Here are before and after pictures of my refinished 1983 Bianchi Special that I bought new that year. It is my only bike, and I ride it about 4-5 days per week (60-75 miles). The frame, forks, handlebars, stem, seat post, brakes, brake levers, and shift levers are all original. Other items have been switched out over the years dues to normal wear and tear. The new finish is powder coat (Tiger Drylac RAL 6027), selected to match Bianchi’s signature Celeste color. I obtained the decals online. I fully recognize that this project makes no financial sense, but the old girl has been with me since before I married my wife, and she means a lot to me. I bought her in Denver, Colorada.
by Tex_True_Crime_Nut
2 Comments
Looks sweet. It sounds like you ride enough to get some age in to the decals, they’re so crisp now!
Looks amazing, and super cool story! I noticed you painted over the “chrome” dropouts. What did you do to prep that? I’m working on a 1970s Raleigh and the chrome on yhe dropouts is peeling/badly pitted and to me looks like a film rather than true chrome. I’m not sure whether I will paint over it or not. Curious how that went for you.