this here is my bike:



Its a 1986 Team Fuji. none of the comps are original, so it's not exactly "authentic" i guess you would say. its got some rust, too and alot of touch-up paint. in addition, my girlfriend's dad, who was the previous owner, died while taking a rest on the bike after a 30 mile ride (90% blockage of the coronary artery) needless to say i have felt compelled, with the full blessings of the family, to make the bike a bit more...mine. so i'm thinking about having the frame powdercoated, probably black gloss. but i'm also getting into the idea that this bike has a sort of vintage appeal, in its blue and yellow glory. its a really sweet ride..i think in black it would be even faster.

well i think i know what i'm going to do--i'm tending to want to go ahead and refinish it, but does anyone else have any strong feelings one way or the other? would you refinish this bike? or try to preserve the look as is? i could be swayed, with some helpful suggestions...

It is your bike to do what you want but always remember "it is only original once". Roger

having someone like bicycle art do it would be expensive. Doing it yourself would be much less, if you are confident in tearing it down and putting it back together. The only problems I see are reproducing the decals, although, there should be someone out there thats into this type of work.

God, anything but all black.

All Black = "I don't know what to do with it, so I'll cover it with no-color."

All Black would be good for me if it comes out like a stealth fighter. That would be a matte black, with strategically placed yellow decals.

true enough.

ouch! i wasn't expecting that! actually i know what you mean, though. i was thinking of this color that Klein puts on one of their bikes--i can't put a link, but its on page 8 of their online catalogue. sort of a dark metallic purple--really nice. prolly looks better on a bike with thicker tubes than mine. thats the thing--colors look different depending on the thickness of the tubes, i suppose.

or i could do that cool metallic orange you see on alot of cars. i like that. or yellow, like my giant iguana. decisions, decisions.

no way am i doing this myself...nuh-uh.

I'd do it silver metallic flake powder coat and get some Cinelli decals...You'll fool many on the road...the carbon riders won't know the difference but you'll get the old sages coming to scorn upon your fraud.

Have fun...Do what you want. Powder coat is a sound investment. Its a helluva lot cleaner than painting and more durable.

I'm not really one of those "leave absolutely the way it is, rust spots and all" kind of guys but it looks pretty decent. That's an interesting history it has and obviously will have to be taken into consideration. My crystal ball is in the shop and normally I don't like to speculate on anybody's future but you might also consider that one day, many years from now if you should still find yourselvs together, dad's old bike in more or less original condition might bring more fond remembrances and comfort for family members then the pain it might cause now. If nothing else, document it well so that you could return it to the original paint/decal scheme if you want to one day. It's weird the things that become important to us as we get older.

That dark plum with a metalflake can be done in powdercoat and it is stunning when the sun hits it. You can have it done with either a gold or silver metalflake. I had my wifes mixte done in a two step process and it came out really great. Hers is green with gold topcoat. Here is a shot of the frame only right after I got it back.

JRRestore does a great job on decals. He posts here on the forum.

Powdercoat is not that expensive. Wet paint really is expensive relative to the real value of the frame. Make sure you really love the frame and that it really fits you well before you do it. You can get some very nice brands for $100-$200 in bad shape that would be great repainting options provided it was only chipped paint and surface issues.

The above green mixte cost me a shade under $100.00

I do appreciate a well-designed two-tone or three-tone paint scheme, but somehow I do not care for the original paint job on that Fuji. It is always hard to tell from a computer screen, but the paint looks to be in decent shape, so repainting is strictly an individual preference decision.

I agree the original paint scheme looks to be in good shape. Why not do a good touch up followed by a good clear coat?

THAT is super nice! thanks!

it kinda reminds me of football team uniforms/color schemes from the 80's--or something. kinda tacky.

thats not a bad idea. but. i think the family, as misguided as they may be, all favor the refinish. maybe they're doing that thing that families do. you know, that "we don't talk about that" sort of thing... or maybe they just want the bike to move on, like they have? funny how a person's stuff is like a peice of them when they're gone, in a way...

now if i could get mrs G to help pay for it...

Looks fantastic just the way it is. Just Say No to unneccessary re-paints. I can't think of anything more boring than another generic powdercoat. That's all I see these days.

Why don't you change the bar tape, seat, and tires? You could really change the looks of the bike while keeping the historical integrity of the frame intact.

if it were me, I'd put some blue Benotto tape on the bars and throw on some skinwall tires. Maybe a yellow seat? A Brooks? Change the brake hoods?

It's your bike, but you asked for opinions. That's mine.

Enjoy it, and ride the heck out of it, no matter what you do. That's how you'll make it yours.

Don't Paint It! It's Cool!