Reflective Paint?
 

Has anyone here ever tried to use reflective paint on a bike frame before. I was thinking of the stuff they use for traffic lines. I guess it consists of paint with micro glass beads suspended in the paint. I found a link for a source for the glass beads. I was not sure if anyone had ever tried it before, or if you knew of another source for the beads. It sounds like it may make a pretty ugly paint job, but it may be a safer one.

http://www.get2buynow.com/workshop/r...fetysigns.html

Thanks

cool idea. it might not be fun to come down on your top tube after this was applied though. you might just want to put this on selected parts of your frame. I think it's worth a try. my .02 cents.

:beer:
CD

That was my thought too. I do not think that the beads would be sharp, but they may be abrasive. I was thinking you could paint everything but the top tube, or everything but the front triangle, just to leave a comfortable hand hold for portages, or in incidental rub against the frame. I have an old frame I may try it on, but right now it is way too cold here (New Hampshire)to think about painting anything. I may try it in the spring. I'll let you and the rest of the forum know how it works out.

3M makes a reflective paint, too - technology very much like illuminite stuff, in that it looks normal until direct light hits it. I don't know where to get it, but have seen a bike done up with it in photos...

-chris

I used 3m reflective tape on the rear triangle of my pista... I don't think I could break down and paint the whole thing .. ahh that would be bad.

How has it worked for you? Have you found the durability issues that others have? I have an older frame thqat is begging for modification, and I thought a reflective paintjob would be just the ticket.

The tape is awesome, only thing is I have it on my Bianchi Pista so if I take it off with out heating up the tape at all it pulls the paint off. Not worried about that too much though. My whole rear triangle lights up bright as hell with any type of lights (street lights, cars, my blinkie light on the back)

I think the tape is more available than the paint. I will probably try that first, unless I find an easy supplier for the paint. Any advice on where to pick up the tape? Where did you get the tape?

Not On My Bike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dragging up an old foum -sorry if any one is offended but it appears tech. has cought up with this idea. I was @ Home Depot today and noticed they now make reflective clear coat. I eagerly purchased a can to finish the paint on an 1981 Schwinn World Sport that I picked up @ Salvation Army ($5) to practice painting. I orginaly planed on painting it reflective but could not find the paint reasonable retail.
I have put a yellow fading to orange paint on it currently that will work great for the base to the reflective. If any one else wants to know how it tuns out, I will try to figure out how to post pictures after I am done

I put reflective tape on certain parts of my bike and fenders. It works great. Actually I'd like to see bike companies have the bike logo out of reflective tape.

I think a graphics person who has access to a plodder with a knife could do some real business. Just think, bicycle logos out of reflective tape (instead of lousy decals). I was going to do it with my Raleigh.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.p...&postcount=486

I've had it on my commuter for a few weeks now, and I'm pretty satisfied with it. It rubbed off the top tube pretty quick, but the head tube and rear triangle are still coated. It does help at night, the bike just appears to be super white. I wouldn't recommend it as your only passive lighting, but it turns my bike from a group of floating red lights into a bike in the headlights.

I use the reflective tape(Gall's police supply has a great selection of colors ) and lights, I like every-one else was hoping to find a little insurace against becoming the- human speed bump.
I commute at the we early hours of the morning and during winter at night coming home. I think I will paint just the head tube and rear triangle and try to cut a lettering out of reflective tape for the main triangle.

Here are some other paint options, none of which I've tried (yet):

Krylon Industrial REFLECT- A-LITE™ is a unique, reflective, light enhancing spray paint under direct illumination. It applies over the existing color. Does not obscure original color, highlights objects under direct beam, enhances safety.
http://www.krylonindustrial.com/inde...reflect_a_lite

Sphere Brite® is a ... reflective aerosol spray that turns any surface into a bright visible highly brilliant surface. Micro bead technology made up of reflective aluminum coated micro glass beads suspended in acrylic paint creates an impregnating reflective durable application. Sphere Brite® has no plastic coatings or binders to break down, allowing the glass elements to reflect continuously for years to come. Acrylic spray permits a uniform projection of reflective elements that will adhere to any size surface no matter what the material support may be.
http://www.usreflector.com/Html_prod...herebrite.html

Wow. Neat to see this old thing revived.

That spherebright looks like the same technology that is in the DOT reflective paint.

As far as teh bike I was modifying, it went through a coupel of different incarnations. It never got the reflective paint job. Right now it is a single speed with drop bars, but I still need to finish it off. I would really like to make it a fixed gear to try that out, and I am probably going to mount a rack to it to carry a battery for a homemade light. projects, projects.

Cheers,

GF

I've added the beads to paint stripes on ice fishing shacks and have found them satisfactory. i got a five gallon pail full from a line painting crew on a road project I was working on. Around here they often spray the paint and add the beads on top. A person could sweep up all he needed up from the road after they go by. they would be available from traffic signing/marking cos. They may also be available from a good art supply store. My bikes have the orange/white high end 3M tape that we use to make barricades at work. You can see the stuff for blocks and wears like iron.

--- I did back-to-back tests between REFLECT- A-LITE paint and different brands of reflective tape and all the tapes were WAY more visible than the paint.

here are a coupe of pics of a trailer I sprayed. I used the reflective spray paint right after the color coat. first it is hard to see how much you get on. I sprayed several coats on the sides and ends. as you can see it is pretty uneven and not real bright. you can see the blact reflective tape on my rear fender far better. too bad I did not have the reflective tape on the trailer at the time of the pics.

Woah, thanks for bringing this thread up! I was starting to look around for some reflector paint or tape for decorative effects for an old bike I'm fixing up.

I think I am going to use tape, and maybe my old embroidery scissors to snip out "pinstripe" effects for the fenders, and then do barber-pole stripes down the seatstays.

There will be photos when I get this done!

I think you'll always get more reflected light from tapes/sheeting than diy coatings.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...98#post1399498

I'm glad I didn't use the Rustoleum reflective topcoat I bought yet. I think I'll look for the receipt and take it back. Dang, this forum is handy! :lol:

I just finished a frame using day-glo yellow spray paint. I used a white primer underneath. It is very bright. This is my third yellow. I also did one in day-glo orange but the yellow is brighter. The link below (some of my kid's bikes) shows a couple of the early yellow and orange ones.

http://dbg.home.att.net/kid_bikes.htm