(goes to fixing up my ne Bottecchia)

I don't think I want to go all out on fixing up the Bottecchia (see thread Bottecchia Pics), but I do plan on keeping it in its form as a road ten speed.

Question: What elements are any of you willing to compromise on when fixing up/restoring a bike. I know that it is relevant to the value... but in general...

Like... handlebar tape. It has original cloth tape that is pretty grungey. Do you just go modern stuff? Or hang onto the old stuff

I would get rid of the bar tape because it looks pretty nasty. You don't really want to grip somebody else's old sweat and grime, do you.

As for the rest of the bike, I woiuld clean/polish it and make sure it was in good mechanical order... then I'd just ride it. It looks like you don't need to do much more than lube it, tune it and change the brake pads. I think you're gonna be amazed at how well it cleans up.

I don't think there's anything wrong with a bike looking older, as long as it is a safe ride.

I concur with SunTreader's whole post. I'd pay close attention to the cables, tubes, tires & chain. If any of those components don't look right, replacing them with comparable stuff shouldn't be a big expense (unless you're replacing top-of-the-line tires).

You can still get the cloth tape. I think www.biketoolsetc.com has it, about three bucks a roll. I buy it by the box in all the colors I use. I would suggest paying attention to the cable and housing; along with the chain, they're usually the first thing I toss on an oldie up for a rebuild.

I'm more of a rebuild guy than a restoration one; I just like to get them ridable and usually don't go overboard in making them original or period correct.

this will be my approach. I may go cloth or I may go cushy on the tape.
I think I'm looking at:
new brake pads (maybe)
Tires/tubes
and eventually a nice old leather Brooks... a pointer to ebay for decent priced (20 dollar range) older Brooks looks promising

think I'll re-grease the hubs, clean the chain, and grease it, and then see how it rides.
and of course, buff it up

Don't get your hopes up on that Brooks; the vultures will bid it up past $40 in the last half-hour.

You can hunt around local thrifts for Brooks; the last few I have bough ranged from 5-10$, bike attatched. Madison might be tougher, being a college town and all. But it's got the state capitol, too... a lot like Richmond, though our River trumps your lakes no problem.

Sounds good. If I may, I'd really recommend sticking with cloth tape. It's softer than you'd think. Just threw some on last night...

no contest. By late June, the bloom on the lakes (they are glacial pot-hole lakes) is so stinky that you can't get too close. 110 years ago, when local Native american tribes still camped near there, they had to move in land because of the smell

Cloth tape for reals. I'm a cork tape fan; doesn't look at all right on older bikes. And the cloth is nice for texture. Padded gloves take the sting out (and putting gum hoods onto the thicker cork tape leads to early hood failure...I have a painfully collected living database of evidence in my garage).