Hi,
I have 2 questions with regard to a mid-30's Gloria I bought in "as found" condition. (http://www.speedbicycles.ch/272/index.html)

1) What, if anything, should one do to preserve its state? I don't want to do anything that will alter its appearance to any great degree. It looks beautiful to me the way it is. But its spokes and freewheel are rusty; maybe other parts, too. I want to stabilize it so it's not needlessly deteriorating. I asked the seller what he'd recommend and his response was that he was about to ask me the same thing.

2) With regard to its plastic handlebar wrap, that can't possibly be period correct, can it? My impression is that cloth handlebar tape is what was around then:

http://www.classicrendezvous.com/Ita..._bike_1937.htm

However, I see one with the same plastic blue wrap here:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech.php?...olnago_Museum1

(I'm told that, contrary to the caption, that bike wasn't Ernesto's. It was donated by a local collector.)