Send me the bike or pick from what I have to offer. I build two or three bikes, each year, to customer specifications, starting with what I have on hand.

Full restoration, chrome, paint, art and components will set you back hundreds or even thousands of US dollars. To estimate the exact amount would be impossible, but I do know for sure that if someone else does the work, you just might find yourself stranded, on the road, with no idea of what to do to get you and the bike going, again.

Anyway, if you wanted to get something in dirty condition, and that is not at all uncommon, and just clean it up, my guess is that you are more than capable of doing the job. True, you might need a pro's help, now and again, but that will come to an end, sooner or later.

And, you will be amazed at how much, of the work, you can do yourself. I do recommend that you give it a try.

All I had to do to this old Torpado was clean it off, lube it up and put it together. I did not spend a cent on paint or art or anything else that would be considered cosmetic. All in all, I have about a hundred bucks invested and I have turned down five times that amount...


But don't be fooled. I am capable of doing all of my own restoration work or all of my maintenance work. If I had to farm the work out, I could not afford to participate in my vintage bicycle hobby.

I hope this sheds a glimmer of light on the cost of full restoration. I, personally, focus on Street Restoration, opting for "period and price point" correctness. Put another way, I do my best to not waste money, or time or effort, when building my bikes. Hence, my publication MY "TEN SPEEDS", a website that I published with hopes of helping people, just like the OP, save time, effort and money when trying to find, build and ride a vintage bicycle.