Hey guys,

I just built this new fixed gear... My friend was giving away two free bikes from the 70's and one was already gone, so i took the other. Its a red univega viva sport. Nice bike, everything was intact and the wheels were even true. So. I converted it. There's just one problem. The paint job is a little messed up. It looks like somebody was trying to sand off the paint, but then they decided to stop. So. It would seem like the obvious option is to repaint it. But i really like the look of the vintagey univega bike.

What do you guys think?


Thanks

I too have an older bike (i.e., late 70's Mino Denti) thats paint job is far, far away from what it must have looked like when it was first created. Thus I too have been Googling around trying to find out what other folks say about repainting a "classic". I guess the real deal, beyond the concern of devaluation, is whether or not you'll feel better or worse looking at it, riding it, etc.

For me, I know I will never get rid of my bike so I don't care about the value part. I just love it. I even love the way it looks with its messed up scratched up paint job (i.e., battle scares). Thus, hmm, I guess it's what they say, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and therefore I suggest, if you're not worried about devaluation, do or don't do whatever it takes to make you *feel* the best about your bike.

Hope this helps!

I got a bunch of bikes, some I bought just for the paint. Once you take it down to metal you can't get the old paint back. If you like the paint, you have your answer.

There's a lot to be said for the "patina" look, but there's a lot to be said for powdercoating/painting it, especially if it's going to spend some time outdoors, as steel gets rusty pretty easily.

I repainted both of my conversions. One is an older Univega (c. 79-80) that had a great looking paint job, the other a late 80s Schwinn with a once great paint job that was pretty scratched up by the time it got to me.

For the most part, I wish I'd kept the original paint on the Univega. It was in such great shape, and all of the components were original. It was a total noob mistake. I look at some of the rides in C&V and remember what mine was - even the saddle was original. It's a great bike now, and I'm glad I have it for what it is, but I really wish I'd left it alone.

Customizing your bike is part of the fun, but ride it for a while, and see how you feel after a month or so. Don't want this to be a hasty decision.

Sorry to ramble, but I hope that helps.

ppl repaint all the classic cars...

think about it

There's a big difference betwee sending a frame out to Joe Bell for $400, $500 or more for a restoration paint job (plus the cost of decals) vs a rattle can job or even powdercoat. People repainting classic cars (and plenty of them are left with the original patina unless it's absolutely too far gone) are usually more on the "Joe Bell" end of the scale. Never heard of anyone rattle canning or powder coating a true classic car.

then you have never seen some real street rods!