Hey,

I just scored a couple sets of NOS decals for my Rossin, so I'll be restoring it soon. Anyone have any info on Rossin's painting methods? This is on one of their earlier ones, which has Cinelli BB and striped decals which you can see here. I one of Rossin's later catalogs, and they mentioned baking an acrylic paint on, which sounds similar to powder coating. If I remember correctly, these Rossins were often chromed, so the baked paint could be due to the difficulty of painting over chrome. Mine is not chomed, however. I'd like to restore it as accurately as possible.

I have two options as of now. The first is to powder coat it for a price ranging from about $56 to something over $100 if it's a complicated color. That includes mediablasting (aka sandblasting). The other option is to have it painted with a small, professional sprayer using automotive paint. This option would require me to strip the paint myself. I might be able to get it done for next to nothing because my dad is in the automotive business, or I also talked to a guy who needs a website who said if I make him one he'd do it for free. Making a website isn't too much work, but obviously the automotive option requires more work on my end. Time vs. cost wise, powdercoating makes sense and will be more durable, but I think it'll look a little less good.

So basically I can't decide, and therefore want to decide based on whatever closest replicates its original method. I'm open to options I'm not aware of, so long as the price is reasonable.

Thanks in anticipation,

Kyle

P.S. can anyone date this? I don't have much to go on, and I don't know what's original and not. The headset and seatpost are both stamped patent, the BB is stamped Cinelli S.C. Made in Italy, and the saddle (Selle San Marco) has an 85 in a circle, so I guess the saddle's from 85. The cranks are road cranks stamped Strada 170, and the bars have the Cinelli badge engraved in them. Tubing is Columbus. That's about all I can say. The wheels were not original to this bike.