Originally Posted by supafast213

I took a beater bike down to raw steel very recently. When I posted a thread about it, everyone wanted to talk about clear coats. I have decided to leave the bike "raw" because the inevitable corrosion has not developed. My advise to you is not to worry about the clear coat until you have finished stripping the frame. After doing this twice on two different bikes, I would suggest that you get some sort of shop stand, lots of sandpaper and a GOOD variety of wire brushes. The paint removal process is more daunting than you think. Patience is key.
You also will probably want a garage/dirty work area where you can leave the bike after you get so frustrated removing paint that you need to come back to it tomorrow. Oh, go ahead and pull the bottom bracket. That's the hardest part to sand around with parts installed. I have never posted my single speed on this forum due to beating it would probably receive. But just to give you some inspiration......(keep in mind, this bike was built from spare parts I had laying around. It is in a constant state of flux)