Here is the argument against keeping these old bikes totally original. It's a Centurian Dave Scott Ironman Expert. This bike cries out for powder coating!
I am a big fan of 80's steel framed bikes but i don't think I could deal with this. If you are reading this and you're the owner of this bike I don't mean to insult you but it is really ugly.
Update: I just read this on Sheldon Brown's site:
Today, some view with shock and horror the pink/purple and pink/yellow two-tone color schemes of 1986-87 but these combinations were the rage at the time. There are often pristine examples of Centurion models with these color schemes (mostly the Ironman Master and Ironman Expert models) appearing on eBay and they often fetch less than similar models with more subdued colors.
Back in the day, these pink and pastel color schemes were attributed to the pervasive image of the TV show "Miami Vice." -- Sheldon Brown
I had an ugly lilac purple Huffy 10 speed that I decided to spray paint black when I was 9 or 10. I guess some 9 year old girls just want to look tough, and some Ironmen are just bad-asses regardless.
ReplyDeleteBlack spray paint would definitely help this bike.
ReplyDeleteBack in the mid 80's when I used to do triathlons, pink and yellow were the rage. That bike was what us Dave Scott wannabees thought would make us hot. Fortunately, I was poor enough that all I could afford was my grey Trek 500, which I rode today! Bright red and yellow was another popular paint scheme. I agree with you - a good rattle can black is what that baby needs!
ReplyDeleteInteresting contrast. The lovely form of the bicycle against the painful choice of colors. I love it and hate it at the same time. Let's just say that it has potential...
ReplyDeletePush up your jacket sleeves, grow three days of stubble and getcherself a pet alligator named Elvis. Then, call up Jan Hammer and go for a ride!
ReplyDeleteYou forgot about the white loafers without socks.
ReplyDeleteI saw the same bike on CL yesterday and was lusting after it, paint scheme notwhithstanding.
ReplyDeleteDoohickie-It's probably a great handling bike, loved by the people who own them (probably circus clowns). I'm commenting on the aesthetics which whether most of us admit to it or not plays a role in the bikes we choose. If the bike were all pink or all yellow I could deal with it. The combination of the two colors is the visual equivalent of scratching your nails on a chalkboard.
ReplyDeleteI own an identical Ironman, though mine has a suede white Vetta. It doesn't offend me that you find this ugly, but I do enjoy when colors ignite opinion. The green in the photo up top really doesn't contrast well with the blue of the sky...
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