I have been volunteering with the Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange here in Palo Alto Ca. for about 10 years, learned how to repair bikes and then started restoring some of the nicer ones for us to sell to finance our operation. I started painting some of the sale bikes, and now do around 50 restorations a year. on almost all of them I completely strip the bike down to the frame. I deep clean the paint with white polishing compound, and depending on the condition I wax, clear coat, or completely strip and re paint. My projects run the gamut from an old huffy beach cruiser, to a Schwinn Suburban( currently being reassembled) to Bianchi's, Atala's, Raleigh 3 speeds, and lots of Specialized Rock hoppers.

I spend 10 - 20 hours on a bike and use probably $20 - $50 worth of new materials which the bike Exchange provides plus used parts from the bins in the shop.

I love rummaging around in the stacks of old bikes waiting to be repaired looking for something interesting to work on then customizing it to make it unique.