A vintage bike is only truly original once so it’s always worth trying to sympathetically maintain and renovate the frame’s original paintwork while enjoying its well-earned patina. When this aged factory finish looks tired it can be revived with the careful application of various oils, waxes & polishing products – this ‘oily rag’ method gives a beautiful and authentic distressed look….
Sometimes however – when corrosion has gone unchecked for example – a new finish may be the best option and Dead Rats Cycles can disassemble your bike, prepare its frame for new paintwork and reassemble it for you afterwards. Preparation is the key before and after new finishes (such as respray, powdercoat, stove enamel, chromeplating, anodizing) are applied by our skilled partners.
All alignment is checked and adjusted, then frames are thoroughly ‘dressed’ by hand so rough edges and scratches are improved, lugs appear sharper and cable stops, drop-outs and seat tube clamps are corrected. At this stage, other modifications – such as adjusting rear spacing or removing unwanted braze-ons – are also viable.
Dead Rats Cycles can also ease the rebuild process by re-tapping threads and re-fitting your bottom bracket & headset, or if you prefer we can completely rebuild the bike to whichever stage/standard you desire, from rolling chassis to showroom condition. Sourcing new decals and re-fitting headbadges is another finishing touch the workshop can assist you with.
