CrankyFranky

Did the style police give you a ticket, or did you get off with a warning?

Velognome 

I don't totally agree on using old tatty parts, when something wears out, replace it move on and someday that part will be old too.

If you look at the top tube, just in front of the saddle, the paint is worn thin and you can see the undercoat, not in immediate need of paint so it will be until it becomes a problem.



I had the fork repainted and chromed becasue of a rust issue . I was told it would not match, put to me, that's just part of the bikes life story.




The down tube was repainted sometime ago, but not by me, and now it shows its age with small chips and scratches. Again, part of the provenance of this bike.



I try to achieve a balance between restoration & preservation that keeps a bike useful while still representing it's age and history .

Creme Brulee

i love bikes that have been used and look it. that legnano has no safety issue, so i say keep riding it! that handlebar tape on the page before is also very very nice

bikingshearer 

That Bianchi doesn't get ridden, though, and probably hasn't touched tarmac on 50 years or more, so I'm not sure how much that aids in the decision-making process. That is meant as an observation, not a slam.

I am generally of the "go ahead and paint it" school, but this one has me scratching my head. On the one hand, that's a goodly amount of paint that's gone. On the other hand, the remainiing paint looks pretty good, although I assume that the pics make the paint look to be in better shape than in person, as is so often the case (and damn near universally true with eBay offerings). I'd be leary of going the touch-up route because that paint has had a long time to fade somewhat, probably unevenly, and I'd be afraid of so big a touch-up area looking kind of mismatched and goofy, no matter how close the touch-up paint looks on a small area.

Then there are the graphics. The few Legnanos of that vintage that I have seen had the graphics painted on, not decals, at least on the down-tube, so I'm guessing that is the case here. If you repaint, can you (or someone else) do a proper job painting the graphics? Or do you go with repro decals? Tough call.

Like I said, this one has me scratching my head. I'm not at all sure what I would do if it were mine, although I'd probably get it painted sooner or later.

Whatever you decide to, you have a wonderful bike there and you've done a great job bringing it to life.

randyjawa 

I asm a stickler for original! I hate painting a frame set and redoing the art, from a collectable point of view. But I love the look of a near pristine vintage road bicycle...


My Legnano Gran Premio is not my first Legnano (had three, so far). The first one I found at the Dump, refurbished it with used components spending not one penny...


The second, I painted and, to be honest, turned out to be the prettiest of just about any bike I have owned...


The third, we are discussing now. If I ever do paint it, I will choose black (what the heck, it will not be original and I think black and chrome, together, looks just great) even though the bicycle was never offered in black (not positive about that, though).

I will, forever, want to paint this old Legnano. That I already know. Will I do it? That I don't know.

auchencrow

To me there is a difference between DAMAGE from accident, abuse, or corrosion, and PATINA acquired from years of honest use. I think my Armstrong falls into the latter category.

Velognome 

The best part of a bike with age appropriate patina is that you don't get so worked up when it gets a new scratch.

repechage

Randyj- overall the bike looks in concert with the whole. I understand about the top tube though, and only the top tube. Raw metal just requires so much attention.
I have a frame that has essentially the same failings. A top tube that is quite raw, with a bit on the down tube where the shifters mount, chainstay chain slap and fork scratches. I am only concerned with the top and down tubes as raw metal is quite exposed.
I have been sitting on the fence about what to do. IF I can obtain a near perfect match I will paint the top tube only and the region at the shifters, leaving the rest. Otherwise, I don't know as it is a bike I would like to use on a frequent basis and I live near the beach. Rust Protection is required.

On this one, I would investigate painting the top tube ONLY. I don't even know if I would redo the striping.

rootboy 

By the way, what do you guys thinks causes excessive wear and paint loss in that area? Sweat? Handling? Gremlins?

If you are pretty good with a detail gun Randy, and get a spot on match, I would go the top tube route also. If you decide to do something, that is.

Velognome 

A short rider dismounting frequently?

bikingshearer 

Yes.

flash2070

I would definitely leave it as is! This adds to the character of the bike! Little things lke that personally do not affect my connection to a beautiful bike, on the contrary, it increases my fondness for it. I picked up my Basso, with a very poor effort by the previous owner to cover up oxidation spots on the tt. As you can see, he painted the tt and about 1.5" of the seat tube white. The paint seems to be out of a paint gallon from Lowes or Home Depot, and done with a brush! :-) If it were to bother me that much in the future, I would just ride another bike, and problem solved. Keep as is! :-)

P.S. Currently riding on a Concor Supercorsa



Flash

The Golden Boy 

That's a good goal.

Alan Edwards

+1

95strat

If clear coat doesn't preserve patina, it will continue to rust, how did this guy create this beauty: https://www.cycleexif.com/wp-content/...and-prix-1.jpg

Here's the full article with more pics: https://www.cycleexif.com/raleigh-grand-prix-3

I'm grabbing a Grand Prix next week and was thinking of repainting it, but if I could achieve this level of patina and be able to preserve the metal I'd go for it. However, I can't find how to clear coat something like this. Anyone know if it's possible?

Lenton58 

Great looking bike, Randy! There is a nice balance and symmetry to it. The colour is superb — what's left of it. It's almost chartreuse.

How did you match the colour on the second of your Legano's. Did you get an automtive shop to mix it up? Is it an Alcyd enamel? Lacquer? Acrylic? Waterborne or aromatic? Did you do one of your brush jobs? Any info on how you got it to look like that would help my with some decisions of my own.

Cheers — it sounds like you are repairing yoursef very well indeed!