Classic & Vintage - How do I know if My bike is worth rebuilding?

Hello out there! I'm new to this forum stuff. I've have a 1985 steel Frame Specialized Allez road bike and it has seen its day! Lots of triathlons, dozens of centuries and double centuries! It went up and down the California coast and I desperatly want to restore it. How do I know if it is worth it? It is a bit rusted. I heard that Specialized has lifetime guarentees on their frames. Is this an option? I'm a bit lost on what to do. Can anyone help?

Does it fit you? Do you like it? Then yes :) I'd have it stripped and powdercoated, and then treat the frame with frame saver before assembly.

First inspect the frame very closely to see if it has any structural damage (major dents, cracks, rust....etc). With that many miles for all those years, it might have picked up some damage along the way. If everything seems OK, then the Allez frame is definitely worth restoring. It's been Specialize's good entry level sport frame for the longest time and an 80's model can defintely be considered a classic. It will be nice if most of the original finish is still intact on the bike, but with all those miles I suspect it might need a re-paint. Good thing about restoring a Specialized classic is you are not as limited with the choice of components as you might be with a Gitane or a Peugeot. You can slap on any good compnenet gruppo on it like a Cyclone MkII up to Dura Ace levels and they will all fit and work great. you can even put on good quality Italian gruppos on it without looking out of place.
If everything looks OK structurally, I'd go for it and give that classic bike another 20+ years of life!

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV

Hi Jag410! Thanks for the reply. I know how to ride (really well actually) BUT I am clueless about rebuilding a bike. Yes I love my bike and Yes it fits. What is powdercoating? How do I know if my frame is still good to even attempt this! I know this will be a long term experience for me but I really want to do this and refit the bike with new modern components, etc. Any more Advice? Cheers!:)

OMG! This forum stuff is so cool! Thanks so much. I am so excited about this and your post has motivated me even more! I really appreciate you knowledge and love of bikes! Thanks so much. I will keep you all posted! Cheers from New Zealand

If you like it, if it has fond memories for you, then the answer is 100% in the affirmative. Conserve it or restore it. It is yours, really and truly yours. No one else in the entire world will appreciate it for what it is, where it's been and the joy it has brought.

Now, how much should you put into it? As much as you see fit to spend.

Powdercoating is an alternative to paint. It comes in slightly less colours than paint, but it does have unique colors and finishing options.

In essence, Powdercoating is spraying a dry, polymer-like powder onto the frame, and then sticking it into an oven for a while to melt the Polymer into a liquid. It flows over the frame, and provides a very tough finish to the frame.
There are no problems with "baking" the coating onto the frame, as the temperature is too low to melt brazing, welding, or even disturb the temper (hardness) of the steel. Typically the powders cure at 200 degrees C.

Meaning, will it be WORTH what restoring costs to someone else? Probably not, but if you love it, why not?

Unless crashed or abused, bikes rarely wear out; probably plenty of life left. If its been a loyal friend, keep it around.

BTW, my wife has the same bike, even though she recently bought a new bike she still throws it in the car, takes it to work and rides at lunch.

+1 Will you be able to get the money out of it if you do it? No.

So the reason to do it is that the bike fits and you plan to ride it. Not all bike expenditures are investments.

The way to control costs is to do the work yourself and to scrounge up some parts (the old donor bike concept).

Is the rust on the inside or the outside? If the latter, it can be cleaned off with wet-and-dry abrasive paper used with soap and water. This also gives the steel a suitable surface for painting over. You can then apply an etching primer, and the paint of your choice. If the rust is inside, you can buy various treatments which will stop the rust and apply a protective coating. You can get products like Waxoyl which give further protection. Your bike is worth rebuilding if you love it - it's as simple as that. A rebuild is never cheap, but you learn a lot, and the experience stands you in good stead in the future.

And they aren't making any more '85 Allez's!
Ditto on what's been said. A quality steel frame will last virtually forever, so long as there isn't any penetrated rust or structural damage. Definite candidate for restoration.

If it fits and you like it and it was a quality frame in the first place without serious structural problems, then hell yes. This isn't about money since you won't be able to sell it for all it would take to make it perfect and sweet. But then you can make it perfect and sweet for a lot less than a new bike would cost.

You can also upgrade whatever you like. Want 8, 9, 10 or 11 speeds and brifters you can do that. Or you can just replace the parts that are worn or broken.

