olschool

I like restoring old bikes and I like painting them too. Whats the draw back. does it damage the worth of a classic? or is it best to leave as is and grease it up? Not into the patina look.
olschool

Fahrenheit531 

Your bike, your choice. Just remember you can never undo a respray, and when(if) it comes time to sell you'll lose a good share of potential buyers who want that originality.

Generally accepted wisdom around here: Find a reasonable match to the color and touch up chips and scratches. Repaint only if original stuff is completely annihilated, and be prepared to pay a premium if you want correct decals (if they exist at all). This of course is with upper-tier vintage stuff. Schwinn Varsity? Do whatever the heck you want.

Dave Cutter

The value of any bike is determined by it's quality and it's exclusiveness. Being old.... adds no value, or worth.

But a rare, and finely made bicycle that can not be replaced... can have real worth. Supply and demand always determines price. The closer that said bike is to like-new original condition... the better. Damaged paint or incorrect replaced parts may distract from the best price. Re-painted frames or upgraded parts may also lower possible prices.

But is this something you want to own and enjoy.... or is this bicycle an investment? The answer to that is what determines how to restore a bike.

Narhay

Most people who buy a specific brand and model do so because they like the original colour scheme, decals and finish. I would repaint if it were really bad and if I redid the original scheme. Unfortunately it is hard to replicate the colours in most instances.

If you repaint a bike in a non original style then it generally lowers the value compared to a decent original bike, even if the paint is a lot better.

Again, there are billions of frames in the world and if you want to repaint it then do it.

KonAaron Snake 

It depends on the brand, the quality of the repaint and the existing condition. Most of the time it rduces value...almost never does it add value.

SquidPuppet

USAZorro

Lots of factors. Economically, it seldom makes sense to repaint, but it's your bike, and you are the only one who can make the call. If you're keeping it, go with your gut. If you're selling it, probably no.

3alarmer 

.
...a lot of this depends on the skill of the painter. It used to be much more common to send bikes you liked over to Cycle Art, or back to Waterford (for Paramounts), or to guys like Joe Bell ( who paints all Richard Sachs' frames). Because it was not quite so expensive to do so.

I never had the impression a nice Cycle Art restoration decreased value. And a factory repaint at Waterford is pretty much as authentic as the first time they painted a Paramount. But you'll never get that kinda money back when you sell a bicycle, so most of us are stuck making the same decision every time we pick a project.

wrk101

It really depends if your bikes have collector value or not. Pretty much anything collectible is worth more with original finish, whether it is furniture, old cars, motorcycles, or bicycles.

If its not collectible, then you just have the cost to paint: supplies and your time. You are not going to get a return on that spending.

I learned this years ago with antique furniture. I destroyed a lot of value getting stuff refinished. Not only did the value go down, but I spent money for the privilege. I eventually caught on to it. I also learned to appreciate "patina".

Myself, I like something with age on it to look its age. My favorite bikes all have patina. If I wanted something that looked shiny and new, I'd just buy a new bike.

You decide.

thinktubes 

When I see a repaint, I always wonder "why?". Was the frame crashed, damaged, or rusted?

gugie 

My rule of thumb is that if the paint and frame are both in good shape, I leave it alone.

If it ain't, it's like a cut on a swimmer, and I'm the shark.

randyjawa 

For a fairly complete answer to Should I Paint My Bicycle, just click on that link and see the pros and cons of painting a vintage bicycle...

As found, this old Peugeot had partially stripped paint, poor repaint, no art and a bent frame - it should be painted...



A hundred bucks, some skill and a paint brush turned it into this...



Of course, I am not a fan of repainted bicycles, so I sold that PX10 and found this all original one which I still have today...

sanmi

If you like to paint old bikes and you are doing it for a hobby then go for it!

Personally, I don't paint my bikes. I have neither the skill nor patience. I don't even touch them up because I've learned the hard way that it is easier to make the bike look worse than better. Instead I clean the frame thoroughly, sometimes derust it with oxalic acid, and then protect it with car wax. Seems to hold up pretty well.

I also avoid buying repainted bikes, usually because I either don't trust that the bike is what the seller says it is or because the seller wants more than I'm willing to pay for a bike in "perfect looking" condition.

jimmuller 

This. It touches the point of the issue not usually discussed directly:

Why paint it, and what is your intent for that bike? Being concerned about "value" says you intend to sell it. In that case, the criteria must include whether anyone else in the bike-owning world would care. If you intend to keep it and ride it and you like shiny, pretty bikes, then it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks or whether the value went up or down. If you intend to keep it and ride it and you value the aesthetics of its history and the scratches which you will inevitably put on it yourself, then don't paint it.

John E

I split the difference, along the lines of this discussion:

1. Capo Modell Campagnolo, bought with dull red, possibly non-original, finish, no decals --

CyclArt Cat II paint in a stock metallic red which is almost a candy apple maroon, white head tube and detail panels, simple lettered downtube decals -- looks fabulous, but not worth quite as much as the paint job cost

2. Capo Sieger, bought w/ original finish in somewhat rough condition --

Preserving everything except the head tube paint, which was an enamel which has mostly flaked off -- planning to repaint just that. This top-of-the-line frame is a true collectible, unlike the (somewhat) more common Modell Campagnolo.


Opposite decisions, guided largely -- as suggested above -- by the condition of the paint when I received each bike, as well as by the frame's inherent value.

polymorphself 

Seems to me it depends on how bad the paint currently is. If it's nicks and chips, why not just match the paint and touch it up? If it's hideous looking, as the Peugeot above, repainting it will likely help the value.

RiddleOfSteel

Yup! We can smell the opportunity to make it pretty again in the same color, or in a color that we really want.

olschool

Thank you all for the input.
Last year when I started this hobby I lucked out on price and a very complete (BLACK) 1962 Jaguar Mark IV (Missing only the light) that was really trashed. It was chipped, dented, rusted, and spray painted and used for a shield in a B B Gun fight. Because a shiny black is pretty forgiving for a Schwinn match I took the plunge. I had it professionally powder coated. I found a source to remove nearly all the dents in the fenders (a deep one from the rear carrying rack) and polished them to a mirror shine. Each part was cleaned by hand including the rust. It was only my second one i did this way and I have to admit it turned out pretty sweet. not perfect but nice. It appears I continue to find black bikes. I did the same to a (Black)1962 traveler as well. This one turned out even better. i continue to fall upon black bikes. It must be an Arizona thing.

SquidPuppet

Links to photos please!!!!

tricky 

We need a sticky for this topic!