Spray.bike?
 

Has anyone here used Spray.bike products? Good, bad or ugly experiences?
Thx

I reviewed all the info I could find a while ago including their tech articles.
on a carbon frame where a matt finish is desired, ok.
on a lugged steel frame where an initial primer / sealer would be best, I am concerned.
the toughness and long term durability is undetermined. Not stated effectively is the temp and humidity range the coating performs best in. Notice I wrote coating, not paint.

Never used it. It looks nice in a photo with talented users, though photos of anything from a distance always look better than real life.

From my extensive research last year prior to painting a couple bikes..it looks good in the short term and is easy to use. If you want high gloss..you won't get it. Long term, with normal bike use,...meh...as far as durability.

For $8 more a can, with no shipping, you can use custom-filled rattle can auto paints and two-part clears**. Clears can be matte to super high gloss. Colors..probably a thousand or more to choose from, from solid base coats to metallics to pearls to candies (look at any can anywhere..the paint is available). I figured, as long as I'm going through the time and effort to paint a bike..might as well take a long-term approach and get the best appearance too.

Search for a local auto parts store that supplies local painters with paint. They can mix up and load rattle cans in a few minutes.

**Auto paints are really easy to use and are very fast to work with, but you do need a good respirator when spraying..less than $50.

agreed. I'm a pro painter so I don't have to resort to rattle cans. My suggestion is to use a Spray.Max rattle can loaded with House of Kolor primer 1st. They come in colors. Sand the primer with 600 grit wet dry. Spray with Spray.bike with the color of your choice. Then spray with a urethane enamel clear. Spray.max has one in a can already. With this system you will get durability because of the primer and top coat. With SprayMax cans you have to hit a button on the bottom of the can to mix the activator into the paint. Then you have only a certain amount of time before it will harden in the can like epoxy.

I painted a mountain bike frame during lockdown. I was painting over an existing factory paint job. I did a lot of sanding prep, followed the spray.bike instructions, and took my time. I was happy with the result. Agreed with the above comment that it's not a very glossy finish. It's more of a powder. I used one of their sparkle clear coats as the final coat, which was fun. It added some glossiness. Those cool colors and finishes, ease of use and bike specificness are their selling point. It sounds like you can get a more traditional finish using the automotive options above.

As far as durability, I can't really tell you. Hazetguy's post above should have more info about that. So far it's held up well, but this was a bike for the girlfriend that doesn't get a ton of miles, bike rack parking, or other things that are hard on finishes.

I have painted 3 bikes with spray.bike products.

- the fluro colors are 'hairy' and easily messed up.
- prep is 90% of the process.
- compact the paint with a cloth or paper towel as instructed. It smooths everything out.
- durability has been fantastic. It doesn't chip easily when applied properly.
- it will not sit as smoothly as wet paint. Just don't hope for that.

Im planning on using a cold galvanizing zinc paint before a primer. Can I then use the SprayMax HoK primer on top of that before the top coat?

having seen at least 100 spray.bike threads over the years, the majority of opinions are negative. most say the paint doesn't come out of the cans in an even flow, so it's very difficult to get good results. the other common complaint is that the paint doesn't dry smooth but rather has a dull texture to it.

i would avoid and stick to automotive paint. i like Duplicolor.