Originally Posted by
cudak888
That wouldn't explain the repaint, and the stock, clamp-on setup would have allowed the owner to put the shifters virtually anywhere on the downtube.
The Colnago looks fine as-is, it's a very nice paint job. To put it in perspective: Even I would tolerate that thing in my collection, as-is, without a repaint - and I generally don't care for Colnagos.
It looks ok, but it doesn't feel right to the touch. If I can figure out the original paint scheme, I'd like to see this guy restored to full glory. Plus, its more or less the C&V/campground motto: Leave it better than you found it.
Originally Posted by
cudak888
As for the Raleigh - if you commit to repainting it (don't do this unless you commit), strip the paint around the downtube braze-ons and see if they've been put there with silver or brass. If silver, a framebuilder can heat them and they'll pretty much fall off. If brass, they'll probably need to be ground off (tricky business).
Good to know, hopefully its silver. If its brass, I think I can file it down myself. I may be crucified for this, but I had an Ishiwata Bianchi Limited with damaged brake cable guides that I was building for a girl as a single speed. Once I removed the cable guides, it made sense to remove everything else (and she wanted me to), so I ground and filed the rest of the braze ons off myself. I more than broke a sweat, its hard work, but after the coat it came out pretty clean. (Not to worry, I left the derailleur hanger) Now wet paint is thinner than powder coat, so I imagine small file marks would be more visible, while powder conceals them. So it would be touchier, and you'd probably have to end with a very fine file, or sandpaper to get rid of abbrasions. I might do this myself, but not without thinking it through thoroughly first.