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Condundrum: Restoration vs Renovation

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Before anyone gets mad at me, understand that I love and respect ALL bike builds and this is not me saying I hate modernized old bikes. When I do not like what someone has done with a bike, you will never see me actually say it or mention it because I know everyone has their own taste. This is merely my personal preference....

I look at bikes how I look at old cars. When I meet someone who says they like antique cars but they changed the motor to something electronic, added modern suspension, added modern seating with bluetooth and surround sound and did a modern metallic paint job. I would suggest they don't really love antique cars, they like an antique look but cant handle living the antique life. You wanted a modern car with an old body....
I see it the same way when someone buys a gorgeous old bike, removes the fenders, adds gears, modern seats etc etc. They want the look of an old bike but none of the hard work of riding one as it was always intended.

Me personally, and I do mean personally....I prefer not only the old bike, but the old bike experience as it was when the bike was new. I want to ride the past, not just look at it. I struggle up hills, love the rattle of the original parts, the feel of the old grips, the squeak of the old saddle and feel of the old upholstery. I even go so far as to ride on original tires when ever I can reasonably and safely do so. I will never let age or soreness get in the way of my bike looking and feeling how I want it to be. I have learned and built up a tolerance to the old ways and prefer it that way.

It all comes down to this: What do YOU want out of the experience? Do you want an old bike with modern comfort rideability? Do you want an old bike that looks like it did back in 19XX and rides the same? Either one is perfectly ok as long as when you park it at the end of the ride you think "man that was great!"

It can be very difficult to navigate the delicate scene that is the old bike scene and still care what others think, so whatever decision you make, make it with your whole heart with your experience in mind and let the wind hit your knuckles on the ride out.
 
I have, over the years of doing many projects, determined that anything that is not completely original by the time I get it should be fully restored. That includes the paint. There is no rational reason to renovate or refurbish something that is not as it was when it was new. A full restoration is the only way to represent it as it was designed. This goes for cars, trucks, vans, boats and bicycles. Anything less is half-a**ed. But that is my humble opinion.
 
This is an age old question whether car collecting, motorcycles, antique toys, trains, bikes. Seem like the vintage toy truck crowd has a lot of folks doing quality full on restorations these days, even on Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars.

I have thought about doing a Silver King tribute with an early 50s Monark frame I found. It has a springer fork that may not be original to the bike. Someone already removed all the old paint and partially primed and then left it lying around to rust. Been wrestling with the same thoughts, give it a rattle can repaint to an original color, strip down to bare metal and polish with 1000 grit, strip down and give it a patina rust treatment then wipe down with boiled linseed oil or maybe attempt a patina repaint to give it a fake aged finish? With no original finish the real value as a collector bike is long gone and now it's value is as a rider which is what I prefer.

My dad was an antique toy and train collector and I grew up hearing these discussions among collectors. In the 60s and 70s no one ever restored an original finish, that was everything. Some collected perfect in original box with original finish and some preferred the patina and a toy that had been loved and played with. The funny thing was spotting modern repro cast iron toys in antique shops that had been intentionally buried in wet sand or some other moisture to rust off the old paint and try to pass it off as an original toy from 80-120 years ago. The quality of the castings, file marks and hollow axles always gave the faked repro away. With the trains the only thing to fix were the motors to keep them running thought a few people enjoyed restoring them with original paint, decals, replacing broken parts , etc.

Anyway, have fun with it and make it a rider you'll enjoy. It'll have a new story and anything you do is better than it ending up as scrap metal!
 
Most times, even if the bike is a repaint, I perform the bike shop type repairs, to make the bike operational, and then decide from there.

Bottom line; ask yourself who owns the bike now, then do whatever makes you happy.
 
Seems to me, U pre-programmed your conditional terms in your form of query while, Tottering the ask. . Moreover, justifying your intent and expecting a conflict of interest in a Classic crowd, creating nonsense in the sphere.

U new Yer terms before asking. So, let's see U, mirror finish raw steal, or rather; gud luck wit dat. :D
 
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I'm a fan of full restoration if it's justified. I just finished this 1953 Thunderjet 24" Boys bike. It was a wreck when I found it, it was begging to be seen again looking pretty.
 
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