Bikes you painted yourself
02-17-20, 01:17 PM
#26
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I neither have the skills nor the patience. 
But that never stopped me.
This was a €5 frame with the right measurements that I'd had in my attic for a long time. The first build provided a comfortable fit and rode very nicely, but was otherwise uninspiring. So I DIY'ed it into a light tourer:
For the 2018 Clunker 100 Challenge I'd found a rundown bike for about $30. A rattle can, some consumables and lots of elbow grease later the total sunk costs were $95:
I'd found a very nice French bike for mrs non-fixie, but it had been rebranded and the color was very "meh". A hearing aid beige Altra wasn't going to impress anyone at L'Eroica, so I ordered paint and decals and got it into Méral shape.
My favorite paint job, however, was also the smallest one. I'd found a Mann-Libertas that I really liked but was let down by a mismatched fork and some unfortunate build choices (zip ties?). I found a can of matching paint and brushed it on to match the patina. Gold lug lining, replacing the cheap-looking black, brought it all together.
But that never stopped me.
This was a €5 frame with the right measurements that I'd had in my attic for a long time. The first build provided a comfortable fit and rode very nicely, but was otherwise uninspiring. So I DIY'ed it into a light tourer:
For the 2018 Clunker 100 Challenge I'd found a rundown bike for about $30. A rattle can, some consumables and lots of elbow grease later the total sunk costs were $95:
I'd found a very nice French bike for mrs non-fixie, but it had been rebranded and the color was very "meh". A hearing aid beige Altra wasn't going to impress anyone at L'Eroica, so I ordered paint and decals and got it into Méral shape.
My favorite paint job, however, was also the smallest one. I'd found a Mann-Libertas that I really liked but was let down by a mismatched fork and some unfortunate build choices (zip ties?). I found a can of matching paint and brushed it on to match the patina. Gold lug lining, replacing the cheap-looking black, brought it all together.
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02-17-20, 04:12 PM
#27
If I own it, I ride it
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Last edited by CV-6; 01-25-22 at 09:55 PM.
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02-17-20, 07:04 PM
#28
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02-17-20, 07:44 PM
#29
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Nice colours. Here's a Lejeune frame with a Mercier fork. The frame was bought with the fork, painted by someone else and labeled as a Mercier, but underneath the newer paint were the old Lejeune decals. Still says Mercier but that's my doing now.
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02-17-20, 09:18 PM
#30
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02-17-20, 09:37 PM
#31
If I own it, I ride it
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That's kind of funny. My frame is actually a Bernard Carré frame that I chose to finish as a Lejeune. And yours appears to be a Lejeune from BC's shop.
02-17-20, 09:37 PM
#32
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Wow, some very talented painters out there producing good results. I love to see what others have created.
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02-17-20, 10:08 PM
#33
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Nothing fancy, but I'm pretty proud of this job since it's just black rattle can with a clear coat. Lots of coats and lots of sanding went into this to get it uniform.
It is a Reynolds 853 1999 Schwinn Peloton. It used to be hot wheels blue, which is not my style at all. It has black hoods now and gets way more compliments/questions now than when it was stock color. Looks more like the Circuit in that line up.
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02-17-20, 11:42 PM
#34
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John Deere Blitz Black satin/matte black with Velocals decals afterwards. Aerosol/rattle can primer'ed and painted. Good times, GREAT bike.
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02-17-20, 11:59 PM
#35
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Very strong first pix!
Wonderful job!
Wonderful job!
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If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
02-18-20, 12:00 AM
#36
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I’ve seen it in person, it’s real, and it’s spectacular.
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If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
02-18-20, 01:49 AM
#37
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I remember this one!! You even made special inserts for the shoulders of the fork crown! I remember being bowled over by this one and it's remained a favorite. Thanks for posting because we've not seen it in a long, long time
The TT bike is cool, too, and looks to have a flawless paint job as well, but, well, you know how it is with your first love..
Might I ask you to add a pic of the Fountain's fork inserts? Thanks, Gary!
DD
The TT bike is cool, too, and looks to have a flawless paint job as well, but, well, you know how it is with your first love..
Might I ask you to add a pic of the Fountain's fork inserts? Thanks, Gary!
DD
02-18-20, 04:23 AM
#38
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I remember this one!! You even made special inserts for the shoulders of the fork crown! I remember being bowled over by this one and it's remained a favorite. Thanks for posting because we've not seen it in a long, long time
The TT bike is cool, too, and looks to have a flawless paint job as well, but, well, you know how it is with your first love..
Might I ask you to add a pic of the Fountain's fork inserts? Thanks, Gary!
