1990/91 Marin palisades

[Cbrown75]

Evening guys , new to the group so stick with me . Just picked up this bike today and was wondering if anybody had any thoughts on restoration. The bike is completely original and in good working order but obviously has surface rust . How easy are replacement decals to find and getting the zolatone paint effect?
Thanks

 

[marc two tone]

Hey, nice bike.

Squint a bit and you are back in the 90's.

Zolatone has no real background for ingredients. Decals, you may get from some of the recommended guys on here.
For me, give it a strip down and good clean. Zolatone is tough and porous, use a light scourer and mild soap. It takes a while to dry but you may be surprised with the results. New decals will find it hard to adhere to Zolatone's texture.
As for complete repaint....ive seen some good examples but, never a bang on result. Keep as it and work with what you have.
Focus on the mechanics for now, especially bottom bracket, it's original you will have a challenge, but glad when its out.

 

[Cbrown75]

Thanks for advice, think I will keep to cleaning as much as possible and go from there

 

[Gtpulse]

While I’m not buying any more bikes, I’ve been looking out for a Zolatone/Fluoro Marin! Yours is about as bright and unfaded as I’ve seen, it’s kept it’s colour really well.

I’ve had some success with a magic eraser sponge and water on Zolatone in the past. It’s probably best to start as gentle as possible and work your way through to tougher methods though as Marc two tone has already said it’s a pretty tough finish. You’ll be surprised how much surface rust will come off.

Will watch with interest.

 

[Cbrown75]

It’s hard to not want it immaculate as I remember these bikes from back in the day , I ts a one owner bike with all original (including tyres) so should be happy with that really! But will definitely try the sponge and water thanks

 

[hamster]

Well, that's in total timewarp condition! Making it look like new will ruin it in my view. Give it a thorough clean and enjoy. They ride extraordinarily well, but I am biased as I have one which I bought in 1991. It's now a drop bar tourer, but has been ridden on four continents.

Ritchey foam grips are a good replacement for the original ones.