What a timely thread! I'm "building" an 80's Raleigh Tri-Lite for a couple of sprints and an olympic this year. The paint is tore up with base coat showing on the aluminum triangle and rust present on the rear tri and forks. I'm going to have it media blasted to keep chemicals away from the bonded lugs. I've played around with the idea of clearing it despite (or because of) the unique frame construction. I don't mind it ugly, but I would like durable.