Bicycle Mechanics - Custom frame paint project help.

Hello,

I have a Trek fx 7.2 and the color is grey/silver. I want to repaint the frame with custom colors and so far from research I gathered that I need to strip the bike down to the frame, clean and sand it. Apply primer and spray paint.

As a note, I have no experience in maintenance and tuning up my bike nor painted before. But I am a fast learner.

I have a few questions I need help on:

1) What is the best brand paint to use that will give it a nice glossy sleep finish.

2) I want to have 2-3 different colors on it and give it a sharp look, I want to paint it similar to this : http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCProduct.jsp?spid=60781&scid=1001&scname=Road . My question is whats the best way to go about this? I was thinking of getting painters tape ( the blue kind ) and taping off the parts I want painted, but that might not yield perfect curves for the design. Anyone got any tricks and tips?

3) I got my bike tuned up a few months ago, when I dissemble the bike will it be easy to reassemble the bike without much fine tuning? What are some parts on the bike I should pay special attention and make note of when I take it apart to allow me to reassemble without much hassle.

Best: send the frame to a Pro bike painting specialist, the best paints don't come in spray cans.


will it be easy to reassemble the bike without much fine tuning?

Maybe, but that is if there is experience, building up bikes from scratch in your background.
if that were true, you wouldn't need to ask..

Simple answer to #3 is no, it won't be easy or straightforward if you don't have the knowledge or tools. As fietsbob said, it easy for someone who doesn't have to ask but that's not you.

As a note, I have no experience in maintenance and tuning up my bike nor painted before. But I am a fast learner.

Before you start taking your bike apart, try looking around for some other things to paint. When you learned math you didn't start with algebra. Painting a bicycle with multiple colors is algebra. Get yourself some practice and experience. You'll greatly improve your odds of being satisfied with the result.

Before you start taking your bike apart, try looking around for some other things to paint. When you learned math you didn't start with algebra. Painting a bicycle with multiple colors is algebra. Get yourself some practice and experience. You'll greatly improve your odds of being satisfied with the result.
Equally, building up a frame from a box of parts is also equivalent to algebra. Get a junk bike and practice on it also. By the time you are done you should be an acomplished painter and a competent mechanic.

I do some painting (personal stuff, nothing yet for friends) and u cant paint with rustoleum spray can from home depot for example, not for a bike at all.

The design u want is not hard to do but be sure to use frogtape masking tape because is thinner than the regular blue one and it wont crack the paint when u are taking it out.

As for paint use car polyurethane paint, is the only one that will stand fine for years, use the clear coat that match the paint, if you use rattle can rustoleoum or lacquer it will burn the car paint big time and u have to start all over again.

I believe that bike you have is made of aluminum, u need a special primer for that, regular car primer wont stick to it from what I know and for some reason there is aluminum surfaces primer. I believe has an special acid that etches the surface to take the paint rightly.

Good luck.