All of my bikes are currently hanging on the wall as art. When I feel like riding one of them, I take it down and ride it.

As for restoring/repainting, I've had two frames repainted: the Colnago & the Eddy Merckx. Both frames were well-used by the time I got them and badly in need of repainting. I chose to repaint the Colnago a different color than it was originally. The original paint scheme was classic Italian blue. I had it painted white with a blue pearl clear coat. I'm not sorry I had it repainted, because I had no attachment to the previous color. I also wanted to differentiate it from when it belonged to the previous owner, since he lived in the area. The Eddy Merckx had been crashed and repaired, and prior to the crash had been raced professionally. It was seriously showing wear. I had it repainted in the same paint scheme (7-Eleven team colors), and obtained decals directly from Eddy Merckx (the company, not the man).



I'd love to get it repainted again, since there are flaws with the paint job that bug the hell out of me. If I ever do that, I'll try to get the additional decals to match the way the bike was when I first got it (the Wolber decals on the seat stays, Columbus decals on the fronts of the fork blades, 7-ELEVEN TEAM decal on the top tube, and either Tommy MATUSH or my name on the other side of the top tube).

The only change I had made to the Eddy Merckx (other than leaving off decals) was to have the cable guides on the top tube removed, and cable housing stops brazed onto the side of the top tube.

Since my intention with all of the frames I bought was to build them up and ride them, I was only concerned with making them look good to me. And since I've owned the Colnago since 1989, and the Eddy Merckx since 1993, I can honestly say that future value did not play a part in my decision to purchase. I have no intention of ever selling them.