The Mooney's getting spiffed!  Right now the diamond is at Ticycles for a 3rd set of WB bosses and have the RD cable housing guide rotated from the chainstay side to underneath.   (I hit it with the Pedros Trixie fix gear wrench when I flip the wheel unless I pay close attention.)  I've talked to both Peter re: decals and Ben (?) at Black Magic Paint who I am going to see tomorrow with the fork to pick a color and get in line.

Well, I looked at Peter's photos.   (Nice work!)  I'm almost certainly going the gold outlined black PETER MOONEY lettering.  Thinking of adding his wings just below where a 531 sticker would be on the seattube (to stay well clear of the pump).  "Pete", the bike's name, in black script on the TT forward right.

That leaves one issue if I ever go back to derailleurs.  I love the SunTour DT shifters that came out in the early '80s that sat in the top-mounted box.  Both the auto-correct ones (ingenius and wonderful to use) and the Superbes that are just traditional shifters; as good as any ever made and that wonderful access.  (Plus both are knee-knock free!  I have vivid memories of climbing hills like Boston's Summit Road in my 13-19 FW and knocking the chain onto the 13.)

But ... this bike has the then, fairly new under the BB cable guides.  Cables run from the top-box shifters to underneath guides drag on the paint and decals.  For the past 35 years I've had a turks head knot like we made in camp between the WB bosses to hold the cable off the paint.  Micky-mouse but it works superbly.  I could do it again.  Second but ... this is the nicest craftsmanship anything I've ever owned. This bike has seen me through the hardest years of my life, been my link to sanity.  I've spent 50,000 miles and a lot of hours in its saddle.  It has done this on a real budget.  The cost of the frame to me was about 1/7th of what it would cost now.  The beautiful Ed Litton paint job I'm replacing a smaller fraction.  (Single color, no clear coat.  OMG has it held up well!)

So I've been toying with splurging.  Clearcoat - a given.  Black or gold pin stripes for head and seat lugs?  And I just had an idea - how 'bout a metal wrap in copper (brass or bronze) or gold (!!) around the DT between the WB bosses so if I ever go back to derailleurs that's done. No more turks head, just a neat band standing out from the paint.  Put a nice round on the corners and it will look like a man's wedding ring.  Yes, cables will scratch it but they will also draw the eye away.  If they come off, the scratches will buff out easier than titanium.

Another approach would be to use a velodrome style TT protector if I can get around the DT being bigger diameter but that has little class. Yes, cheap like the bike has seen so much of but no.