i like the gold on the lugs.. did you just use a brush for that?

Before

Velo Course LeJeune (before) by rj_shiver, on Flickr

After

LeJeune by rj_shiver, on Flickr

Before

Velo Course Herrera by rj_shiver, on Flickr
After

Velo Course Herrera at Port de Colombiers by rj_shiver, on Flickr

i just used a sharpie paint pen, bought at home depot. it was five or six bucks, and it came in a 2 pack of silver and gold. I didnt see a fine point on the rack, just a large and medium point, i went with medium point. i kinda wish i found a fine point... but the paint isnt super tough so i'm sure it'll need a touch up pretty soon anyway.

This fall I picked up a ladies Trek 720 Multitrack that was being put out for bulk trash at Cape May Point when a older gentleman said I could have it as he was wheeling it out. The bike was missing the seat & had a cracked left grip shifter but other then that it wasn't in bad shape, I knew as soon as I got it home what I was going to do with it as my cousin needed a real bike to replace the bike like object she was using.

The first thing I noticed on the Trek was that it had a crankset that was still under Shimano's warranty for replacement, so the crank, BB, FD & chain were replaced at no cost ( I kept the chain & used a new bell chain out of the parts bin ). I replaced the stock 700x32 tires with a set of 40's ( I wanted 42's with a tan side wall but two places I order tires from didn't have them ) in solid black. I replaced the grip shifters with a set of Shimano 7spd rapid fire shifters I had, I installed a new adjustable stem & installed a pair of black riser bars to give her a upright riding position. I installed a new rear black rack & a black water bottle holder, I then installed a NOS tan C-Dale front handle bar bag & matching seat wedge bag & a brass bell to finish it off. I gave it to her on Christmas day & it made her cry with joy which just made my day. I had a few pictures of what it looked like when I got it home ( Pay no mind to the date stamp, it's wrong).

Glenn
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After

You were so right RB. Those Le Champions really do epitomize the beauty and classicicm of French bikes from the period.
What could be better than having one of these parked in your stable?

- Having it parked next to your Team Champion, I'd wager!

Thanks, Mr. A-Crow, and a Happy New Year to you. I'll have to get some pics of them parked side by side, once the weather allows. Interested to see also how they compare in ride.

This Nishiki grew on me using it back and forth to work.
Before

After.
Just need to get black hoods



This Puch Pathfinder was a $5 yard sale find over the summer.
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After

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Nice Vicious.

They are great mtbs.

One of my best buddies has one and they are fantastic performers.

Thanks My first ride was nice! I may need a slightly longer stem but only time will tell.

Vicious is my local builder, so I got to hand deliver it to the shop for the disc brake conversion and paint choice. I rescued it from Craigslist a few years ago. It was originally a team bike in the 90's, but the build sheets whereabouts is unknown. It's made from Ritchey Nitanium, and the only original part in use from when I got it is the King headset.

Hey YoKev, that's awesome man! A number of the before & after pictures have noticeable changes and improvements but what you did with your Vicious Metal Guru is fantastic! The neglect in the first photo is gut wrenching, almost like it's time to shoot the horse... but in its rebuilt state the bike looks like it's poised to tear up the trails! Super clean job rebuilding the bike and I love the color! Pretty cool testament to the quality of a Chris King headset, the only part that made it from the before to the after. Great story too, rescuing it from Craigslist and getting to hand walk it back home so they can bring it back to life... makes me want to find one and do the same! Thanks for sharing!

Peace,

-D-

p.s. I dig the bottle opener, nice touch brother!

Thanks for the kind words! I'm happy you enjoyed the bike porn I'll be shreddin some native singletrack with it this week as long as it's not too wet...can't wait!

before, with mismatched wheels, foam cover over a shot saddle, ugly seatpost/dork disk/black hoods/cheap tires and a thousand and one paint chips.



after, with a new shimano 600 hubset and levers, rims, new freewheel, paselas, a brooks, polished aluminum throughout, spot painted frame and catalog yellow tape and housing.

Posted this in the 3 speed thread a while back

Before:






After:



As it sits today:

They both looked better before. Why did you paint them?

The top one deffo looked better after imo.

My Cyclops before...


My Cyclops after...

some great bikes here

1976 Autro-Daimler Vent Noir. Dura-Ace group. It's not completly finished, I have the Reynolds 531 and original decals on order. I have also put a knockoff Brookes style seat on since the picture. Such a great riding bike.

Still one of my favorite bikes, ever!,,,,BD

For the Le Jeune i only paint the fork, because it's full of rust. And the color in the Herrera are faded, full of deep scratches and few spot of rust. But i'm planning to change the color again to French tricolor or white

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