1989 Pinarello Montello Cromovelato
 

Here’s another bike I bought about 10 years ago. Originally, it was a full Dura Ace 7400 group bike. Since at the time, all my bike were either Dura Ace or Superbe Pro, i decide I wanted something Italian and thought this would be the perfect frame for that. I started and almost finished building it up with 8 speed Campy but work and life got in the way, along with other bikes with competing priorities and long story short, I am thinking to build it up with a spare Athena 11 speed group I happen to have collected. One of my main concerns is the fragility of the paint. These cromovelato paint jobs and applied decals are known to be very fragile, some would say they start to flake if you even look crosseyed at them! Anyway, mine is in better than average condition and has the rare matching stem and seatpost but I still have concerns that if I start putting miles on it, the paint will take a beating and begin failing. My question is, do you think I could have a clear coat sprayed on it to seal it in as it stand now? I was thinking maybe covering with PPF, paint protection film but I think for sure it will be a permanent fixture as it will surely remove the paint should I try to remove it.

The head tube decal had a pretty good nick so I carefully removed it and have a new one to replace it with. I took some photos of it today in the bright sunlight and it you’ll notice on some of the photos you can see how the tinted clear coat has developed a patina that resembles fine crazing. I’m not sure if that is the beginning of paint failure but my understanding from talking to other more familiar with the paint is that there is some shrinking of the paint as it ages.

Its not the flashiest of paint jobs as far as Pinarello go but it is unique and I’d like to keep it if at all possible.


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That’s plenty flashy. Great paint job...!

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when I think flashy, I think bright colors. My wife says this one reminds her of root beer and she hates root beer, LOL.

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...a lot of chromovelato finishes were done with a transparent or translucent lacquer as the final paint layer. I have absolutley no knowledge of what yours is painted with, and would hesitate wo guess. But that is the main contributor to their fragility. With an enamel clear coat, or even another lacquer clear coat, there's a real risk of bubbling the paint that's already on there. But the 2 part urethane clear glamor paint sold in spray cans under the Spraymax brand name seems to go on without issues over everything I've applied it to. And it is very durable.

Having said that. I think I'd still try it first on something like the fork, which if you have to sand off and refinish it, is easier than redoing the whole frame. The stuff has a limited pot life in the can, once mixed. But it still gives you enough time to try it on the fork as a test, and then go on to paint the rest of the frame, if nothing bad happens with your test.

I am very familiar with cromovelato paint. It starts off with a polished chrome frame and then a tinted clear layer, and then full clear over that. It is the adhesion of the first layer to the chrome that makes it susceptible to delamination if not done correctly. I've reached out to some painters for advice and cost as I would like to build this bike up and ride it, than worry about the paint flaking off to normal usage, relegating it to storage hanging from my garage ceiling.

Here's a good video on cromovelato paint...

Keeping the quality of the finish is a challenge. I don't have an answer but can empathize with your situation.
The Montello purchased in 2014 was challenged to begin with. The decals were gone and left a ghost.
https://live.staticflickr.com/3668/1...7d255735_b.jpg1989 Pinarello Monetllo on Flickr

After 3-4000 miles of commuting and always storing it in the garage at home or a shelter at work, the paint deteriorated to the point of it rubbing off with your finger. This was on the top side of the frame. .
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c317056d_b.jpgP1050224 on Flickr

I didn't really like the paint scheme that much but it is a Pinarello Montello and on the bucket list without specs! This one has a translucent like pearl topcoat that failed. Best seen here.
https://live.staticflickr.com/2917/1...2403595a_b.jpgP1020178 on Flickr

It has since turned grey or dark as shown without changing with cleaner or wax.
https://live.staticflickr.com/2902/1...3f3127e9_b.jpgP1010730 on Flickr.
https://live.staticflickr.com/2910/1...152c8c96_b.jpgP1010733 on Flickr

Since it is fading and looks really bad, I used 000 steel wool to clean it up, some times 0000. I actually like the colors under the topcoat. The challenge is not to go through the color either on the tubes and more challenging, the around the lugs.
It is a work in process at the moment.

The point is that I don't know what to do other than accept the degradation over time. It is my go-to bike at the moment because I am out of shape and need that small ring on the triple once in awhile. My preference would be to ride the De Rosa, which is chip challenged!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7f92142a_b.jpgPXL_20220301_124340872 on Flickr

I strongly doubt I will ever sell it so I can mess it up all I want!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...79bbf125_b.jpgP1050226 on Flickr

Yep, it is a very fragile paint technique, at least after it ages some. I truly think they got better at painting cromovelato in the late 80s and into the 90s. Maybe their paint formulation improved or their technique or both. It seems like the late bikes have less of an issue with paint delamination, i.e., flaking than those from the early and mid-80s. Hopefully, I hear back from a couple of people I've reached out to and I can either get that paint protected or decide what I will do with the bike. I really want to build it up and ride it.

@BMC_Kid - You will not be disappointed in the ride. Speaking of which, I think I will do one now!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...401d228c_b.jpgPXL_20220918_123939952 on Flickr

...he's using a modern, two part paint, which was not in common use on bikes, when your bike was painted originally. If you want to repaint the whole thing, with new stickers, that's certainly possible. No one who paints professionally is going to offer to paint your bike as it sits and guarantee the results.

It must be a real big challenge to maintain/preserve a Chromovelato finish ALONG WITH the typically flakey decals on an 80's Pinarello frame.
Is there any way to stop or slow down the deterioration of a Chromovelato finish?
Did the bike manufacturers have any idea on how fragile the Chromovelato finishes were, when they were applying it on to their bikes back then??

I can't speak for anyone else on how to maintain or preserve these cromovelato finishes, due to the fact that I don't ride my Montello yet. Other than being very careful when cleaning, which I don't do to mine other than lightly dust it with a microfiber cloth, I don't know what else you can realistically do when riding.

What I am inclined to do to preserve the finish is clear coat the frame, then eventually apply PPF to those are vulnerable to rock chips. I do this to all my bikes and it is completely reversible and replaceable. I figure the next owner will not be too concerned about what I did to preserve the finish way beyond what is typical for these bikes. I could have it stripped and a new cromovelato finish applied but then I'd lose all of its wonderful patina. When you look at my bike in the bright sunlight, you will see a lot of crazing in the finish. This crazing has a way of refracting the light, making it actually sparkle. You can replicate that. I don't know whether or not the manufacturers understood the eventual fragility of the finish. I do know that during the 80s, a lot of frames coming out of Italy had mediocre paint. The decals on Pinarello frames from the period are another weak spot as well. Why mine have held on for so long is probably due to it not getting many miles and that it was stored inside, out of the elements. I am sure if I subjected it to regular contact with the environment through riding or storage, they would quickly start failing. For the last 15 years, I've stored it with the rest of my bikes in a climate-controlled garage.

Ahh... the fall line rapids on the Rappahannock River at Fredericksburg.

I did go for a ride and did pass this place again. Part of my normal riding route. 22.7mi.

I came across this 1989 Pinarello catalog while surfing the web tonight. Here’s my frame, bottom left, color called Chromonero, black chrome.


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Unlike the other cromovelato colored frames, the chromonero lacks the chromed forks and rear triangle.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f13b7ea38.jpeg

This is the first photo I’ve seen that shows the stem and seat post in matching finish.