A decent paint job will start around $500. Componentry work will probably be a few hundred more assuming most is still good. If you need chrome work you'll likely spend another $200-500. Plus you have to add the reduction in value of the finished bike.

It'd be easy to spend $1000 to turn what started as a $500 bike into a $200 bike when it's done. Or, if you're lucky, a $50 bike into a $100 bike.

I don't see the allure of paying for the restoration of a rusty, crusty bike unless you're interested in helping the person do the restoration pay their bills. There are still enough old bikes of all types and eras ('70s onwards) to wait around for one in pretty good condition at a great price. But, if you're after a specific model/year...

Usually more than its worth. Don't let that stop you. Its only money. I found this derelict unloved frame in a scrap metal pile. Turned out to be a '73 Raleigh Super Course with the (sorta) rare Capella lugs. Nearly $1000 later it emerged as one of my favorite bikes. It was my first build, with a lot of research lurking here on Bikeforums. I did all the mechanical work myself, stripped the old spray paint, and paid for frame braze repairs, paint and decals, which was by far the biggest expense, over $500. The parts were all used, sourced from Ebay, swap meets and the LBS back room stash. I'd say, go for it. There is probably nobody less adept at mechanical bike repair than myself, but like I said, with help from the forum, lots of trial and error, it all works great, one of my favorite rides. From scrap pile to Eroica, took just over a year, but I'm slow. All it takes is money and patience, mostly patience.

Found this frame, cracked seat stay braze, stuck seat post, wrong fork, ugly paint, but "free ".

Got it together, almost $1K later.

Good times on Eroica, priceless.

For starters, metal preservation & powder coat you can count on $200 for a proper, single color, 1 shot job. For paint $700 or more. Then another $200 for assembly at a shop, only because that is the route you specified.

I find component cost varies too wildly to even hazard a guess. I've been lucky and found Mavic Open box section rims on Dura-Ace hubs for $100. Other times I've spent $550 on a wheel build to go on hubs I already had. The price only goes up from there unless you build them yourself.

Downtube friction shifters & Shimano 600 brake levers can be $20, total. A 3x10 set of 105 shifters, I once paid $10. Another time Claris brifters 3x8 cost me $50. New can be in the hundreds of dollars if you go that route.

Used tires can be $5, new can be $30-$50

Cables, $4 each. Housing a buck-fifty a foot...how much do you need? Jagwire sells kits at $20 each.

Cranksets, hundreds for something decent or sub-hundred for something not so decent. I just paid $90 for a set of rings & $20 for a bottom bracket, then $20+ more for miscellaneous (spacer, retention & fixing bolts, etc...) for a crankset I had a fondness for...I could've bought an Ultegra for $150.

Don't forget pedals, seatpost clamp, brake pads, saddle, handlebars, headset, innertubes, bar tape, rim tape...

People don't restore bikes because they intend to break even. They do it for the love of bicycles. My suggestion, a can of Mothers Magnesium & Aluminum polish, a basic toolset, a Parktool shop stand, and a healthy relationship with both Youtube & your local bike co-op.

Most of my restorations come out as new or better than new in the end. Probably about $1000 each on average. That's being generally frugal with used parts where judged prudent & doing all the work myself. New high quality parts really drive cost. I could easily cut that in half or more, maybe even as low as $200 if I were so inclined to call a rattle can & re-grease a "restoration", but I tend to future-proof and tend to make a 2018 version of a 1970 whatever. That's me, though.

Joe Bass-

The cost of a full restoration will be high, especially if you look for a full, NOS, date coded restoration by a pro without doing any of the parts track down and acquisition on your own. I did a Carre/Bertin C 37 several years ago and the cost breakdown can be seen here: https://bertinclassiccycles.wordpres...nal-reckoning/

This is what the bike looks as finished:

Roughly $50 - 5000, depending on the bike, of course.

(Heh, "How long is a piece of string?" Exactly.)

