The red-rust color bikes are closer to my original question, than the prior post of nice banana bikes (shiny new paint).
The question about an unoriginal color is kind of like the same question that I have and often have; some of my bike projects would look nice in black, but how many black bicycles might get a bit boring— although black does go with everything.
(Not sure if I can say the same thing about rust; not sure if giving it time to grow on me, that I would like it— someday?).
A separate question might be glossy black paint versus semi-gloss black; always leaning toward semi-gloss, maybe to help hide imperfections, or just to avoid waxing(?). (The higher-gloss might look best with some expensive decals).
Like I and a lot of folks before me said, it all comes down to personal preference.
I don't have a huge collection, less than 20 personal project bikes in total, so I want each bike to be as unique as possible. That means I want to avoid using the same bike frame, paint color, and build style as much as possible. I want to have at least one of every color bike if possible. I don't have a finished black bike yet, so this Schwinn would be be a solid candidate for gloss or satin black.
My best advice regarding the original question (aside from what's already been said,) is to figure out what you want to do with the bike, and to figure out the pros and cons to repainting a bike with (some of) the original paint. Here are some questions I tend to ask myself before I repaint a bike:
1. Is the original paint in decent condition? (color still showing well, rust/scratches don't take away from the look, etc.)
2. Do I like the original paint? (Do I like the color? Do I like the graphics, if any are present? Do I like the condition/patina of the paint? Could I see myself riding a bike that looks like this?)
3. How old/rare/valuable is the bike in untouched original condition? (This is usually the question that halts any plans to repaint a bike, at least for me. Most of the bikes I have aren't super old or valuable, are fairly common, and/or have either been painted over or lost most of their paint. In cases like these, I just paint the bike the way I want. But as for the Schwinn straight bar I shared earlier, while that style of bike is fairly common, it's also one of the oldest in my collection, and probably one of the most valuable. I've seen just the frame, in worse condition than mine, go for around $200+ online. So, with that knowledge in mind, I'm not sure I want to modify such an old, untouched and fairly valuable bike when I'd feel much better selling it to/trading it with someone who'll appreciate it the way it is more than I will. I'd rather modify a bike that has either been repainted or modified in a way that doesn't make me feel guilty about doing what I want with it. Which leads me to the next question...)
4. How easy is it for me to find another bike like this? (Are there any bicycle swap meets near my area? If so, how soon and how often do they occur? How often does this sort of bike come up on Craigslist, eBay, Facebook Marketplace or even OfferUp? How much do these bikes typically sell for? Can I trade the bike I'm hesitant to paint for an identical one that I'd feel comfortable painting my own way? Would a replacement bike cost more than what I paid for the one I have? If you can't find a bike similar to the one you have, it might just be best to go ahead and build your bike the way you want.)
As for the black gloss/semi-gloss paint, maybe it all comes down to whether you want decals or not. If you decide to paint your bike, maybe you can spray your parts with some cheap spray paint from Wal-Mart, just to see how it looks. That's what I did with one of my bikes when I was trying to decide whether I wanted full or bobbed fenders but couldn't decide because all the parts were different colors.
I hope this helps you.
