Pinarello Treviso – tube replacement and plating?

[ManekiNico]

I’ve started restoring my beloved Pinarello Treviso (my first “real” bicycle) and the first order of business is replacing the dented and bowed top tube. Wish I could say it came by its scars honestly in a hard fought crit, but the sad thruth is it fell off a storage stand.

My goal is to restore that frame to its original state as near as possible, which would suggest plating the replaced top tube (and guides) to match the rest of the frame. I was always under the impression that Pina frames were fully chromed, but a restorer has suggested that it may only be nickel plating. Any Pina experts here know which is the case?

Thanks in adavance for any help/advice.


~1985 Pinarello Treviso by Nico, on Flickr

 

[Midlife]

None of it looks plated as I can see the brass braze....or am I missing something.? Just looks like bare metal in the pic.

 

[ManekiNico]

Re:

@Midlife, pretty certain it’s plated, but I’m willing to be proved wrong. There’s obvious signs of brazing around the cable guides on the top tube due to an earlier repair (don’t ask!), but none around the top tube lugs — or at least not as much as I’d expect. Maybe I don’t understand brazing like I think I do…



Also, compare these two tubes: above is my frame’s top tube, below is a NOS Columbus SL tube. Definitely not the same finish.

 

[Midlife]

Hmm. I wonder if it has had a chromovelato finish sometime in the past?

 

[ManekiNico]

Re:

@Midlife, I wish! But no, I’m the original owner and the frame was painted in a colour listed as “Red” on the sales bill and “Bordeaux” in the 1985 Pinarello catalogue. In a 1989 Pina colour chart, a similar colour is listed as “Trasp. Metallizzati Rosso” (transparent metallic red). A good example is the bike below (not mine).

 

[Peachy!]

My guess is thats a flamboyant or tinted laquer over polished zinc..... unless some chrome was visable, ie drop-outs etc, there's not much point in chroming if it will all be covered in paint.
If you get the top tube replaced and intend on repainting as is, you will have to get it re-zinced and polished. great rust proofing afterall.

 

[ManekiNico]

@PeachyPM, a restorer I’ve been talking to suggests you’re correct, only it’s nickel plating not zinc. His explanation (with apologies for imperfect English):

In the past (70’s-80’s) most of the steel frames were fully nickeled when they wanted chrome some parts, the costs and the rigid law on environment today suggest to chrome only the singular parts.
Just a few frames, like the Cromovelato finish were fully chromed. There is no sense to chrome the whole frame if the paint will not like that, but for all our restoration projects we nickel (the step before chrome) all the frames and forks to preserve from rust.
Probably your Pinarello were simply nickeled with chromed parts.

And indeed, the Treviso has chromed dropouts, drive side chain stay, seat stay caps, and fork crown.

 

[Peachy!]

Lol... I meant nickel :facepalm:

So whats next? off to the paint shop?

 

[ManekiNico]

^ Well, you had three letters right…

Next step is to pack up the frame and ship it from Canada to Italy for repairs and (re)plating.

Then I have to decide whether to have the restorer do the paint too or work with a well-reputed, but twice as expensive, painter closer to home. The Treviso was a lower end offering after all and may not justify a top flight paint job. Going to have to think this through…

 

[Peachy!]

^ Well, you had three letters right…

Next step is to pack up the frame and ship it from Canada to Italy for repairs and (re)plating.

Then I have to decide whether to have the restorer do the paint too or work with a well-reputed, but twice as expensive, painter closer to home. The Treviso was a lower end offering after all and may not justify a top flight paint job. Going to have to think this through…

Wow! :shock: is there not someone in Canada with the skills or is the trip to Italy more of a personal choice?