My hubs are the only thing I have spent any time at all on but they still need some more time to get them right....I like the shine. Reminds me of the way a chrome bumper should shine on a classic car.

"Dirt is not patina. As far as fine racing bikes are concearned, proper maintenance should be an ongoing part of the bikes life.

To me this includes cleaning and polishing parts, and replacing tatty bar tape and cables,etc. when needed. I have no problem with a frame showing scratches, faded paint, torn decals, etc. But I'm still going to make sure that frame is free from grime and waxed. I have no problem with alloy cranks showing strap marks and chain scratches, or levers showing a bit of road-rash. But I'm still going to clean and polish those parts, scratches and all. In a nutshell all parts should be made to look as good as they can without altering (re-finishing).

This way a 30-40-50 year old bikes looks its' age but you know everything is tuned, adjusted, safe, quiet, and rideable."

What he says!!!!

Al

It's a bike
It will never be worth 100K whether a classic or not
I'll shine forever, thanks


I won't touch campy chainwheels or cranks, though

My auction and not trying to spam the list but this is a great example of a very used but not abused race bike cleaned up by hand. No sanding, filing, or altering of finish. Just soap & water, solvent, wax and Simichrome. It's now ready for another century.

https://cgi.ebay.com/60s-Italian-Ives...QQcmdZViewItem

I voted to polish but it really depends. I don't mind a smooth satin finish on the component in most instances. If the bike was well cared for a kept inside then I probably would do anything more than clean everything and maybe rub it with some simichrome. But if the part is heavily oxidized and looks bad then I polish it. Depends on the part too - I always polish rims, stems and the exposed section of the handlebars. I rarely ever polish brakes, cranks, derailleurs and such. And of course there are exceptions. The Stronglight 49D crank on my Bottecchia for example came with a highly polished finish rather than the satin finish like Campy stuff so that gets polished.

I agree. Looks great!

Mothers is the BEST and the bike shops folks that i let see my bike are all falling over themselves admiring it.

Very well said!

This is pure speculation, but I suspect if Eddy's hour record bike went up for auction it would easily clear $100K. Also, it my not be a 100 but an ordinary Rene Herse can easily hit $10K, that is not too shabby.

There just happen to be two tire tread marks from the buffing this buffoon was doing this morning on a couple of CL candidates,aluminum rim,Magna and Pacific.I have such remorse about selling a bike .But the good part is many people "no-show" and that takes all the pressure off.Don't have to worry about making them a good deal if they don't show up.

I got lost in my chain of thought.I need to have a rim polishing vest or something.

I voted for polish, 'cos that's what I prefer. But I don't have much patience.... So my bikes have patina!

I meant for ordinary classic bikes. One with -thanks antiques roadshow- special provenance like that would obviously bring more
10G sounds like a lot -for a bike- but when you think about it
people buy cars all the time for more than 10G and get nothing near it back when it's time to sell
You cant retire on it or do anything realllllly fantastic with it besides giving it away to someone in need or payment on a home/start a business/wedding ring.

Unless I desperately need 1-4 grand ..or 10K if lucky enough to have a bike like that
Might as well just use it and do with it as you wish
Breaking the thing would be ******** but polishing some parts?

Which do you prefer on classic bikes -- shiny, highly-polished aluminium, or the dull patina acquired from decades of use?
I prefer dull patina aluminum parts on classic bikes. But I don't like the scratches on them. So I may have to polish it,but not to highly polished mirror finish, just hope I could make it to the "original sheen of aluminum".

[QUOTE][/QUOTE]I will clean a part and use Mothers on it. I won't buff out scratches or those tiny tiny black pits, but the Mothers does get rid of that dull gray finish.[/QUOTE][/QUOTE]


May I ask on which aluminum finish were you referring to?bare aluminum or anodized finish? Thanks

Shine the parts, leave the patina on the paint.

I will clean a part and use Mothers on it. I won't buff out scratches or those tiny tiny black pits, but the Mothers does get rid of that dull gray finish.[/QUOTE][/QUOTE]


May I ask on which aluminum finish were you referring to?bare aluminum or anodized finish? Thanks[/QUOTE]

This thread is almost ten years old

Bare aluminum parts: polish
Anodized aluminum: clean only
Paint: clean and wax. mild polish like meguiars 17 or similar if needed.

Patina is overrated in general. However, certain old bikes will look best if just left alone, oxidized paint, rusty parts, and all. Hard to say.

I love it! Zombies strike again.

But the subject is eternal.

Which begs the question: what kind of bike would a zombie ride? I'd say a vintage velocar recumbent with lots of cobwebs.

The patina on this thread is remarkable.