone 700 SS conv got nabbed two weeks ago (if you happen to see one ~62cm), so I went shopping and ended up with a Raleigh Professional, probably '74-76 SN A9323 silver and black with a box of assorted parts. My plan is to build it into a SS, but I'm trying to figure out what to do with the paint.

There are many, many small scratches showing rust, a medium bubbly rust spot under the carlton sticker, and two decent patches of surface rust where the rear brake cable was rubbing the top tube. The chrome on the stays is in good shape. The fork had the paint stripped, so is all chrome, though the chrome is seriously flaking on the backside of the fork and rusting where it chipped off.

My main goal is to have a sweet daily rider with some vintage flair without risking losing a pretty nice piece of steel to the elements. I'm considering a couple of options and would appreciate any feedback. I've tried to read up as much as I can, but thought putting the question to a specific frame might yield some insights.

1. Wash and wax it and cross my fingers that the rust doesn't progress.

2. Pay for a good single color powder coat, leaving the fork as it ~$150 (will you still be able to see the lugwork?)

3. Repaint myself using professional products and unprofessional technique, probably trying to match the colors, but not the decals. $150 in materials plus a lot of time.

4. Have it professionally painted one color. ~$250

Since I don't have a lot of original components, and I'm not trying to restore to original, I'm not really considering the $$$ paint job that I know would be sweet, but just isn't in the scope of this project.

Thanks for your input!

You could clean it up and clear coat it. If you are going for a freewheeling single speed as opposed to a fixed gear, why not keep at least the rear derailleur and both front chainrings, if not the front derailleur, as well? A bike with gears can do everything a freewheeling single speed can do, plus a lot more.

Wax, lots of wax. Coat the inside of the tubes with Framesaver or boiled linseed oil as well. Rust will not progress if you keep your bike clean and waxed.

Cheap powdercoat is a bad choice for that frame. You might end up wanting to do a proper paint job on it one day.

Pictures would be helpful. Personally, I'd be uneasy having a bike that has rust still on it.

If you want a SS then build it man! :) buy what you need and build the bike you want :) I live in an area thats generally flat so a SS or FG is perfect for me, if this is true for you build her up! ;) and although a geared bike is good a SS is great! less moving parts = less parts to wear/break down = less maintanence ;) if you build it the way you want you'll be happy in the end :) even better if you keep a geared bike for when you get that urge =)

thanks for all the input

as for the SS/geared quesions, this will be a SS bike for my own personal reasons (simplicity, enjoyment, smoothness, I already have too many geared bikes etc...)

pictures - sorry camera broken, saving money for a new set of wheels!

John E - clear coat over the current paint? how does that work? rattle can or spray gun, do you sand first?

Otis - What kind of was does one use, are you talking about the stuff in the bike shops, car wax?

I am definitely trying to avoid a cheap powdercoat, I'm thinking about using Mass Bros. in Livermore, CA, they came recommended by the forums and also Sycip cycles. My curiosity is whether or not any powdercoat will show lug details like paint does.

Otis - What kind of was does one use, are you talking about the stuff in the bike shops, car wax?

I am definitely trying to avoid a cheap powdercoat, I'm thinking about using Mass Bros. in Livermore, CA, they came recommended by the forums and also Sycip cycles. My curiosity is whether or not any powdercoat will show lug details like paint does.

To me wax is wax, the Turtle paste variety at the auto parts store will be fine.

I've seen Spectrum powder coat on lugged bikes that was good and did not obliterate the transitions. I'd ask to see examples before I handed over a frame to anyone though.