is it possible to paint chrome handlebars? what paint would work for painting them. my bikes all black with chrome bars and chrome crank. looks kinda dumb lol.id like to have it all black if its possible? thx

You will want to scuff up the bars so the paint sticks better. Use an abrasive sand paper or a wire wheel on a drill.

Then you apply paint, let it dry, reapply, let it dry, clear coat, let it dry. It should be no less than 24 hours before you touch them again.

For your cranks - forget about it. Your feet constantly rub against the cranks and will wear through spray paint really, really quick. You can try, but I would expect the paint to rub off within a week.

thanks, but wont my bars look all scratched up? is there no paint that will just stick 2 chrome?

first make sure all the chrome is dull(by sanding like bmxtrix said) then make sure you use a primer!! this will always help and never(that i have seen) hurt. and about the cranks, Fuggedaboutit!

just exactly what the other two said

Or, buy a black bar from your lbs or Perf or Nashbar. For an extra $10, you'll get a bar that won't scratch or look like dookie. Seriously, handlebars are cheap.

yea, my bars are worth a lot tho. i got them last year for like 200 canadian. i kept breaking my 2 piece bars so i spent all my money on a quality 4 piece bar. i dont wanna get a new bar till these break. thats why i wanted 2 paint them. ill check around to find some good paint then ill sand it atempt it on the end of my bar. if it works ill do it to the rest. thanks for the help guys

Chrome bars are too gangster for you, I take it? Hell, I'll probably be rockin' some chrome Slams once my Solids die out on me.

Chrome IS the new black.

No, you're thinking of girl's pants.

ok, first of all, apply primer (duh) not just a whole bunch of layers of paint, second, use like rubbing alchohol and a washcloth to make sure like no oils are left on the bars, cuz if there is, itll turn out bad. sand paper yeah, and u can use super fine sand paper to even out the primer after it dries, cuz sometimes itll leave little bumps, and i painted my cranks with normal spray paint adn primer, and it still hasnt come off, at all! but then again, if you ride with your feet close to them, then itll probably wear out, but if you really want to paint them, just space your feet a little farther away from the cranks.

you cant just dull chrome, it has to be completely, 100% off the bars. I suggest a sand blaster, found at autobody shops. (my dad is an autobody painter) then you need the primer like edmej123 said, thats a must. primer fills in any scratches and makes the paint look smooth. You then need to apply the paint. (The only kind of paint i'd use is enamyl or another paint used on cars.) if you can find a decent paint without hitting the autobody shop and buying an aircompressed spray gun go for it. but u will also need a clear coat to keep the paint safe and/or giving it a glossy appearence.

You do not have to remove chrome. You have to scratch it so that paint will stick to the metal. This has been proven time and time again. Removing chrome is preferable, but not everyone has access to a sandblaster which really is what is required to remove the chrome.

Then primer, then paint, then top coat - let dry, blah-blah-blah.

BEST WAY: Take them to a custom motorcycle shop and have them sent out to be powder coated. You can do your cranks and your bars in powder coat and that stuff will never come off.

yeah the chrome doesnt have to be off, but scratching it does work. I mentioned that in a post before and somebody said scratching it doesnt help. but oh well. yeah, i painted my forks and bars (almost typed bras) and the forks are still perfectly good. the bars are messed up cuz i always drop my bike, but yeah. if you scratch the paint off at any time, just paint over it. i did that with my forks and my bars and the paint seems to stick more after you paint over it.