all arguments about the necessity of aesthetic changes aside,

how would you go about changing the color of a carbon bike? right now i'm down to either

1) lightly sanding down/repainting
2) cover entire bike in vinyl decal

option 1 would def. be more expensive, but option 2 seems a bit labor intensive and you'd probably have to take off the vinyl everytime you got in an accident to inspect the frame


suggestsions appreciated!

Sounds like you're going to lose any chance of ever reselling it, ever.

this falls under the category of "if you have to ask....dont do it". seriously, you're going to destroy your frame.

and how the hell often do you get into "accidents" ?

do it yourself then post pics. please

What carbon bike is it? A generic frame? Brand name?

Spray paint. Don't worry about anything else.

Lightly sand, paint, post pics.

i'm ok with that

i've only been in one, but you never know

check out the budget carbon fiber bike thread, a guy just painted his carbon frame, i pm'd him for his procedure


does that matter? honest question

do you have any experience with that? honest question

Just curious about which frame. Is it just clear coated now or does it have prior paint?

It was a joke.

it's a brand name frame with clearcoat over paint from the factory

I would think this question is very important. Every manufacturer has a different layup process that uses all kinds of CF in every model they use. Think of Pinarello, for every model they have, they have a different kind of carbon fiber in each frame, aside of the Dogma and the KOHB.

Powder coat it. It will be epic.

spray paint

more than epic if he gets a painter that actually does it.

- sand it, if no cranks found then
- primer
- paint
- clear twice
- post pictures

ps: urethane paint.

1 is pretty easy as long as there are no stickers on the frame. Light key, then prime, then sand then paint, then clear, then cut.

2. Is the way I would go, you can wrap a entire car in just about any color on the plant doing a bike where you can hide the seems under the tubes.

If the bike is in good condition, it's fairly unlikely that anything you do for a reasonable amount of money would look better.

Why do you want to repaint it?

Find someone good with gel coat and see if they'll do it for a good price.

if you don't like what you have, just but a new bike and don't ask stupid questions

Option 3 above. Sell old bike and buy new bike.

this was my initial impression of the idea since it's pretty prevalent in the auto tuning scene, but for cars there are distinct panels where you can lay one sheet over. but wiht a bike i'm guessing you need at least 3-4 sheets and i don't really want to leave that many seams visible

lol

With this vinyl, you just wrap it and can then peel it off later? Cool.

You can't powdercoat carbon

If you are fairly handy, willing to completely disassemble the bike and take your time painting the frame it is not a difficult job and relatively inexpensive. Google wet sanding and painting a car. Find a local automotive paint supplier (supplies local body shops) and buy the paint color you like and have it loaded into a spary paint can. You can get most PPG colorrs. Buy clear coat. Several coats of paint (very light coats ... you do not want runs) followed by 2 - 3 coats of clear coat. Key is preparation. Carefully mask areas where you don't want to paint, lightly wet sand entire frame, thoroughly clean, tack cloth to remove any final debris. Allow plenty of time to cure after painting. Total material cost < $50 bucks. Can easily be done in a weekend. You will be surprised how good / professional it looks afterward. Just remember ... painting is not rocket science.