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Important Discussion for Newcomers to the Hobby

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years ago a photographer from Palm Springs contacted me regarding the restoration of 3 bikes.
I agreed to see what he had in mind....
To my shock and dismay, he brought over 3 Schwinn ladies deluxe ballooners...
a Green Panther, a Blue Panther, and a Starlet.
ALL THREE BIKES were about condition 8-9 on a 10 scale.
They were unbelievably killer originals.
I explained the futility of his idea and how they should be left alone...
but he insisted on going all the way with all three bikes..
As in .....full on every nut and bolt restoration.
He used them as props in his photography business and I guess they had to be 'nice'.
They were in such nice original condition I doubt the camera could even differentiate
between the originals and the restored results.

I went ahead and did the work after trying to talk him out of it.

Years later.....he must have tired with the bikes and I noticed he had listed on all three on Ebay for low opening bids of around 300-400 a bike. I wish he would have contacted me
I would have bought all three for what they sold for on eBay...maybe even paid more.
NO details in the auction write up description whatsoever.... piss poor pix.....
Unreal.
He spent around 2K per bike doing EVERYTHING as in 100% restorations...
and made absolutely no note of that in his descriptions.
A local collector here won one of them and was blown away with the deal he got as they all sold for not much
more than the opening bid.

wowsers
 
I think bike collecting goes through phases.It seems to me that new collectors like the shiny "restored" bikes.As a collector stays in the hobby they start to appreciate the original find.Lets face it.Members on the Cabe are super happy when they find that untouched original.You dont read many boasting about a "restoration" they found unless it is rare. Even then most would really want an original rare find over a "restored" one


While I don't personally collect restored bikes. I really do enjoy restoring bikes to back to as close to new and original as possible.
Especially when the candidates are super rough candidates which only suggest one direction.
I've become more lenient over the years as to what condition a leave it alone "survivor" should be....
maybe dropping from grade 6-7 to 5
 
years ago a photographer from Palm Springs contacted me regarding the restoration of 3 bikes.
I agreed to see what he had in mind....
To my shock and dismay, he brought over 3 Schwinn ladies deluxe ballooners...
a Green Panther, a Blue Panther, and a Starlet.
ALL THREE BIKES were about condition 8-9 on a 10 scale.
They were unbelievably killer originals.
I explained the futility of his idea and how they should be left alone...
but he insisted on going all the way with all three bikes..
As in .....full on every nut and bolt restoration.
He used them as props in his photography business and I guess they had to be 'nice'.
They were in such nice original condition I doubt the camera could even differentiate
between the originals and the restored results.

I went ahead and did the work after trying to talk him out of it.

Years later.....he must have tired with the bikes and I noticed he had listed on all three on Ebay for low opening bids of around 300-400 a bike. I wish he would have contacted me
I would have bought all three for what they sold for on eBay...maybe even paid more.
NO details in the auction write up description whatsoever.... piss poor pix.....
Unreal.
He spent around 2K per bike doing EVERYTHING as in 100% restorations...
and made absolutely no note of that in his descriptions.
A local collector here won one of them and was blown away with the deal he got as they all sold for not much
more than the opening bid.

wowsers
Bob - that was a helluva story....
 
I find unrestored bikes have a number of pleasing qualities that restored bikes don't have. (I write books and TV for a living, and that's the best sentence I can come up with.)

Newcomers to the bicycle hobby should maybe go to some shows and look at original & restored bikes in person. (For me, pictures on the Web rarely deliver the impact of an in-person bike.) Again, just my tastes, but restored bikes don't do anything for me when I'm standing next to one. Just as a rusty "boat anchor" does nothing for someone else. I also like the feel of original condition bikes: the finish on the tubes, the grips, seat, tires, all of it. Again, my tastes.

So visit some bikes. See which bikes talk back.

Another note to newcomers: joining a forum and posting photos of bikes (unrestored or restored) can and often will result in spirited debate. As long as the debate isn't hateful, so be it.
 
While I don't personally collect restored bikes. I really do enjoy restoring bikes to back to as close to new and original as possible.
Especially when the candidates are super rough candidates which only suggest one direction.
I've become more lenient over the years as to what condition a leave it alone "survivor" should be....
maybe dropping from grade 6-7 to 5
I think the use of the word "restored" has lost its meaning.Anybody who repaints,chromes instead of nickles,paints wrong paint schemes,etc. calls their bikes "restored" There is a difference between restored and redone. True restoration is making it the way it left the factory.Makes no difference how nice an object comes out in the end it is not restored if it isnt correct.Its just redone. C.L. and FB sites are full of "restored" bikes
 
Nice shiny paint job and bright chrome but this guy paid no attention to the frame dart details as he claimed he would do.

looking at the dart detail on the original frame compared to his finished product is mind boggling how far off it is especially at the head tube tank area. The frame tube darts are just as bad.

Look, it's his bike and he can do whatever makes him smile, I get it, but don't claim to make patterns and follow the original paint scheme and then get it all wrong.

Bike devalued in my opinion, but i'll give him $2000 for the tank.






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I think the use of the word "restored" has lost its meaning.Anybody who repaints,chromes instead of nickles,paints wrong paint schemes,etc. calls their bikes "restored" There is a difference between restored and redone. True restoration is making it the way it left the factory.Makes no difference how nice an object comes out in the end it is not restored if it isnt correct.Its just redone. C.L. and FB sites are full of "restored" bikes
I've only have seen one restoration as you've described.
It was at an antique car show years ago.
This person explained to me what was used to paint a new car at the factory
back in the early days before spray paint tools or modern paint material was available.
He added that todays paints are far superior or longer lasting then in the past,
but he wanted to use the techniques that were used on his model when it was
being done at the factory.
Looking at the other cars that were "restored”, although very well done,
they looked modern somehow.
I will never forget how my 1954 Western Flyer X-53 looked fresh out of the carton
from the factory.
 
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