Przemek

Hello there.
Although I've been reading the forum for a while, this is my first post, so welcome everyone :)

So I've been searching parts for my commuter, and came across a mid 70's Colnago Super pista frame, really cheap. It was horribly painted, so I decided to respray it. When I took off the old paint, I saw that nearly whole frame has surface rust, a dent on the top tube, and the previous owner must have been a butcher of some sort, because the upper cross-piece between the rear triangle (excuse me, but I have no bloody idea how is it called in English - the bar to which a non-track frame would have a brake mounted) was hammered to fit a larger tire!
Alongside, I've been thinking it might be a bad idea to take a classic track frame to beat it around on the streets everyday, I'm rather an ultilitary not aesthetic guy, I don't drink at Starbucks and I don't care about "cult" parts on my bike as long as they are light and strong enough to get me around fast. Please help me decide what to do.

tl;dr
I have a 1970's Colnago Super Pista, bad shape. Should I:
1. Have repainted and use it as a commuter,
2. Repaint myself and use it as a commuter,
3. Sell as it is without restoring, buy something of less "cult" worth
4. Spend some time and restore it to best possible shape, try to get some "more serious" money out of it and buy something as in 3.

Thank you for your time.
Przemek.

the_don

it depends on what you want.

Although restoring it will be very expensive and will not re-coop the costs so I personally wouldn't.

I am sure it'll hold up for daily riding, I would just clean it and paint it and leave it there as a cheap runaround bike, that just happens to be an old classic.

dsh

I'm with the don; embrace the beater.

Plus, nothing is cooler than casually explaining that your knock-around city bike with the rattlecan paintjob and mismatch polo wheels is a Colnago.

osiris419

Get rid of the surface rust, rattlecan it, and ride it.

hairnet

hey, with some patience you can make a rattle can paint job look really good

Leukybear 

The idiots who would ruin a colnago...

+1; multiple coats and clear coat. Had a buddy of mine do it and everybody doesn't believe him when he says he did it himself. Everyone says he powdercoated it!

rustybrown

Tall bike.

Przemek

Thanks guys, especially dsh's post shows my idea of a fixed gear bike. It's nice to look at all the powdercoated and color matched, or the careful vintage restos, but I just wouldn't like to have one and look anxiously through the window every time i lock it up somewhere.
The fixed bikes fad didn't quite reached where I live, most of the riders are still couriers and not many people have the colorful fixies, so I believe thieves would still look at it and go "pff, no deralieurs, spray paint, I'll go for the supermarket MTB instead".

Squirrelli

Tall recumbent tandem is obviously the better candidate.

7/8timing

pics or it doesnt exist. I like seeing "work" bikes.

xavier853

I would take it, and I will take it if you dont want it