Captain Jonny is back with another amazing featured bicycle. This Pinarello Montello might be one of his most stunning restorations, bringing back a bike to its original beauty. The bike didn't last long, as it's now on its way to a new owner via eBay. The purchase helps support a few dozen bike donations. Read on to see all the steps Jonny took in restoring this bike.
Founded by racer and frame builder Giovani Pinarello, Pinarello has built some of the fastest and most beautiful bicycles in the world.
The current example showed up at the Bike Exchange in a sorry state, frame and fork stripped of all hardware and covered in black paint, probably used as an anti-theft device by the previous owner who obviously knew the true value of his ride.
I carefully stripped the outer coating, to reveal a “Spumoni” paint job that while originally stunning, was by this point not worth saving.
I used a chemical stripper to reveal an all-chrome frame that was in almost perfect condition.
I searched the internet for possible paint schemes. Ultimately, I picked Sunrise Red as a good match for one of the original color options. Hey, it is Italian!
With a bike of this caliber, only the best would do so I took special care with the painting. I sanded the painted areas of the chrome frame with 1000 grit to give the metal some tooth then a two-part primer was applied. I followed this with standard primer, Sunrise Red acrylic enamel, decals, and finished off with a two-part catalyzed clear.
Hardware on these bikes varies greatly as they are often finished to the owner’s preference. For this build, I curated a mix of high-end Italian bits including a Cinelli stem and bars, Campagnolo cranks, derailleurs, shifters, brakes, and hubs.
The 700c rims look nice with 28mm tan wall Michelin tires An aero seat post and Gieppeme pedals completes the group.
