Re: [CR]To Restore or Not to Restore

(Example: Production Builders:Peugeot:PY-10)

Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2006 12:38:16 -0800 (PST)
From: "dave martinez" <dmart84815@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [CR]To Restore or Not to Restore
To: JEFFERY Pyzyk <appraisalresourcegroup@msn.com>
In-Reply-To: <BAY104-F2732B0C195944A8012FBC2D5E90@phx.gbl>
cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org

Hello Jeff,

Something has to be said about riding and enjoying collectible beaters. Its fun riding these bikes with complete abandon. Like splashing thru obstacles that would bring fear into the hearts of concours winning Cinelli owners. Enjoying an occasional off road adventure, to the surprise of any mtbiker that you'd encounter... how often has the mtbiker seen a 1961 Masi Special on his favorite trail? Most important of all, you dont have the freakout factor when you walk out of starbucks to discover that some naves have leaned their offtopic lesser machines against your award winning, nos ebay find. Not all rats are vermin!

Regards, Dave Martinez Fremont Ca US of A

JEFFERY Pyzyk <appraisalresourcegroup@msn.com> wrote: This topic has probably been hashed around on the list more than Blond Lebanese in Madison during the late '60's. However, given some of the recent E-bay prices for unrestored "rats", I think the topic can safely be revisited.

I've got a late 60's/early 70's Cinelli SC with original decals and what's left of the original silver paint. It is an early drilled lug frame with the old-style long campy dropouts, and also still has the fender eyelets. It is ratty as hell. "Patina" is not a word that comes to mind. The paint is worn through all over the place with some pitting of chrome in the usual areas under the lugs. Looking at it, you would say that it obviously needs to be stripped, re-chromed, and re-painted.

However, it is authentic! Decals and color bands, lettering, and the Columbus SL decals are honest and original.

After seeing what one old battle worn Cinelli recently sold for on E-bay, I have some doubts that a restored bike would be any more valuable than a ratty original one. Like most of you, I'm in this for love and not for money, so the decision is not really based on economics.

My personal preference is for my bikes to look as near to new as possible. It's probably from some Freudian anal retentive stage I never got through or something, I don't know. However, in this case, I have some trepidation about restoration.

Jeff Pyzyk
Milwaukee, WI