1990 Cannondale, patina or powder?

[Lucian]

This is my 1990 Cannondale SM400, bought new from Ghyllside cycles in Ambleside by myself. I had been lusting after a Dale ever since I first saw one, it was just that the price equated to a hell of a lot of pocket money and paper rounds! At the time I was riding a Diamond Back Apex finished in the smoke paint scheme (wish I still had that one). The guys at Ghyllside told me that the frames on the Cannondale's were all the same at the time, it was just the components that were different. That was the point when I formed the plan to buy a base model SM400 and swap all of the Deore components from the Apex, the bike then continued to evolve as my budget expanded and parts became available.

I have ridden my Dale across all far flung areas of the British Isles and she has the battle scars to go with the miles, I retired her six years ago when I bought a Scott Genius 40. Now I thought it was about time to get the Dale back on the road, so a bit of stripping, cleaning and rebuilding later here she is.

My question is, do I strip the frame back and powder coat with new graphics or keep the history, battle scars and patina it has now? I just can't seem to decide, any ideas people?

Frame: 1990 Cannondale SM400 3.0 series

Fork: Pace RC 36 Evo

Headset: Shimano 105 with Gorilla head lock
Stem: Syncros Cattleprod
Handlebar: Fred Salmon alloy
Grips: Yeti

Brakes: Magura John Tomac signature all round

Shifters: Deore II thumb shifters
Front Derailleur: Suntour XCM
Rear Derailleur: Deore II
Derailleur Cables: Shimano
Cassette: Shimano 105 7 speed
Chain: Shimano
Cranks: Cook Bros RSR
Crank Bolts: Std
Chainrings: Middleburn 26/36/46
Chainring bolts: std
Bottom Bracket: Deore II
Pedals: Shimano Deore comp

Hub Skewers: Hope
Rims: Mavic Crossride, yellow hubs, centre pull spokes 24 hole front and 28 spoke two cross rear.
Hubs: as above
Tyres: Tioga City Slicker 1.5"
Tubes: Specialized

Saddle: Scott
Seatpost: Kooka
Seatpost Bolt: Hope Titanium
Bottle holders: 2x Specialized composite

Weight: 25lb 2oz

 

[addicted]

I would say powder since it's not all original parts. I love the look of the old Cdales fat tubes.

 

[Lucian]

I agree, the fat tubes were pretty unusual at the time and made them stand out from the crowd. One vote for the powder then.

 

[zetecmk2]

patina........she's still in use. you'll only get upset when that fitst scratch/chip/dent happens! get her refinished when you retire her! it's the law!!!

 

[aardvarkash10]

Re:

patina. Use it. Mine is VERY similar except I destroyed the PACE fork in a huge endo a couple of years back... Love maggies on old skool rides too!

 

[revok]

I'd say leave it as it is. It's not tatty enough to warrant a strip and recoat. I like the used but not too abused look.

 

[Ollie]

It looks nice as it it, leave it .

 

[firedfromthecircus]

If you are in two minds then the answer is to leave as is.

If you ever completely decide to get the frame refinished and you are certain then go for it, but once the original finish is gone, it's gone forever!

 

[24pouces]

Re:

Keep the patina and its history
On other hand, you are not sure to find original decals.

I have stripped my SE Cannondale because I was boring about the neon green swingarm. Some years later I was missing the funny original colors, and it was the hell to respray it in original neon color : rare and expensive !

 

[ez054098]

Re:

Mine is an emotional response because I had a SM400 BITD. My buddy and I drove to Las Vegas to pick them up. I got the red version and my buddy got the black one, like yours. I would love to have that bike back. I eventually returned it to Cannondale (they had a program where you could turn your old frame in and get a replacement for a small fee) for a replacement frame, a 20 inch painted white with black decals for my girlfriend at the time.

So I say leave it. Do you have any closeup pictures?