So i've just pulled apart a Bottecchia that i got the other week and have found that it used to be PINK - or at least part of it. As you can see, when I removed the head badge there was a nice bright pink underneath it and the inside of the fork steerer also had remnants of pink. The whole bike had been oversprayed black.

P1120549.jpg

According to TMar who helped me with info in an earlier post (in "whats it worth" by mistake), it is likely an 87/88 model based on the serial number and Cromor tubes. It was a mash up of parts, but a few nice campy bits on it. I think it may have had Triomphe on it mainly.

I'm keen to do a restoration and wanted to know:

a: does anyone have any photos of a Bottecchia of this era with a pink paint scheme (at least on forks and headtube)

b: what other colour combos do you think look good on nice steel bikes - I would love to see recommendations (it doesn't have chromed lugs, etc)

My four year old thinks that I should repaint it pink like her bike and to tell the truth, I am leaning that way if i can find out a pic of how it looked.

Sorry pic is small but i can' work out how to get a large pic in like others use - i'm new to posting.

cheers

utedeej

A Bottecchia is one of my grail bikes (Basso being the other). If you find out it was all pink originally, then that is how I personally would restore it. I had an old pink Sekine frame and the only reason I didn't build it up was a friend of mine wanted it for his wife.

I'd be tempted to go for red with white head and seat tubes. Except for the chrome, that was the livery for the Malvor-Bottecchia team of the era.

The red and white is a very nice look. I'd love to see a photo of how it may have looked in pink too though if anyone has one, or even remembers how it may have looked.

Funny, I just sold one of these frames this weekend, I'll get some pictures of it up.

well, the pics are below, with a bonus shot of a px-10

I like blue Bottecchias because I had a blue one when I was a teen, and I really do miss that old bike, we went though a lot together. I sold it to my sister, then someone stole off her when it was locked up on the street.

It was something like this blue Bottecchia that is currently for sale on eBay;
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/BOTTECCHIA-It...item1c22aeac82

Habes I must admit that pink isn't quite as pretty as i thought it might be!! Is there any way i can get some larger photos from you to see a bit more of the detail. I can't pm yet as a noob.

Ed - that blue is nice, but the blue/green bike for my stable (or messy shed as my wife likes to call it) will hopefully be one of those celeste ones. Actually that is what i thought the bottecchia may have been when i found it as i had not seen the b embossed in the fork before

utedeej

Just click on the pictures, and they will be larger. As for doing a PM, just click on the persons name, and the PM prompt will show-up. Just click on it.

I love the the color of habes Bottecchia frame. But I'm abit bias, because half of my Basso's fade is about the same violet/purple as his. Must be an Italian thing, because I recently saw a Colnago and Atala on the forum with that color...

Yeah, I'll pm you my email, got a few more shots of some details.

I thought the frame was pretty cool and I wouldn't think of repainting the one I had,

BUT, since yours definitely calls for a repaint, I would suggest painting it the color you want and will get ridden the most with.

Oh, and you can't overlook the daughter vote either, this could be a cool thing for you guys to pick out together. Paint schemes and such.

Big thanks to Habes for sending extra pics through. It's always nice to know what it looked like originally, but i'm sure i won't be going with that fade paint scheme.

I'm pretty sure top and downtubes will be white with head and seatubes still to be decided but looking like red, but pink keeps popping into my head

But what to do with the lugs?? they are quite nice so would be good to have them stand out.

utedeej

The frame has gone to the sandblaster and is getting etch primed. I've been searching and looking and there are so many potential colours. I like the red and white of this Duell and it is very similar to the late 80s tdf bottecchias (but without the chrome forks and lugs) suggested by T-Mar. I can't remember what site i got the pic from unfortunately...



I'd probably outline the lugs with a thin line of the white.

But I'm also interested a little in maintaining some of the history and using pink for the head tube, forks and seatube and white for the top tube, down tube and rear triangle. Anyone seen a bike like that, as i can't find one.

utedeej

If you Google Bottecchia images, you'll see quite a few of the red/white combination that is very similar to the Duell you show. Didn't see anything with the pink, although I didn't search to hard. Maybe with alittle work, you might have some luck...

By-the-way, I like the red, green and white fade paint job of the Italian flag that Bottecchia used for awhile. When I was a young guy, one of the older kids with alittle money had a Bottecchia like that and I always admired it. It screamed "Italian"!

Well, it took a while but I finally found what I was looking for; a non-fade, two tone Bottecchia with pink! I'm not sure this this particular scheme would be my choice. If I were to go with pink, I redden it a bit to a rose tone. As for the black, I'd probably lighten it and go with a medium-dark grey.

Thanks T-Mar, that is the kind of thing i have spent days searching for. My wife is starting to think i'm addicted. I don't know why the pink is stuck in my head, maybe a little bit to do with the original paint and a bit to do for a homage to the Giro. That is the kind of pink that I am thinking more than the rose. I like the idea of grey with it too though.

Giacomo, yeah i found plenty of the red and white bottecchias, but most of them had the chrome triangle and forks. I was trying to picture what it would look like with painted rear triangle and forks. Same problem with couldn't find any pink bottecchias, or other bikes really for that matter (is that the bike world trying to tell me something).

I recently gave an old miyata triple butted to my nephew that was red and white and i guess i am looking for something a bit different.

utedeej

Hi, I'm late to the game (found this thread while search for my bike's year). It might be this color scheme.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/5735429...in/photostream

Thanks guys, have chosen the colour and forks are off getting chromed. Will be a little different scheme to the classic Bottecchia livery that is usually seen, but seeing the bike is not top of the line, I also didn't want to try and mimic the top. Have gone with pink and it will be more of a Giro pink.

Cheers

I have a Bottecchia cromor tubing late 80's that was paintd pink, ight brown and yellow whihc were the team colors of Cycles BiKyle in Philly. Check out those team bike color schems.