DD
The TT bike is cool, too, and looks to have a flawless paint job as well, but, well, you know how it is with your first love..
Might I ask you to add a pic of the Fountain's fork inserts? Thanks, Gary!
DD
02-18-20, 05:08 AM
#39
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I remember this one!! You even made special inserts for the shoulders of the fork crown! I remember being bowled over by this one and it's remained a favorite. Thanks for posting because we've not seen it in a long, long time
The TT bike is cool, too, and looks to have a flawless paint job as well, but, well, you know how it is with your first love..
Might I ask you to add a pic of the Fountain's fork inserts? Thanks, Gary!
DD
The TT bike is cool, too, and looks to have a flawless paint job as well, but, well, you know how it is with your first love..
Might I ask you to add a pic of the Fountain's fork inserts? Thanks, Gary!
DD
I also wanted a pretty much complete 1978 bike with a 1978 Nuovo Record, 'Portacatena' groupset (except the 1st gen. SR seatpost) on a 1978 frame. I used a Columbus SL frame decal to make it look period correct even though it's really 1981 Columbus SLX. The frame, along with the Campy gruppo reflects 1978. Haha, haha, no one will ever know.
I based the paint scheme on an English Bob Jackson frame I admired. The paint job is pretty good but the lug lining paint I used did react with the other frame paint. At least I painted the lug lining evenly and it looks okay. I should fix it one day.
FOOTNOTE: Oh yeah DD, my favourite re-finished frame/bike is your raw tubed Colnago. This bike of yours really captured my imagination and I was blown away by your planning and execution. What a great bike and a real tribute to frame building.
Last edited by Gary Fountain; 02-18-20 at 05:43 AM.
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02-18-20, 05:21 AM
#40
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From memory, I think I painted 3 coats of each colour and 3 layers of clear - with the decals under the clear coat.
I cut and filed the head tube "F" decal out of a light mild steel sheet, shaped it and silver soldered it to the head tube.
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02-18-20, 05:56 AM
#41
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Hi jdawginsc, I tried to use airbrushing 'frisk' paper to cover areas of the frame I didn't want to paint but this was unsuccessful due to the higher spray pressures used with a gun suitable for vehicle painting. The frisk paper just blew off. I reverted to a low tack masking tape and carefully spent the time trimming the tape to shape with a scalpel. Time consuming but anyone can do it.
From memory, I think I painted 3 coats of each colour and 3 layers of clear - with the decals under the clear coat.
I cut and filed the head tube "F" decal out of a light mild steel sheet, shaped it and silver soldered it to the head tube.
From memory, I think I painted 3 coats of each colour and 3 layers of clear - with the decals under the clear coat.
I cut and filed the head tube "F" decal out of a light mild steel sheet, shaped it and silver soldered it to the head tube.
02-18-20, 06:05 AM
#42
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Oh yeah, for all the frames I have painted, I did remove all old paint with a blow torch as this is the best way of removing the old finish. Then an etch primer undercoat. That doesn't say that a careful wet and dry sand is an inferior starting point for a respray.
Last edited by Gary Fountain; 02-18-20 at 06:10 AM.
02-18-20, 06:22 AM
#43
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I think someone played with that frame - it has both an under-chainstay stop for a gear cable and a top-of-the stay stop and loop on the seatstay just above the dropout.
02-18-20, 07:15 AM
#44
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Stripped the old paint, taped the decals and went at it.
02-18-20, 07:16 AM
#45
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The old rattle can paint job can look pretty good. I'd suggest an undercoat first (although you probably know this). Best of luck.
Oh yeah, for all the frames I have painted, I did remove all old paint with a blow torch as this is the best way of removing the old finish. Then an etch primer undercoat. That doesn't say that a careful wet and dry sand is an inferior starting point for a respray.
Oh yeah, for all the frames I have painted, I did remove all old paint with a blow torch as this is the best way of removing the old finish. Then an etch primer undercoat. That doesn't say that a careful wet and dry sand is an inferior starting point for a respray.
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02-18-20, 11:29 AM
#48
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And it wouldn't have been able to get to paint nor assembly without your repairs! I am looking to add some black PDW Road Plus fenders (30mm coverage) soon. They fit inside the front fork and their curve matches the brake calipers' inner curve.Black fenders let the tan walls have the visual lead while blending in to the overall composition. I've tried chrome fenders and tan wall tires (at this diameter), and it doesn't work on this bike.
02-18-20, 01:48 PM
#50
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Not all of us. Mine doesn't look great. It works, mostly, and that's all I can say.
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
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“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
