Bicycle Mechanics - How Do I Paint System-Sixes?

So I have a System-Six 4, '08 with the sneaking feeling it was the last one off the factor assembly line...It's headtube is upside down and when I ordered it I ordered out of pressure because the guy said there was only one left in my size.

Sorry, rambling. It's 8 AM.

I was wondering how one repaints one of these half carbon/half aluminum frames? Automotive paints? And if so, how much weight will you add paint it this way? (not a weight weenie, but just curious)

My bike is inundated with "Cannondale" and/or "System-Six"...It needs to go.

All black is what I want, with white old school roundish "cannondale" written on the top-tube, near the head-tube. Silver Thomson post/stem/risers..../drool.

P.S. dutret, stop following me. This is a forum, not a "lets find out and scrutinize someone else's intentions and actions" website.

nice blade runner pics
I am sorry I don't know the answer

are the decals stickers underneath the clearcoat?

it's gonna look stolen if you rattle can it black,,, just go get it professionally powder coated for about $150, I'd leave the carbon stays carbon though, just a thought

you can't powder coat carbon.
metals are fine, but the process of powder coating requires baking at high temperatures, around 390F/200C and the epoxy bonding the metal and CFRP, as well as the CFRP itself are suspect to failure.

you can't powder coat carbon.
metals are fine, but the process of powder coating requires baking at high temperatures, around 390F/200C and the epoxy bonding the metal and CFRP, as well as the CFRP itself are suspect to failure.

Exactly...

So do I need to go to an automotive paint place for a "liquid paint" job?

Pretty much.

Take it to a bike painter. You'll probably learn to love your bike just the way it is when you find out what it's going to cost.

I said powdercoat the aluminum and leave the carbon

Leave it as it is, that's an incredibly unique frame with that mistake. It's like a batch of stamps with the queens head printed upside down.

I said powdercoat the aluminum and leave the carbon

you mean saw the frame apart so you can bake the aluminum parts in the powdercoat oven?

why is everyone such an ******* on here, we all ride bikes.... right??

Buddha-

You can't powdercoat this frame. The heat from the oven is a no no on CF, and the frame can't come apart so you only bake the alu. See post #5. No one is being a*******.

why is everyone such an ******* on here, we all ride bikes.... right??

But some of us have a grounding in reality.

One thing to know and remember is that almost all manufacturers now will not honor the warrenty's on the frame if it has been painted. Some manufacturers will do a repaint for you and you keep the warrenty intact but I know cannondale does not.