Question on Restoring a TX Trek
 

Looking for a few thoughts and reasonings for a restoration project.
Some here that peruse the sale thread might remember a hashed Trek 770 with no headbadge that was posted for sale. I posted it here for my shop but in the interim i found a decent correct headbadge so I bought the frame from the shop.
Although I'm in Trek country and appreciate their bikes, my interests lye elsewhere when it comes to bikes. I do however have an all inclusive policy when it comes to bringing nice and rare bikes back to life. I'm a very experienced restorer of bicycles having completed and sold dozens over the years at many different restoration levels from sympathetic to concourse level.
So my question to you Trekies is;
Which OG color would be the best for a restoration of a nice 78' Columbus framed hens tooth Trek?
Those early colors were stunning but custom mixed so aren't in the 78' imron automotive chip books. I can still do them though. It has to do with the percentage and size of the metal flake. (the sizzle).
Also, whaddya think...
Two part single application with decals on top, or single stage, decals under clear. (OG vs. modern)
This frame will be sold at some point after its completion so I of course would like to get an idea of what Trekies think is the best for this. My first inclination is OG style with decals open on top, but the finish and decals will hold up better under use if its all under 2 part clear.
Thoughts?

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...eb740c43f6.png

One vote for OG and Dark Green Metallic. That old Trek green is my favorite. Here's a '78 TX700 I used to own. Those metal flakes really sparkled in the sunlight.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...13de8af342.jpg
'78 TX-700 with 1st gen Dura Ace

Ok. Nice one.
The green was its original color

I vote for the Dark Green Metallic.


However... that being said... one of the curiosities around the OG Treks for me has been the Ice Blue Metallic. Imron is tuff stuff- but it seems that there's a large portion of Ice Blue Treks that show up beat to ****. Moreso than any other color- IMO.

That leaves me with 4 possibilities.

1. I'm seeing things and making it up in my own head.
2. People that bought Ice Blue Treks rode the living **** out them.
3. People that bought Ice Blue Treks did not take care of them.
4. Trek's Ice Blue Imron wears poorly.

FWIW- my Ice Blue TX700 is in rough shape.

I had a TX500 in ice blue and the paint was flaking off when I got it.

Luckily, imron today is not the same as it was in the 70s. EPA regulations, lessons learned and and all that. From prep to paint, it's all different. Ice blue metallic is a very cool color. I had a Rivenedell in an ice blue metalic and it was beautiful. The reason I bought that particular one and the reason the guy that bought it from me wanted it.

It is a great color and would be my second choice after green. I really like the chestnut-ish brown too.

Imron Ice Blue Metallic is my favorite bike color, hands down. It's what made me fall in love with early Treks, and even though I'm not partial to the thicker gauged Columbus SP, I don't think I can ever get rid of my 910 purely because of the paint (which is in pretty good shape, contrary to what I have also observed).

All that said: green metallic has my vote. I have only seen this on the older Treks, and it's rare and classy. I got my wife's Trek powdercoated in a dark metallic green, although it's darker than the original.

Chestnut. No other choice.
Personally, Ice Blue is over rated.

So that's strong feelings for green, Ice blue and .... Chestnut.
What is this chestnut you speak of?
In the Trek memo I posted above dated may/June 1978, (dated on the first page I didn't post) it mentions 6 standard colors, being green, 2 kinds of blue, a black, slate and silver, but no chestnut. At the top of the page it states special colors available at extra cost from the then current Imron chart.
I have that chart but the colors aren't so named. Mostly just given numbers. Is that a TX color that maybe came a little later? Maybe earlier, then dropped?
This frame I have is dated May of 78.

Was wondering if chestnut was an original standard color. Plenty examples of it in the "Show Your Trek" thread. Here's a chestnut '77 TX300 I used to own. Sorry it's not a better photo.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1fca921a52.jpg
'77 TX-300

I have seen a lot of the 600 series in Chestnut. I have had two chestnut 610s from the early 80s.

And right back at nesteel: Chestnut is overrated 😉.