dabrucru

so , about 2 months ago i finishd this bike that i use for touring , commuting etc, its a giant expression cr mo bike, i am really happy with the outcome of the upgrade, i ve had the bike since 07 , the paint is still good (shiny) but some times when i find a paint chip i touch it up with some paint sine its not aloy so that i prevent rust. the plan was to use it for 2 weeks or so and that take it to my lbs, dismantle it, sand blast it and repainting it, but the ride was so smooth and comfy that i posponed every week...and still am pospononing...i was just wondering if any of you has ever had this dilemma , i mean i wish to give her a new colour scheme, but i m still very happy with it that i m finding it difficult to use my other bike to go to work with, its a cyclo cross bike, but not as half as comfy as this.....any way thanks for reading....i m badly infected with the cycling bug i think...which it feels good..

ahsposo 

I'd just ride it like it is, personally. A new paint job would make me too careful with it to enjoy riding it and a paint job won't make it faster.

How is Malta for riding?

wahoonc

I have a couple of bikes that are nearly 40 years old, have had the crap beat out of them and look it too. Ride em hard! FWIW I wipe them down with an oily rag and that keeps what lacquer is left shiny and keeps the rust in check. I would rather see a bike being ridden with a few beauty marks than a shiny one not being ridden, any day.

Aaron

SlimRider

If you don't have any really large areas of chipped or missing paint, just use fingernail polish. I've found that there's always some type of fingernail polish that can match up with the frame paint almost exactly.

Fingernail polish works wonders on smaller areas!

* OTOH- If you have large areas of missing and chipped paint, then you'll need at least 3 days to paint.

Day 1 - Disassemble bike and remove fork. Sand all rusty and glossy areas.

Day 2 - Wipe and clean both frame and fork with denatured alcohol. Tape, block, and cover up BB, ST and HT holes. Next paint with Krylon Rust Tough primer. Wait 1 hour. Paint with Krylon Rust Hammered styled paint. Allow drying time of 4 hours to elapse. Next, apply another coat of Hammer style paint and wait another 4 hours.

Day 3 - Reassemble bike, after repacking BB.

dabrucru

malta is hilly, but than we have beautifull weather, and winter is short, its like from december till mid march, but there are no bike lanes, and people like me who uses a bike with panniers , mudguards etc are cosidered as geeks or nerds.... there is still this mentallity about bikes...there are those serious people who take cycling seriously though. than there are those who fit an engine on there bikes...pathetic...

dabrucru

hmm fingernail polish, never tought about it...must try it

thanks for the advise

dabrucru

i love your quotes

Retro Grouch 

A bike is a unique possession - part tool and part art object. Every rider rates the relative percentages between the two differently.

As long as you are happy riding it - ride it. When the urge for a different color scheme becomes over powering - paint it. What's winter like in Malta? My bikes tend to get overhauled and painted when the weather discourages me from riding.

dabrucru

[QUOTE=Retro Grouch;14380269]A bike is a unique possession - part tool and part art object. Every rider rates the relative percentages between the two differently.

As long as you are happy riding it - ride it. When the urge for a different color scheme becomes over powering - paint it. What's winter like in Malta? My bikes tend to get overhauled and painted when the weather discourages me from riding.[/QUOT

weather here is great, winter is only a bit cold from december to february, otherwise its good, summer is hot, very hot it could go up to 37 degrees

Artkansas 

You can also use touch up paint from an auto parts store or car dealer.

wahoonc

Sounds about like our normal summer temps...it is 96*F (36*C) today, add in the humidity levels and you get a "feels like" of around 105*F(40*C) and this is only June our hottest part of the year is usually late July early August.

Aaron