It really, really helps if you can do most of the work yourself.

How bad's the rust?

And let me point out that the coin of this realm is pictures. We demand pictures of your bike. Especially the really pretty bits and the ugly parts. We obtain an unnatural pleasure in looking at bikes.

+1 if there's no structural damage and rust is only on the surface, it's worth restoring.

Bike restoration is not about the economics unless you want to fix it up and sell it for a profit. Sure it'll always end up costing more than that el cheapo $500 bike, but the skills you'll pick up along the way will be priceless. Not to mention the pride you'll feel when you're out there riding the bike that you built with your own hands...


Ben

Subjective decision. If selling it or giving it away doesn't bother you, do so.

One idea is to sell the parts you're going to upgrade, offset the upgrade cost.

Main thing is, you have to decide. We can't decide for you.

Worth it?That is usually a question you need to ask yourself. The lifetime guarentee on a frame normally wo'nt cover use or rust.you could take it to your local specialized dealer he may get a kick out of it .Sometimes they might even offer help of some kind(parts or reference).If this bike has history with you ,working on it typically will be quite rewarding.Most people on bf cv would rebuild or restore ANYTHING.In short yes ,of course it's worth it, but you posted in a place where that's what we/they do.


oh yeah,let's see some pics, you can start your pride a little prematurely.We would love to see it-most of us reading this already have a picture in our heads of what we think it looks like

I think it's almost certainly worth restoring, even if only for its sentimental value to you! If you could post some pictures of the frame, especially where you think it might be rusted/damaged, we could probably help more.

It could be a Collectible frame if it was made by 3rensho, could be quite a valuable frame you have there. any pictures of the fork crown would be helpful.

Apparently, I should keep writing on this thread according to my husband. I submitted two new ones yesterday about mu plans for my 85 Allez which is thrashed by the way! Anyway, I plan to stip it and then get it checked out for structural damages and rust, stop the rust and then decide how to paint it- either powdercoating or paint myself. I'd liek to see if I can contact Specialized and see if they have the original "red" color. Just an idea. I have pictures but I have no idea how to get them on the thread. I'll keep asking. Thanks for all your help. Cheers!

Hi Gretchen,

first of all (ok, a bit late) welcome to Bike Forums, and more specifically welcome to Classic & Vintage,
what I think is the best of Bike Forums.
When you say 'thrashed' can you expound a bit? paint scratched, chipped and scuffed? or dents, dings and rust all over it? Those are all very different things.
Is there a good bike shop near you? perhaps a framebuilder local to you? both of those options can
help determine the amount of damage your frame has, if any.
I would say given your history with the frame, and the way you talk about it that yes it's definitely
worth restoring. And I'd suggest having it professionally painted, most home rattle can paint jobs
don't look that great and don't wear very well.
when you contact Specialized see if they can send you the paint code for that colour red, that should
make it easier for any painter to recreate the colour.
If you want I know a few collectors in Nz and I could ask them about painters ( say for a hei matei, haha)

Marty

First inspect the frame very closely to see if it has any structural damage (major dents, cracks, rust....etc). With that many miles for all those years, it might have picked up some damage along the way. If everything seems OK, then the Allez frame is definitely worth restoring. It's been Specialize's good entry level sport frame for the longest time and an 80's model can defintely be considered a classic. It will be nice if most of the original finish is still intact on the bike, but with all those miles I suspect it might need a re-paint. Good thing about restoring a Specialized classic is you are not as limited with the choice of components as you might be with a Gitane or a Peugeot. You can slap on any good compnenet gruppo on it like a Cyclone MkII up to Dura Ace levels and they will all fit and work great. you can even put on good quality Italian gruppos on it without looking out of place.
If everything looks OK structurally, I'd go for it and give that classic bike another 20+ years of life!

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV

Hi Gretchen,
Welcome to the C & V forum.
Chombi is right about the frame being a classic. The newer Allez models are not steel anymore.
Regarding the replacement of components, I have an '84 Allez and on mine, the handlebars, stem and cranks are all engraved "Specialized". If your bike has these, make sure you keep them. It's rare to see such details on todays bikes.
Take your time with the restoration. It will be worth it.

Let me just say that unless your life already includes compressors and detail guns and paint you are better off finding a local powder coater who has done bikes and giving him the frame and some money. The $100-120 for a basic PC job is well worth being able to keep those things out of your life.