Marty's thread reminded me. Last week the FedEx guy dropped off a pair of Fiamme rims I bought, also red label but oval with eyeletted valve holes. The labels are 98% worn off and replacements are very easy to obtain.

Here's my problem, I am one of those "It's only original once." fanatics. I would have a hard time putting on new decals (I would not cover the originals, I would put them on the other side of the valve hole). I know they can be easily removed but I feel I am misrepresenting the wheels/bike.

Is this reasonable or am just freaking insane?

Cycling is a sport, exercise activity, and a HOBBY. Many hobbiests are fanatics about little details...It's ok:-)

You need help.

I bet you keep the blue die cut and embossed cardboard washer that kept the Campagnolo adjuster barrel mated to the caliper in the box too....and kept the box, insert and instructions...

The answer for me is would new transfers be in keeping in harmony with the rest? If everything appears pristine? Go. If nice but used and maintained. NO.

freaking insane

I try to replace as little as possible on mine but if a decal is totally hosed and looks like hell it's getting replaced. I go for “period correct” not absolute 100% originality. One thing I have learned since I got interested in vintage bikes is they are NOT like vintage cars - they don't have VIN numbers that you can trace and weren't (for the most part) made on assembly lines so the spec may vary. The builders back then seemed to use whatever was available and particularly during the bike boom supply was unreliable at best.
My 1972 Bottecchia Giro d'Italia is a good example - most people will tell you that the "official" spec was a Nervar crank, Campy Record (not Nuovo Record) derailleurs, and Fiamme red label tubular rims among other things. Some, like mine, came with Valentino derailleurs cuz they probably ran out of Records and a Stronglight crank. I replaced the worn out Valentinos with Record front/Nuovo Record rear and I'm not sweating the Stronglight since that’s what it came with. Somebody had replaced the original red labels with steel clinchers so I picked up some NOS red labels off eBay. They look great and I'm not gonna worry if they are actually 1972 model rims. I don't know anybody who could tell the difference anyway. I sure can't. And I don't feel I'm misrepresenting anything. It's a well maintained 1972 bicycle with such repairs/modifications as would have been appropriate for the period. Now I suppose if you were selling it or entering it in a show that might be another story.

Yeah......... so..........

Not showing or selling it, just riding it. I need help.

Why help? Whatever floats your boat. Relatively minor either way, don't you think? Personally, anything that improves without detracting is good for me...

Unfortunately what floats my boat takes a lot of lamenting, thought and effort. I agree with you that this should be a minor issue but I still felt compelled to start a thread about it. I will go with my previous statement, I need help.

Any others out there like this? Maybe we get together and start a 12-step program.

Well, just my opinion of course but I wouldn't have two sets of decals. That would look strange. Either leave the originals (which is what I suspect you are leaning towards) or replace them with new decals of the same type. I don't see any point in putting the new ones on next to the old ones.

1) Do what you need to do to sleep at night.
2) "very easy to obtain" where? The decals on my Fiamme rims are shot and I'd replace them in a NY second.
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Greg at Cyclomondo down under has a nice selection of Fiamme and other decals. I've dealt with him and been satisfied: https://stores.ebay.com/Cyclomondo

^^^^^
Those are the ones very easy to obtain. I'm sure you can get them here also.

https://ourworld.compuserve.com/homep...YDS/decals.htm
https://www.velographicdecals.com/

I think Cyclomondo has them all - knight's helmet, flying horse, FIAMME block letters, in red, yellow, white, gold, whatever.

I am trying to figure out which 12 bikes to sell to get down to twelve, roadbikes, that is, the mtbs, and the Roadster are unique enough to keep themselves.