Respray or replace my vintage bike?

[Maxants33]

Hello,
I was wondering if anybody could advise me regarding the future of my main commuting bike. I'm not sure whether to follow my head or my heart on this one.

The bike is a beautiful 3 speed Vindec Atlantic with Sturmey Archer hub (approx 1970s). I've progressively restored it, replaced all the cables, break pads, seat, using marathon plus, tough new crank. Its a great bike and the thing I love about it is that while its a roadster, it can take a ton of shopping or camping equipment on the front and back pannier racks.
The main issue is surface rust. I've been quoted £280 for a respray and new decals at my local bike restoration shop in Bury (Manchester), and I really want to bring the aesthetic aspect of the bike up, so I would be willing to pay this.

However, some of my friends think that since this my main commuter and leisure bike, its just not worth chucking all this money at a vintage bike unless I make it a special occasion/collectors bike. But I just want a durable utility bike that looks great.

So I have two options it seems:

1) Rather than respray my Vindec, I could spend the £280 on modern vintage looking bike? However, I've struggled to find any modern bikes for that price that have a vintage look with the same relaxed geometry. I got really excited by the trek belleville, but that's not available in europe. Can anyone recommend a reasonably cheap and attractive commuter bike with vintage appeal? I cannot go more that £400 really.

2) Or, I could ignore my more experienced (but non vintage riding) friends and get the respray. Does anyone have experience of using a restored vintage bike for long UK commutes? I've been told that your going to be doing a lot of repairs over the years if you chose this path, since as we all know, the average UK bike commute is tantamount to a small scale mountain bike trail with the quality of infrastructure we have here. But at least that way I get to used my beloved Vindec! I'm also a big fan of internal gear hubs, it makes such a difference to me at the traffic lights, so this way I also get to keep the Sturmy archer.

SO in summary, can anyone advise on what might be the best route to commuting happiness here?


This is a very old photo (camera is currently bust) of the bike shortly after I got it on Gumtree, It looks much more loved now (except the lack of paint job).

Many thanks for reading!!!

Max

 

[wintergreen]

Ultimately only you can make the decision.
If you really like the bike and think it would benefit from a restoration then go for it. Plenty of people around here ride vintage bikes on a daily basis.
£280 may seem like a lot of money but what bike could you buy to replace It and would you be happy with its replacement?
Bikes can be a very personal thing, somebody who doesn't ride wont understand the connection you forge with your bike.
If it was my bike and I really liked it then that wouldn't seem like a lot of money for the amount of pleasure it would give.

 

[biggs682]

that looks splendid a respray will take all away all originality so be warned .

powder coating might be a cheaper and harder wearing alternative

as for an alternative no idea but if you like your bike that much have it done and overhauled at same time will last for years

 

[roadrash]

like biggs says you will lose originality , but should you choose to powdercoat , then i can reccomend stockport powder coaters , they bead blasted and stripped my frame,forks and mudguards,then powdercoated ,all for £55 , results can be seen here...

http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/restoration-twenty.148038/#post-2888250

 

[uphillstruggler]

+1 for restoring the bike.

Shop around on the costs and then make your decision. More images when you can would also be good.

 

[compo]

I wish I had restored my old Ridgeback rather than wasting my money on a new Trek. There's nothing actually wrong with the Trek but it just doesn't fit me like the Ridgeback did. If you have a comfortable bike that isn't in too poor condition think long and hard before getting rid, you may live to regret the decision. So, I am a +1 for restoration.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Restore.
I regretted not doing this to a much loved bike.

 

[Maxants33]

Many thanks for all the quality feedback. I'm much more inclined now to persevere with my ongoing restoration - especially if I can get powder coating for £50! My new skills at servicing the Sturmey Archer wont go to waste either!

Its a quality bike; it fits me perfectly and rides more comfortably than any other bike I've owned. As pointed out, spending £400 on a new bike is a bit of a gamble if it does not meet my expectations 100%; I expect I could really end up lamenting not restoring my Vindec.
Vindec Atlantics don't seem too common either, so all the more reason to have it restored. Even though the paint work is looking a little tired, I still get loads of compliments on it!

I'll post photos of this bike over the next few months, I've big plans, the body will still be bronze and I'll add the red stripes and decals myself. I'm also going to spray the front and back racks the same shade of cream as the seat, cables and handles, should be looking quite interesting! I do use the pannier racks a lot though, I was thinking of maybe making some kind of leather cover for the hook points to give the paint a little protection, anyone ever tried this?

I'll message you to ask a few questions, Roadrash. I'm really impressed by your BSA/Raleigh 20 job, and also very inspired! I'll keep my eyes peeled for it when I'm next cycling through Wigan.

 

[MarkF]

that looks splendid a respray will take all away all originality so be warned .

powder coating might be a cheaper and harder wearing alternative

Agree with both these points, I like it was it is. I had my lad's MTB blasted then powder coated, Kawasaki green frame with black forks, for £30!

 

[Maxants33]

like biggs says you will lose originality , but should you choose to powdercoat , then i can reccomend stockport powder coaters , they bead blasted and stripped my frame,forks and mudguards,then powdercoated ,all for £55 , results can be seen here...

http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/restoration-twenty.148038/#post-2888250

I cannot seem to message you roadrash, there is no option on my screen unfortunately. I was wondering about how you masked your bike before taking it to be powder coated?

I figured I could use duck tape, but I have access to lots of spare parts, should I put old screws in the rack threads, a dud bottom bracket in, a dud stem and dud seat post?

How does this sound to you?
Many thanks
Max

 

[roadrash]

you have pm

 

[Maxants33]

Hello,
If anyone is interested to see how this restoration develops, I've set up a thread here:
http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/vindec-atlantic-restoration-and-flare-uppage-project.158677/

It will hopefully develop fast (I move house soon!). Unfortunately it wont be a world class restoration, but it will be a 'bold' one I think...

Many thanks for the advice road rash!
Max

 

[SteCenturion]

Hello,
If anyone is interested to see how this restoration develops, I've set up a thread here:
http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/vindec-atlantic-restoration-and-flare-uppage-project.158677/

It will hopefully develop fast (I move house soon!). Unfortunately it wont be a world class restoration, but it will be a 'bold' one I think...

Many thanks for the advice road rash!
Max

Another +1 for the restoration, it's the bike you love & environmentally sound.

Out of interest, who is doing your resto in Bury ? I work there frequently & have heard of a guy that's supposed to be good, Boulevard/Atlantic Boulevard seems to ring a bell.

I might use him to strip down my frame & change parts etc.

 

[Maxants33]

Another +1 for the restoration, it's the bike you love & environmentally sound.

Out of interest, who is doing your resto in Bury ? I work there frequently & have heard of a guy that's supposed to be good, Boulevard/Atlantic Boulevard seems to ring a bell.

I might use him to strip down my frame & change parts etc.

I was going to use Atlantic boulevard, a friend of a friend got some work done there, I hear its to a very high standard, and they can replace ANY decal. However, £280 is too steep for me.
While it appears there are very few vindec atlantics around now, they don't seem to be particularly high end. I don't think I could spend that kind of money unless I really had a high end and rare prized bike.
So I've opted for powder coating, I'll add the decals and extra details myself. In total this paint work and detailing has cost me only £100 so far.