Ok, this is during. On the Sunday after I picked up the bike, I completely tore it down to the frame. That's the only way to be sure of the bike's condition. As you can see, there was quite a bit of ugly light blue touchup paint on the top tube and the chainstays. There was also quite a bit of rust in those areas, but the downtube, seat tube, seat stays and fork looked pretty good considering its age. Anyway, the paint was complete and durable in those areas.
Stripping the old touchup paint and the underlying rust was quite a chore that took me the better part of a week's worth of evenings. Finally by the following Saturday I was ready for paint. Several coats of primer and two coats of paint later I had a presentable frame, and more importantly, a frame that was somewhat protected. I know that I still have a choice to make: whether to completely strip and repaint the entire frame, or watch it deteriorate. I'll postpone that decision until after this riding season.
Well, here she is after building her back up today. I cleaned all the parts, checked all the bearings, lubed and adjusted everything of course. All the bearings look brand new except for the headset. It's not damaged in any way, and is probably servicable for a while, but I can just detect some brindling in the lower race, and it feels a little notchy.
I replaced the tires, tubes and rim tape, all the cables, the saddle, bar tape, and added a rack, a bottle holder, and a pump. Still got a few things to add like a computer, some reflectors and lights, and maybe new pedals. But the main thing is for me to get it out and ride it!
