Restore to former beauty? Or respect a lifetime of service?

Tonight I picked up a 1987 Trek 330 Elance with Reynolds 531 tubing, and it's got all the original stickers and decals to prove it.  I think I'll be keeping it in the long run, and I'd love to eventually clean it up. I mean, it's almost as old as me and the paint job... well, it's far from gorgeous, and all the stickers are peeling pretty bad, and the headbadge is a wreck.

So how does everyone feel about keeping a bike like this in tact, original, as much as possible vs stripping it, repainting it, and finding fresh decals? A Trek enthusiast friend of mine strongly encouraged me not to touch a thing where the frame is concerned, and I get that, but I also am a fan of aesthetics and restorations and updates and all that.

Opinions?


For reference, here's the original bike:


Now imagine it with 23 years of paint chips, mismatched touchups, scraped decals, and peeling stickers.

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Permalink Reply by Joe TV on March 8, 2010 at 6:47pm
Ooh, that's nice. Kinda like mine in terms of vintage and paint condition (by the sound of it). Mine looks a little rough year after year, but I can't bring myself to strip it. I like the original look. congrats on the addition to the stable!

On the other hand, I got cables routed under the tape. If my bike wasn't originally built that way, I think I'd try to change that aspect.
Permalink Reply by Michelle Green on March 8, 2010 at 6:52pm
Yeah, I have very mixed feelings about the whole thing. I love the old stuff, but I also think I could make it sooo beautiful again while still keepin' it classy.

And thanks! But don't encourage me. :) As it is, I just had to move my blue mixte into my bedroom so my roommates don't freak when they come home and realize that there are now enough bikes in our apartment for all of us to go riding together, plus one of their significant others...

Joe TV said:
Ooh, that's nice. Kinda like mine in terms of vintage and paint condition (by the sound of it). Mine looks a little rough year after year, but I can't bring myself to strip it. I like the original look. congrats on the addition to the stable!
Permalink Reply by Michael A on March 8, 2010 at 7:04pm
nice find, a good restore will cost you 200 to 250 to blast and repaint or powdercoat, a set of replica decals is about 50. I have been fighting with myself to do this to my elder Italian steeds who have been with me since the early 80's. You will also have to figure in the cost of disassembly and reassembly, all new cables and housings, grip tape. Only you can decide if it is worth it to you. Did you have any luck with that indoor storage rack?
Permalink Reply by jen on March 8, 2010 at 7:11pm
I go by age. If its over 40 years old leave it as is and just clean it up. Anything less than that strip that baby down and repaint. Well unless we are talking about a De Rosa or some other killer Italian frame. But a Trek ain't that rare.
Permalink Reply by Michelle Green on March 8, 2010 at 7:18pm
Not anymore, they won't.
http://www.trekbikes.com/faq/categories.php?categoryid=15

Hrrrrm.

H3N3 said:
I believe Trek will do the restoration, authentic stickers and all, for what seemed to me to be a reasonable fee last time I heard about it . . .

Not to burst your bubble, though, but Trek produced a low end steel road bike called the 330 well into the 90s, usually red as I recall, which was nothing special; so if I saw your restored 330 I might assume it was one of those later budget bikes at a glance.
Permalink Reply by Michelle Green on March 8, 2010 at 7:25pm
The bike rack was way way waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out in the burbs. That's why it was so cheap. :)

I'll just have to acquire one ( http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1023884_-1... ) as soon as I do some sneaky (well, not for long) living room rearrangement... In the meantime, I get to fall asleep with a bike near the foot of my bed. Not the worse thing in the world.

Michael A said:
nice find, a good restore will cost you 200 to 250 to blast and repaint or powdercoat, a set of replica decals is about 50. I have been fighting with myself to do this to my elder Italian steeds who have been with me since the early 80's. You will also have to figure in the cost of disassembly and reassembly, all new cables and housings, grip tape. Only you can decide if it is worth it to you. Did you have any luck with that indoor storage rack?
Permalink Reply by Michael A on March 8, 2010 at 7:27pm
lucky bike

Michelle Green said:
The bike rack was way way waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out in the burbs. That's why it was so cheap. :)

I'll just have to acquire one ( http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1023884_-1... ) as soon as I do some sneaky (well, not for long) living room rearrangement... In the meantime, I get to fall asleep with a bike near the foot of my bed. Not the worse thing in the world.

Michael A said:
nice find, a good restore will cost you 200 to 250 to blast and repaint or powdercoat, a set of replica decals is about 50. I have been fighting with myself to do this to my elder Italian steeds who have been with me since the early 80's. You will also have to figure in the cost of disassembly and reassembly, all new cables and housings, grip tape. Only you can decide if it is worth it to you. Did you have any luck with that indoor storage rack?
Permalink Reply by Ron on March 8, 2010 at 7:35pm
I'm with Jen on this one. I'm even into restoring Italian steel if it's really rough. Nothing wrong with it. Last years visit to the North American Handmade bike Show changed my view on restorations, the winner in the restoration category was this:
Photobucket
1951 Cinelli. Won an award for best paint job. Sexy old bike. I wanted to sleep with it.
Permalink Reply by Matt AKA Jimbo/BMXican on March 8, 2010 at 9:24pm
If it fits you well I would fix it up. Fit if key before investing in a bike.We wouldn't want a bad back slowing you down on the dance floor. Reynolds 531 is decent steel and I'm guessing it's lugged. I do remember those bikes having issues with rubbing on the chain stay and I think it has issues with fenders. Check the space between the stays, the brake and the back wheel. Do you have room for fenders? Great summer bike :)
Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on March 9, 2010 at 3:01am
Nice find. Congrats! If the original paint and decals are that messed up, then I don't see the point in preserving it as is if you'd prefer perfection. I agree that one should not mess with a pristine artifact, but if it is not museum quality then you might as well do whatever it takes to get it into the condition you'd prefer it to be in.

I'm happy when I find an old steel bike with cosmetic flaws. That way I don't have to feel guilty for being the one who trashed it.
Permalink Reply by cutifly on March 9, 2010 at 3:15am
Would you bed down with an 85 year old woman or at least get her a face lift and boob job before you do ?
Permalink Reply by J on March 9, 2010 at 3:15am
Unless there's emotional attachment, I wouldn't restore it. It's a nice frame, but the 330 was in the lower echelon of lugged Trek sport/touring rigs of the day. It has a nice seat cluster, but is otherwise mundane.

But there is also a middle ground here. These frames have pretty simple short point lugs, so you won't risk losing a lot of detail if you powder coat it (vs painting). A few years ago I coated a rather dinged up 400 series Trek and it came out beautifully. For <$150 you could strip and coat it any color you want, and for a few more bucks, print your own decals on waterslide paper.

If trying to justify the cost, another way to look at it is that were you to buy something new, you really won't find a better made frameset under $600 these days.

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