Bicycle Mechanics - Stickers off Bike

Hi i have an upgraded Trek 4300 and i wanted to get the TREK and 4300 stickers off. I have heard that blowdrying it works? Anyone had sucess or a suggestion? Thanks

I'm not at all sure about that!

You first need to check where the labels are. On the 1980 Vélo Sport, the decals are above the paint and protective coat (which is not a clear coat BTW), so they are relatively easy to peel off with fingernails and patience.

The Trek 520 (year 2000), however, seems to have a base-coat clear-coat job, and most stickers are below the clear coat. Some of the "safety" stickers like "Wear your helmet at all times", "Avoid cycling at night -- Keep reflectors in running order" (but no word on lights, go figure...), etc. were applied after the clear coat, while others like "Trek 520" were under it.

It was easy to figure which stickers were above the clear coat, because they had clear edges. On the other hand, the "Trek 520" has NO edge at all. I was unsure of some stickers, like the "Made in U.S.A. flag", because there were hardly any edge, yet the texture felt different. I installed the base of my lock on top of it and I now know that the U.S. flag is applied over the top coat.

Regards,

If the decals are not underneath the topcoat, some acetone and elbow grease will take care of that.

Originally posted by B1105
Hi i have an upgraded Trek 4300 and i wanted to get the TREK and 4300 stickers off. I have heard that blowdrying it works? Anyone had sucess or a suggestion? Thanks

It's the same technique you use on car and motorcycle decals. Here is a link to a Web site that outlines the process. As others already noted, this only works if you decals are sitting on top of the clear coat or finish -- more common on Ti or Aluminum bikes than steel.

http://www.canadianrider.com/tech_removing_decals.htm

My wife tried to pull the decal off her TCR, she actually thought it was a peely protecting the decal. Anyway it pulled the clear part of the decal off and left the adhesive and printing on the bike. The printing was done on a clear sheet and applied print side down to keep it from getting scratched up.

As one who collects and restores old bicycles, I question the wisdom of removing the original decals, unless they are shot.

We were debating this yesterday. Doesn't the bike retain more value if it is all original? We have sent bikes off to Kellog and done paint ourselves and they look more desireable that way. I guess it is the difference between a collector and the guy who wants the bike he had in college.

I'm not a collector and I use my bikes until they are scrap (i.e. no resale concerns), but I see many pros and cons of removing decals.

1. Some decals are ugly, ludicrous (like the "do not ride at night" sticker) or insulting to my own sanity.

2. In some instances, decals are too numerous. Once the bike says "Made in U.S. A., I don't need a U.S. flag as well...

3. Some decals don't stand the test of time. Especially true for those installed on top of the clear coat. Once the "B_ke" has been locked 200 times, they don't look good.

4. Some older decals are decrepit. My Vélo Sport 1980 started to look awful, scratchy, and its decals had very few letters remaining. Bike looked really bad (put your own 4-letter word here). It turns out most of the damage was on the stickers and the paint, while not perfect, looks quite good. The almost nameless bike looks 10 years younger.

5. When you lock an "INdependant Fabrications" bike, you might wish it was nameless.

6. Whey you pay a few thousand dollars for a bike, don'T you wish it were to display your name!

mgagnonlv, decals to numerous. My old TCR Once frame had 38 Giant or Once logos.

Hmm thanks a lot, ill see what I can do and Ill call the Trek Dealer and ask

Hmm thanks a lot, ill see what I can do and Ill call the Trek Dealer and ask
That made me lol.