Hi All,

I am looking to buy a second hand steel framed road bike and recondition it with new paint job, decals and complete new modern group set. I have jumped on here because quite frankly I know what I like, but don’t know exactly how to go about it. Currently I have a Trek hybrid, which is an ok bike to ride around, but I really got caught up with some of the bikes on boutiquecycles.com, and would like to make a bike with a black frame similar to this: boutiquecycles.com

One of my goals is to use the process to learn more about bike construction, however while I am keen to do as much of it myself as possible I don’t want to sacrifice build quality. Everyone I speak to says take your time picking the absolute best frame, because it is likely that I will still have the bike in 5, 10 or 20 years time still.

My brief for this bike is to have a classic looking bike, with full modern functionality. Every component should as much as possible harmonise with the others in both performance and aesthetics. Cost where reasonable should be sacrificed in the name of quality parts and finishes.

So here come the questions:

Before I get into the build I have been looking on eBay, auction rooms etc for the best frame. Looking at this from the point of view that I want to ensure that my vintage frame does not mean that it is beyond repair, and was wondering if any of you have any tips

One of the first hurdles, is like the bike linked above I want to take the paint back to the steel finish on the front fork, rear fork (right terminology?) and the steel lugs. I am assuming that on the majority of the bike frames that have this feature it is actually just exposed steel with a clear finish and not chrome plated. I was going to go with a powder-coat black finish on the rest of the bike partly because it is a durable finish but mainly because I think the simple matt finish is quite cool.

Secondly because I have completely stripped the frame I want to replace the decals. I have found an eBay seller that has decent decals (Cyclomondo Ebay Store), I am assuming that these are easy to apply assuming a reasonable amount of coordination, and I am hoping that there will be no problems between the powder-coat finish and the adhesion of the decals.

Then there is the issue of the shifters. The majority of bikes in the “vintage” era I see have tube shifters, but I am looking to upgrade to a Campy Chorus set or similar. Is there a usual method to changeover the shifting pedals and keep the same cable route on the bike?

Then there is the debate of weather to go the classic setup of the derailer or for a sleeker simpler look of an internal geared hub. The dilemma I have is while the internal geared systems fits my brief I am not sure if it is the most appropriate for city commuting, or weather I might sacrifice some usability for aesthetics. I don’t see them around Sydney often, which may be an indication that the classic setup is widely used for a reason, but then again they might be big elsewhere that I have no idea about.

Finally I love the Velocity B43 rims (or Eighth Inch 42mm Julians or Hudson SL42’s), however according to their website they have other rims (not as deep) with an off centre design for the back are that way to maintain overall strength. Does this mean that I cannot use the B43’s (or similar) on the rear? Or its just not the best product to use but still can work? I have emailed each supplier of cool rims with the same questions and hope they get back to me soon.

For the rest of the bike I am looking to invest in a Brooks saddle and bar tape, white Vittoria tires, an average cycle computer and will chuck on my existing shimano pedals.

So what do you all think? Once I start I will keep you updated with pictures etc

Esquire

PS: Thanks in advance for all comments and advice