Sometimes the original color is just wrong. Also notions of what a builder might "allow" are wrong.
My stainless lugged Redcay was originally Imron Persimmon. Jim veiled his grimace at this sort of orange metallic color but I liked it. It was certainly distinctive.
So Joe Bell answered my request for a suggestion with a wild Ferrari type red for the repaint and some have said it was too extreme. (Echoing the Merz "crime" but Joe can't back away from initiating the Redcay one.)
I love it, and in fact Redcay would probably have preferred it to the Persimmon. He liked red and the color selected is the essence of red and really goes with the lugs.
Sometimes the answer is to go back to the original brochure, as I've done with the Witcomb USA and McLean I own. Sometimes the answer is to correct the original misteke the person who ordered the bike made. In the case of the Redcay the person who ordered the bike was me! And it is better off for the change.
Joe B-Z
GNNJ
I'm on the verge of acquiring a 15-yr. old Ron Cooper bike in my size with a mix of Campy NR and SR components. The frame is in very good shape and the seller, whom I trust fully, assures me that the bike has very low mileage. I've seen nothing to dispute that. Here's the hang-up: the bike is painted lovely CELESTE, as the original owner wanted the bike in Bianchi color. The bike also has celeste bar tape and saddle. Not being a huge fan of celeste I can see having the color could grow on me -- bar tape and saddle are outta here, however. (Anyone interested in a celeste Selle Italia Turbo in excellent shape? - $25+shipping) The paint is generally in very good shape with a few nicks and not even surface rust. The paint's condition provides no excuse for repaint. I know the feelings of forum members on leaving original paint and respect them. The hitch here is that the bike's original color more properly belongs on a Bianchi and I can think of several colors I'd find more appe...
(Have people seen many celeste non Bianchis?)
I realize that this mostly comes down to taste and am aware that an original paint job (even one that's moderately unappealing) is more valuable from a collector's perspective. For the latter reason I'm leaning toward leaving the paint alone. Still, I'd appreciate any opinions and input CR members can offer as I contemplate this quasi-Shakespeareian question: to paint or not to paint? Thank you,
Vlad Luskin OaklandCA
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