My Orange Clockwork project

My love for Orange bikes began around 2000 when a friend I used to go cycling with had an Orange bike. I could only afford a Kona but doted on his Orange every time we went up the trails. Soon after, I got into mountain bike trials riding. After my Planet X Zebdi was stolen in 2002, I bought an Orange Zero.




Several years of happy trials riding on my Orange followed. After a while, I got bored of continually getting hurt by stunts-gone-wrong so I bought a Norco and opted for more sedate riding. Skip forward a few years and I got word that a friend of my dad's had an Orange available. The flame was rekindled. I now plan to pass the baton from my criminally underused Orange Zero to a very bruised Orange Clockwork, which I plan to restore. I just wondered who the company to go to is when it comes to respray? I've been browsing the forum and found that Argos cycles crops up every now and then. I've also found out that Orange themselves do resprays. I've also wondered whether anybody can pinpoint the date of manufacture on this bike. The serial number is A3020615.






The fellow I bought the bike off also has another Orange Clockwork but this is even more weather-worn than the Clockwork I purchased. Here are a few pics in case anyone is interested in seeing an Orange that needs some love.







If anyone is interested in purchasing the bike, please PM with your offer and I can see if the fellow is willing to let the bike go.

I'm really excited about restoring this bike. My second Orange adventure starts here!

Hello Wiggle. From the serial number I'd say your frame was built in Feb 1993. The groupset, top routed cables and decals would back this up. Lovely bike btw, I love Clockworks me.

As for re-sprays.... Orange do repaints but only in one colour (from the colours on the options list) so if you want the orange/white fade again they'll be no good. Bob Jacksons in Leeds painted up all the 2007 Clockworks so they could be a good port of call. See Gil M on this site for new decals.

Sure someone will be interested in the other bike as there's a lot of Clockwork love on this site.

Your bike is a 1993 size 19. It looks great in those pictures and I can't see anything there to suggest that it should be resprayed.

If you take it to either Jackson or Argos they will spray it in enamel which will look gorgeous initially but will be extremely delicate. Depending on how you want to use the bike, it might look worse in a couple of years time covered in chips than if you had kept the existing powdercoat finish and just tidied it up with Kurust and modelling paint.

The main issue is whether there is any sign of serious rust, i.e., rusting from the inside out. Why don't you show us a close-up of the worst area that makes you think a respray is indicated?

The scruffy bike is a size 21 and looks like maybe 1991. It needs to be cleaned before he could expect anybody to make him an offer for it. At least in this case there are some visible signs of paint damage that need to be repaired, but without seeing it clean it isn't clear whether it needs a respray. You would also need to know the condition of the fork.

Clockworks aren't worth all that much, nice bikes though they are. You can get a decent one for not much more than the cost of a respray, so it calls into question whether it really makes sense to buy one that would need a lot spent on it to make it usable.

The pictures really are quite flattering. Upon closer inspection, the bike not only looks as if it's been through the mill, but rode straight off it. It looks as if the previous owner had rode it down a North Shore trail and come worse off. It does certainly need a re-spray. I may post pictures of the damage at the weekend.

Looks alreet to me too

Looks perfectly fine to me, clean it up, wouldn't bother with a respray as other than the surface scratches we cannot see, there is barley any paint damage.
Polish it up and that should do.

The purple/white one though the frame though is the sort of thing that would need a respray, though be better to know if the frame was actually sound.
The forks (1993 MAG10) on the purple ones look flat and need air if they still hold the air.

I've cleaned the frame up and have taken some less flattering pictures of it. I think you'll all agree that it needs a respray!







I think I'm going to get it sprayed white and get orange decals. Any thoughts on this colour?

I'd defo T-Cut and polish it before a re-spray cos it still doesn't look too bad to me :?

If you insist on getting it re-done then white with orange decals will look good.

^ I agree, looks like normal wear and tear (patina) for the age of frame, if you are worried about rust touch in the bare bits with Kurust and give it a good coat of car wax.

As Brocklanders said if you must repaint it white will look good, or what about light grey ?, very few get re-done in this colour, it was an option on certain years when they were new but it was'nt a popular choice BITD, there is a grey one on here already and it actually looks really good.

I wouldn't dream of respraying that. There's no need at all.

I have a very fine file from a good tool shop, and I would just take away all the bubbles, and as much brown as you can without damaging sound paint. Then apply Kurust to everything brown. That will stabilise the whole thing and you needn't worry about the surface rust that was there before. Then touch in the damaged areas with gloss modelling paint and see how it looks.

It'll have cost you less than £10 and my guess is you won't be able to see the repairs unless you stare at them from quite close. I'll be surprised if you still want to respray it at that point, but even if you do you're only down a few pounds. Keeping the original paint if you can is an important part of preserving a retro bike. Orange did that paint. Resprays are never as good.