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Bianchi Project

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Touring bicycles from the 1960's to 1980's are fetching good prices now.
I bought a new 1971 International Raleigh touring bicycle in 1971.
They are bringing $1,500-2,500.00 in restored or good original condition.
Your bicycle may be worth more the longer you keep it. Campy parts can be acquired at low prices if you are patient.

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There'a an old saying your post brought to mind. "You can never pay too much but you can buy too soon."

I spent some time today talking to the folks at Elliott Bay Bikes. They do beautiful paint. It seems that to have someone strip and paint a bike is now close to $1,000. That includes decals and a clear coat over everything.

Elliott Bay.JPG


Powder coating is going to be a lot cheaper but I have to see some of the new powder coat. This is a situation where things are getting better all the time. Maybe we're approaching the point where it looks as good as paint. Maybe.

Richard Newton
 
My new hubs were on my doorstep when I arrived home for the Seattle trip.

I'm only concerned about the rear hub but I had to buy them as a pair. I dropped them off at EA Bicycles this morning.

Richard Newton
Bianchi Restoration Blog
 
Expense Report

It's time to talk about something your should never talk about when you restore a bike or car. Money. The smart people never keep receipts nor do they ever total the bills. I'm not that smart. Here's here I am right now.


Bike 120.00
New Seat Post 21.00
Remove old
Seat Post 30.00
Tire Lever 4.00
2 Tires 105.00
Tire Pump 43.00
Bike Stand 40.00
Brake Pads 32.00
MKS Pedals 30.00
Major tune-up 141.98
Front &Rear hubs 250.00

TOTAL $817.00

I'm almost exactly at what the first owner paid for this bike. There's also a very nice one currently for sale here. The asking price is $950.00. I'm very close to being upside down and I haven't painted the bike yet.

I suspect that when I'm done I will have twice as much money into the bike as it's worth. One problem is that I have a lower end Bianchi. The cost of restoring a rare Bianchi and a low end Bianchi are pretty similar. The variable here is that your initial cost for a high end Bianchi will be greater.

Keep in mind that you can't make money restoring bikes. Maybe you can make a little if you buy them at a police auction and just fix them up. What fun would that be though?

I added a few Bianchi projects to my blog. You're going to have to scroll down the page to find them.

Richard Newton
 
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Bike Shipping

I'm going to have to ship my bike for painting. Anyone have experience doing this? I'm just sending the bar frame and front forks. That way the box can be a lot smaller.

Here are two companies that handle shipping. I'm sure there are more.

ShipBikes.com

BikeFlights.com

Richard Newton
 
I have good luck with Fedex.
Bicycle Packing

I take the fork and front wheel off and leave the rear wheel on the frame.
I then wrap 2" foam pipe insulation on the wheels around the tires and rims and also use 3/4" pipe insulation on the frame tubes. 1/2" pipe insulation on the seat and chain stays. Use 3/4" pipe insulation on the fork tubes. Use plastic zip-ties or packing tape for fastening pipe insulation. Use bolt, washers and nut to reinforce the fork at the hub axle dropouts.
Then bubble wrap every thing. Dont use more than one layer. Pack the seat in bubble wrap separately. Take the pedals off.
Remove the handle bars from the gooseneck and cover the bars with 3/4" pipe insulation.
Use a standard Specialized bicycle carton for the frame with rear wheel and a Specialized bicycle wheel carton for the front wheel and misc. Specialized bicycle cartons are the strongest.
Wrap all parts with large heavy duty trash bags and tape openings. Then have handy 8 cans of expanding foam purchased from Home Depot. Lay a bed of foam on the inside bottom of carton where the upside down frame will be positioned. Don't go crazy with the foam placement. Remember it expands. Position the upside down frame in the bed of fresh foam then continue to add foam to the spaces between the carton and the frame. Use long disposable gloves. Foam has to wear off your skin or use nasty acetone to remove. You can spritz water on the foam to accelerate the curing. Now add foam popcorn to the spaces and add any small parts. Copy this procedure to the front wheel and fork carton (smaller wheel carton). The expanding foam fill will guarantee that the bicycle and parts do not become piercing projectiles that would rupture the cartons and cause catastrophic damage to the bicycle itself and also create a pathway for losing parts.
Buy a jumbo Sharpie marker and right fragile, keep upright and do not stack on top of box.
This works every time for me. I learned this lesson the hard way. 99% of all damage of contents are from not securing the contents from moving inside the carton.
 
Some really good suggestions here. Thanks. I'm just going to be shipping a bar frame and bare forks. That means the box can be a little smaller and I only have 2 items to secure. I really like the foam idea and the tubing ideas. You've been a great help.

Richard Newton
 
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