I've pretty much always got the urge to get new bikes. The one exception is when I'm riding one particular bike. It just rides so wonderfully and fits so well, I can't imagine being happier on a bike. The only problem is my aesthetic tastes have changed since I got it and the finish doesn't really move me anymore. I'm thinking maybe I can avoid buying a new bike (that I really can't afford) by spending half that on refinishing. Has anybody used this as a n+1 stalling tactic? Could this really work?

I've never seen a professional paint job that costs less than buying a new frame. If you'd be ok with spending a lot of time and effort repainting the frame yourself, then yeah that would technically be cheaper. But a pro refinish costs more than most vintage frames.

I don't know about stalling or preventing the purchase of a new bike but if you really, really like the bike and making it prettier will make you like it even more then go for it.

Nope.

What are you going to ride while your pride and joy is being refinished?

How did I not think of that????

Been there, done that! It works, but it ain’t cheap. Still happy with the bike though. It comes down to, what’s more important, money, or getting exactly what you want? The answer is never both!
Tim

Buy the new bike you want.. keeping in mind your future plans to most likely sell your current bike. Probably. If you don't need it later.

Obviously the correct answer is to get the favorite bike refinished AND buy a new bike. That's probably not helpful, is it?

Buy the new bike now so you can lovingly work on your old bike at your leisure while you ride and complain about the new bike.

...I have done that for the last five years. Yes, it really does work. And I have some nicely refinished bicycles as a bonus. Doing a good job requires a lot of disassembly and reassembly, time and effort. So that's time you can't spend cruising CL. And the painting process itself takes time because of the re-stickering and various stripping and primer/color coat/finish coat steps. Also you'll discover that all the effort you put into a complete refinish/rebuild will make you a lot more reluctant to take on too many new projects at the same time.

Go for it.

Didn't work for me, but might work for others.

I am more familiar with the N-1 stalling tactic: I've had a bike on CL for couple weeks that was priced a little high. Then I swapped wheels and went for a ride on it. It was such a fun ride -- just my commute on familiar roads but I was flying. That bike is so fast and smooth and fun that I took it off CL.

Thats more the case with me. I’m sure I need to sell a bike and then I go out and ride it. I have also bought many a bike with the “loan” of funds I intend to get from selling another but then I never do.

I did this paintjob thing with my Ron Cooper about 6 years ago, instead of buying a Surly for touring. It worked well, and the value of my Ron Cooper is definitely higher than the $400 I spent to get the thing powder coated and the $25 I spent on decals. In the meantime I rode an old Trek 400, which was really just fine. As a bonus, I feel like I crossed some sort of Rubicon by diving into that paintjob. It was my first tubular steel racks instead of Blackburn aluminum rod, first metal fenders instead of plastic, my first time filing custom attachments out of aluminum, and my first wheelbuilding. Since then I've been doing the C&V thing pretty hard. I can't imagine the way things would have gone if I had bought that Surly.

Resistance is futile.

So, it's not just me.........

Yeah, but there's always that other color, and it pops up out of nowhere unnoticed by the flippers for a steal of a price.

Or that geometry you've never had a chance to try out.

Or the tubing...or the sheer vintage of the machine...

You've made up your mind before you know it.

N+1

A problem of refinishing a frame to a nice standard, no matter is DIY or professional sublet, is that the existing parts often do not look in harmony with the refinish, scratches and wear are more visible.
Those cracked hoods scream replace, as does that scuffed saddle, the rims can look dreary, the tires dinghy, even if you re-cable and install fresh housing, the brake blocks need replacement too... oh, those old toe straps...
new bar tape- necessary.

Be prepared to spend some money and effort to put all in harmony again.

But, a freshly rebuilt bike with a clean and well lubricated chain and fresh good tires is always a treat to go test ride.

So true!!!

Years ago I had a fairly beat up westfalia Vanagon camper van and the pop top fiberglass looked terrible, I wanted to sell the van, so I repainted the pop top, man it looked good, but it made the rest of the van look terrible *sigh*.

Hmmm... is my bigger problem lack of money (refinish job) or lack of space (n+1)?

Oh wait - its my wife! The best solution is to loudly and publicly get rid of three or four bikes before making a decision either way.

I've got a couple bikes at the Co-op on consignment priced for high enough that only someone who realy wants the bike will buy it. If they sell, I'll get about what I would take selling on craigslist with out the hassle. I'm not sure how to "N" those?

Understand the logic but as others have said it is short lived, leads to build upgrades, new box of old build parts, etc. I just tried a new one with my latest rescue, 1993 Allez Pro with a great ride but complex (untouchupable) artsy respray over small dings in the top and seat tubes. Rather than letting my framebuilder spray another frame for me I had it powder coated, base and clear $200, so it is pretty but no decals and $$$ saved. I now admit the Ultegra 600 group is now DA 9 with Mavic Ksyrium SL and the Ultegra wheels are collecting dust on hooks. New saddle being shipped and looking for just the right bars. The great ride is still a great ride but no longer a bargain or even a cost effective alternative to N+1.

Sounds like a plan. Projects are a distraction and time-filler.

Seems I'm acquiring a new project before my old ones are finished... N+infinity?

"We don't have room for the bikes you have and you want to get another one? "

I mean, it worked for me. To a certain extent.

My first good bike was an '87 Bianchi Campione d'Italia. Nothing amazing, but a lot of memories and nostalgia. I "upgraded" into other bikes and left it at my parent's house where the stem and seatpost eventually froze, and then I used it as a trainer bike for a decade or more. It was in bad shape. I resurrected it for Eroica California a few years ago, pulling the seatpost and cutting out the stem. I found I liked the ride enough that it was worth a repaint to me. So I had some work done on the frame and fork to help it fit 700x32 tires at the absolute limit of short-reach brakes, then had Groody Brothers give it a powder coat, re-decal, and clear coat. In my opinion, it turned out great.

Now, I still browse the classifieds and Craigslist, but whenever I get seriously interested in another classic steel bike or frame, I ask myself whether it would be any better than the Bianchi. So far, the answer is "no", so I haven't needed to chase n+1.