Does the cost run beyond the value of the bike? That depends on what value we're talking about. Re-sale value? Way beyond. Value to you? Maybe not.

I do my own mechanical work, so that saves some money and adds some joy to the process, but I really like the bikes I've sent out for refinishing. My favorite example is this 1970-ish Stella.


(Not shown in this picture is the extremely cool custom/repro head badge that rhm made for me.)

I got a good deal on the frame from gugie, and I found some eBay bargains on the parts. I paid a substantial price for paint and decals. Altogether I've got around $2000 in this bike. I couldn't sell it for anywhere near that, but on the other hand, you couldn't buy it from me for what I've spent on it. I've got no buyer's remorse. It has all the glow of a brand new bike, and every bit is exactly as I want it.

Someone asked why pay to have a bike restored when you can buy really great bikes for much less money. That certainly has some merit. I'll put this out as a comparison -- 1984 Pinarello Grand Turismo with SunTour Superbe/Superbe Pro components. I bought it from a friend who wasn't as comfortable financially at the time as I was, so I paid his full Craigslist asking price -- $500. Someone who didn't know him could probably have talked him down to $400.



A lot of people on this forum would probably prefer this bike over the Stella. It was a great bike. Only a little bit of patina. Quite a bargain. I spent a bunch of money on parts to rebuild it like the Stella. It's all a matter of what you want.

If you do it yourself $100 for primer, paint and clearcoat. $30 for Decals and about 50 more for rust remover, sandpaper, masking tape, face mask etc. So say $200 will get you a nice looking frame to put back what was on it. It will require at least 200 hours of hard dirty frustrating work using a good bench and a reasonable amount of tools.
It will be worth next to nothing but you will be able (with the help of a vast resource of good advice /demonstration on the Internet) to fix everything on it, keep it running and keep it pretty if you scratch your paintwork.

Actually the answer is quite simple: Whatever it would cost to buy a new bike. Unless that particular bike has special meaning for you, you should just buy something else that doesn't need restoring.

Now the real answer, beyond what has already been said or maybe it was said already, depends on what components can be saved or need replacing, how original or original-like you mean by "restoring", etc.

That should narrow it down for you.

The first question I have always asked when anyone wanted me to restore an old bicycle to anything above and beyond rideable condition is, does this bike have sentimental value? Because the cost will put it well beyond market value.

Rebuilding my Centurion Pro-Tour cost me somewhere around $1400, not new but lightly used parts including the frame, fork and brakes

The OP was asking the cost to DROP a bike off with someone else doing a full restoration - NOT DIY.

Add he mentions its a heap and chrome issues.

In this matter, further questions might be and right off the top is asking 'what level of restoration is desired?'

Down the rabbit hole we go...

Perfect near new period correct including plating, correct to the era type and factory paint including extra multi tone or unique designs, paint lining, pin stripe, having rare not available decals from the main suppliers but rather custom, restoring components (NOS or close to replacements, pro built wheelset, etc..

Starting at $2k

I resuscitated a Trek Multitrack this past Summer with no prior experience in bicycle mechanics. I stripped it down to the frame, cleaned it up, bent it back into shape, repainted it, swapped out most of the components, and put it back together. I did get some help when I needed it from local bike geeks (it's a very supportive community). I learned a lot & now I have a bike that I know inside and out. I have another vintage bike that really didn't require any work, and even though it's probably a nicer bike, I just don't love it in the same way. This may not have any relevance to you, but I just wanted to say that you I don't think you need to let your lack of prior experience stop you from embarking on this journey. You can learn on the job if you want.

