OK, I've built my first SS from bits and pieces and a Nishiki 10 speed frame.  The frame has no dings but some chipping paint situations, some of which has slight surface rust.  Personally I wouldn't mind painting the frame even at the cost of loosing the Nishiki logos.  I'd go with either white and maybe some zebra stripes or some tribal tattoo kind of thing or maybe just paint the bike a nice tan color, similar to this websites background color (maybe a little lighter). 

Personal friends of mine scream "NO", just get rid of the rust and clear coat or bring it to an automobile paint shop and have them match the paint.

I ask why?  It's no where near the original specs of the Nishiki 10 speed and I like a nice clean looking bike.  They tell me that if I ever sell the bike it will be worth more.  Worth more?  It's a Focking Nishiki not the Bat Mobile I want to paint white or the 1969 Dodge Charger "General Lee" from the  Dukes of Hazzard that I want to paint blue.  How would the original paint make this SS worth more?

So I'm throwing out the question to you bunch of fine people.  Keep the original paint or paint it like I've mentioned above.
 

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Ride it like you stole it!

Don't listen to friends - what do they know about anything? Definitely paint it. You've made a unique bike - now make it even more unique. Could you find some way of combining tribal tatoo, General Lee and zebra stripes all in one crazy scheme? I'd like to see something like that!!!

I'm going to do one of mine completely covered (and I do mean completely) with stickers. I'm just waiting for the right 'job lot' of the right kind of stickers to come up on eBay.

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"Gears are like eyes or testicles. Having more than one is an unnecessary luxury." Elvis A. Presley

devoid_punk:

Don't listen to friends - what do they know about anything? Definitely paint it. You've made a unique bike - now make it even more unique.

Yeah I know it was burning in my soul to build this SS and it's burning to paint it.  Maybe I should ask my friends to make me an offer I couldn't resist.  Of course it doesn't matter what someone or some book says something is worth, the trick is to find the person willing to hand you the cash. 

devoid_punk:

Could you find some way of combining tribal tatoo, General Lee and zebra stripes all in one crazy scheme? I'd like to see something like that!!!

Hmmm, I'd have to think about that.  It would really help if Daisy was close by to a.........., help, yeah that's it Daisy to help. 

devoid_punk:

I'm going to do one of mine completely covered (and I do mean completely) with stickers. I'm just waiting for the right 'job lot' of the right kind of stickers to come up on eBay.

Now that's an awesome idea and I'd love to see that.  Man, no worries about scratching the paint job, just slap on another sticker.  Here's another idea for mine that I was thinking about.  Hand paint flames over the missing paint which happens to be random so I think that might work.  Of course the flames (red, orange & yellow) are contrasted by the blue bike and visa versa.

Thanks for the reply DP! 

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Ride it like you stole it!

I actually love the look of those messenger fixies that are a total mess - badly brushed or rattle-can paint, rust, stickers, chips, electrical tape, mis-matched wheels, etc. You know the type - a rat fixie. But, could I ever bring myself to create and ride anything that scruffy? We´ll see.....

The all-stickers thing I will definitely do as a future project.

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"Gears are like eyes or testicles. Having more than one is an unnecessary luxury." Elvis A. Presley

Yeah, I agree with you D_P but then I came across this pertaining to old tool boxes:

"That "original well used but cared for" look that says ..." hey, I'm old but i have been used, cherished, abused, misused and my appearance says I've got a lot of interesting history.." .
Thats patina.
What you will end up with is a shiny tool box exactly the same as the hundreds of thousands of other shiny tool boxes all over the world...all a bit Ho hum and with no individuality."

I've got time to make a decision, it's just too hot here in Las Vegas right now. 

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Ride it like you stole it!

The best patina is when rust is coming through the flaking and scuffed remains of many, many re-paints!

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"Gears are like eyes or testicles. Having more than one is an unnecessary luxury." Elvis A. Presley

I don't know if I'm allowed to do this and I will remove it if anyone objects but I am a sign maker and can make custom bike stickers if anyone is interested

mamos

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carpe scrotum

If you didn't build it, you don't own it.

what sort of thing can you do? I wouldn't object if the stickers are cool enough....

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She who succeeds in gaining the mastery of the bicycle will gain the mastery of life.
– Frances E. Willard, How I Learned To Ride The Bicycle, 1895


The follower of singlespeeding
is at one with his bike.

 Dev. P said: The best patina is when rust is coming through the flaking and scuffed remains of many, many re-paints!

 check this out:

http://www.ratbike.org/t_paint.php

 

 

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She who succeeds in gaining the mastery of the bicycle will gain the mastery of life.
– Frances E. Willard, How I Learned To Ride The Bicycle, 1895


The follower of singlespeeding
is at one with his bike.

Put 'rat rod' into Google Images and prepare to be amazed. I'm going to do a bike like that - mechanically perfect and fully efficient - but looking like a scrapper. Watch this space!

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"Gears are like eyes or testicles. Having more than one is an unnecessary luxury." Elvis A. Presley

Some real good stuff coming to this post.  Thanks people!  My decision will be made at the end of the season, work will begin in winter and hopefully pictures will be posted at the start of next season.  I'll have to ride (excuse my language) a geared bike during the winter months. 

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Ride it like you stole it!

A geared bike in the winter?!!! Why not convert that one as well?

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"Gears are like eyes or testicles. Having more than one is an unnecessary luxury." Elvis A. Presley

I'd go with some good oldschool flames, handpainted no airbrushing. But, thats the way I do things!

devoid_punk:

A geared bike in the winter?!!! Why not convert that one as well?

One day it will be, but winter is the time I do most of my mechanics.  I've prioritized my current SS (Nishiki) paint job.  Now Gatortracks comes along and gets me thinking about the "Old School" flames again.  If any of you have ever visited my website you'd see I'm an Old Skool kinda guy.  So maybe I'll be able to go with the flames AND convert the geared bike I have to SS.  Win - Win.  I can always go with the white idea at anytime but once it's white - it's white no going back.  Thank you two for a) confusing the hell out of me and b) making me think.

Hah!  Thanks for everyones input. 

 

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Ride it like you stole it!