When to respray bike?

V

Vanquish64

Retro Newbie
I have an 86 Raleigh Prestige. My dad built it up in the late 80s and I recently persuaded him to hand it over! It was probably sitting unused since the mid nineties so all the components are in good working order.

One thing that has aged are the transfers which are becoming non existent in some areas.

So, questions are: does the ageing add a certain charm and authenticity or should it be returned to former glory? And, is it possible to just replace transfers?
 

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If you can get the rest of the decals off then Nick at lloyds should be able to make you some vinyl ones up ( check first ) Google to find his web site.You wont be able to use water slide transfers without top coat and that wont look good. To do it or not is a personal thing. Just the decals does not carry the same concern as a complete re spray.As they say it is only original once. Based on what you are asking I would do it to tidy it up but thats me.
Regards
Peter
 
Thanks for the reply.

Looks like a full respray may be the way to go then. Lloyds looks they offer a great service so I'll see what they suggest.

I'm not worried about keeping things 100% original. The brakes for example got replaced over the years with aero types and I retro fitted the ones now on it with NOS that are more of the age. Calipers are quite new though as modern ones are so much more powerful! That said I won't be putting carbon wheels on it any time soon and retaining down shifters are a must too. Basically, I can live with some new decals!
 
Unless it's really bad I would retain the patina of use. Don't lose the history especially if it was your old man's.
 
Good afternoon,

You need to consider what you are planning to do with the bike - if you plan to use it, does it need a respray? If you plan to look at it as an art piece etc it may need a respray.

Decals are usually easy to replace and should cost around £20 - £30 depending on what you need etc. A respray, if done well, will be expensive.

Your decision as to usage will make the respray decision easier.

Richard
 
Re:

Hi.
I was not suggesting a full re spray. Merely new decals. The vinyl ones will go on over the existing paintwork. O.k. They are not as nice as water slide under clearcoat but they allow you to keep the original paint.Also vinyl ones can be easily renewed if they end up getting a bit dog eared. More a case of prolonging the original finish rather than a metal up start again. Best of luck with it.I also agree with keeping it as near to what your old man had as you can. Hopefully its a long way away but one day that bike may have more sentimental value than you care to think about
Regards
Peter
 
I'm using it every day to commute (22 miles round trip) and as a winter training bike. I originally started using it simply to spare my newer bike from getting filthy during winter but took an interest in restoring it after finding out about l'eroica and that there were several people out there taking an interst in older bikes. I've reinstated some of the original components to make it more heroic (following l'eroica rules).

I'm keen to freshen up the frame with new decals if it can be done without a respray and if the end result looks good. Have just looked at respray costs and keen to avoid the high costs involved since I'm not after creating a museum piece.
 
Decals and a good helping of elbow grease - would work wonders. If you are planning on l'eroica, check their rules to ensure the bike is eligible. There are a few posts here which may give you pointers regarding this.

More pics would be good.

Richard
 
The bike as pictured at the top is eligible for l'eroica 'hero status' ;-) except for the pedals. I have some quill pedals and clips that I can use but I've found them not as practical as clip less for commuting in London and stopping at traffic lights etc. the leather shoes for them aren't great in the rain either!

So to contradict myself earlier, think I'll look at just getting some new decals to go over the existing. Will follow up with Lloyds.
 
Have added some more pictures showing the (lack of) decals.
Thanks,
Will
 

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