1939
I was just dealing with this.
As others have said, what do you want to do with the bike?
I found a 1927 dublin made roadster for $100. rod brakes, really cool, but it has rust , wheels out of true, binding headset, needs tires, . The spokes were galvanized back then, not as durable as stainless steel due to corrosion.. 3 bike shops including Harris in Newton MA suggested rebuilding wheels with stainless steel spokes, as truing might destroy the spokes due to corrosion having rusted the nipples. Needed tires, etc etc . So maybe $300 for wheels, rubber, and tubes, keeping the rod brake original rims.
This is a rare bike, for sure, but I am really looking for something to ride around town, more than something to collect. If I was handy at wheel building and were retired, I would take this project on.
I just found a crazy nice

1939
one owner 1939 raleigh sport tourist roadster that was stored inside and hardly used. While I wish it had rod brakes, the 1939 is 3 speed, the 1927 is 1 speed. Much more useable, even though I live near the ocean and it is fairly flat here. the decals and paint are perfect on the 1939, and I could never make the 1927 look as good, even if I spent $1000. And the 1939 was $500. So I am selling the 1927 and riding the 1939 with no work on my part.

1927

Exactly.

How far do you want to go? It should at least be a collectible bike.

BMX guys will seek out NOS parts and build up their childhood bike. 3-4k is not uncommon for a nice bike. Retro BMX is in right now 24/26" is hot as 20" is so small. Buy a nice retro bike, sell parts and put top end on. Easy $1500. Build a new retro Hutch, 3k is about right if you use the Hutch parts.

Any road not just cleaned up can be $500 to 1k if you are building decent for what you want, not for value. Road guys are cheaper though for the most part so you wont get much support. Childhood bikes, people go insane for. Here you can an appriasal, there you get scolded for talking value. Lol.

Right in the middle of a restoration of a mid eighties Razesa. 3.5 hours into it already and still not together. Every component had to be removed, taken apart as far as it allows, to undergo a thorough cleaning. The brake calipers and hubs are the last components to be cleaned and lubed. Suppose another 1.5 hours for that, then reassembly. I figure somewhere between 5 and 6 hours total. I do not do paint as I like the scars that tell the story of the bike. If I were to charge for this it would be no less than $400 plus parts. It is a labor of love and enjoyment.

A lot will depend on the actual details.

How bad is everything? And, most importantly, how good are the components?

And, what is the FRAME?

There are literally millions of vintage Japanese bikes in the USA. But, high quality European or small manufacture American made bikes are somewhat more rare.

Likewise, 80's and newer bikes are common and often found in excellent condition.
60's and older bikes are rarer, and frequently in dire need of help.

If you have just a bare frame, and need all new components, you can literally spend in the thousands. If you can clean up all the components without much rust, then you're a step ahead.

To save some cash, you might be able to service the components while the shop does the actual painting and building.

Send me the bike or pick from what I have to offer. I build two or three bikes, each year, to customer specifications, starting with what I have on hand.

Full restoration, chrome, paint, art and components will set you back hundreds or even thousands of US dollars. To estimate the exact amount would be impossible, but I do know for sure that if someone else does the work, you just might find yourself stranded, on the road, with no idea of what to do to get you and the bike going, again.

Anyway, if you wanted to get something in dirty condition, and that is not at all uncommon, and just clean it up, my guess is that you are more than capable of doing the job. True, you might need a pro's help, now and again, but that will come to an end, sooner or later.

And, you will be amazed at how much, of the work, you can do yourself. I do recommend that you give it a try.

All I had to do to this old Torpado was clean it off, lube it up and put it together. I did not spend a cent on paint or art or anything else that would be considered cosmetic. All in all, I have about a hundred bucks invested and I have turned down five times that amount...


But don't be fooled. I am capable of doing all of my own restoration work or all of my maintenance work. If I had to farm the work out, I could not afford to participate in my vintage bicycle hobby.

I hope this sheds a glimmer of light on the cost of full restoration. I, personally, focus on Street Restoration, opting for "period and price point" correctness. Put another way, I do my best to not waste money, or time or effort, when building my bikes. Hence, my publication MY "TEN SPEEDS", a website that I published with hopes of helping people, just like the OP, save time, effort and money when trying to find, build and ride a vintage bicycle.

if you have to ask , ... etc..

how much you willing to pay. ?