m4rx12

When I built up my fixed gear I went for the bang for your buck alexrims for my wheelset just because I wanted to test the waters before I droped serious cashola. Im thinking of lightly painting the rims to hide my shame/make the bike look cooler. Obviously it would become heavier and probably less aero but any other major concerns?

yummygooey

I don't think weight and aero-ness are major concerns.

Clif

Heavier and less aero? You're not gonna spray bedliner on them are you?

hairnet

Don't worry, your rims aren't going to be light or aero until you buy some Zipps. You're thinking about Zipps right? We all have them

ianjk

Lightly paint? Need to do a proper job for it not to look like junk, which will involve taking your wheels apart, prepping the rim surface (degrease, sand, degrease), primering, sanding some more, painting several finishing coats, then (for a good finish) wet sand & polish (after letting paint cure for a couple weeks).

Plan for at least 30 hours of labor if you know how to build (take apart and rebuild/true) a wheel and know the basics of painting a quality job.

Or just rattlecan the whole wheel with some gold spraypaint for your low-budget no-prep-ghetto finish.

Scrodzilla

Except me. I've got seven Aerospokes.

vw addict

You can if you don't care that they are gonna look horrible.

zacked

Like ian says, you certainly can paint your own rims, but if you want it to not look like complete **** it will take a whole bunch of work.

hairnet

You should get a Zipp.

Really though, my friend has an 808 and it's amazing. So light. Spins forever. golf ball dimples

Squirrelli

Yea, I've got 9 Campagnolo Ghiblis.

hairnet

It's no Zipp. not impressed

ianjk

IMO OP is waaaayyyyyyy to concerned about fashion/****** points (judging from last few posts about carbon wheels and whatnot). Show off all the hipsters by building legs of steel. Hard to tell if your wheels are cheap when you blast by them at warp speed.

Squirrelli

^ Whatever makes him happy, brah.

m4rx12

exactly what I was thinking. I don't really feel bad if the rim doesnt look like new when Im done. Probably better looking than an alexrim

vw addict

I just had a turkey sandwich for lunch, it was ok.

m4rx12

Thats just like, your opinion, man

ianjk

Just remember that with no prepwork, the paint will not adhere very well, like as in if you look at it wrong, it will fall off, especially on spokes/hub.

motobeCarnage 

Affixed

You need to resist the 'coolest of the cool' factor. Your rims are fine as is. But, if you must give in too peer pressure, consider that you can buy new colored deep V rims on decent hubs for under $200. Consider the value of your time.

yummygooey

Why don't you just sell your wheels and get a better looking wheelset? You can get Weinmann DP 18 sets for less than $130 in a variety of colors.

m4rx12

good advice all around. Probably going to pick up some B43's just waiting for cranks/chainring/BB to come in so I can see how that rides before I make a decision.

mihlbach

Jesus Christ....stop looking at your bike and ride it.

Scrodzilla

^ Worst advice EVAR.

FastJake

sillygolem

If you really want to paint your wheels, here's what you do:

Go to your local auto paint supplier. Pick up the following:

Sanding pads - either a pad you glue sandpaper on or a few you use directly, like an SOS pad. The people there can give you recommendations on grit: heavy (300-ish) for metal prep, very light (1600-ish) for paint prep. If you want really shiny, pick up some finishing polish.

Primer - This acts as an intermediary, sticking to the metal and the paint. The color you pick will slightly change the tone of the paint once applied - white will make it lighter, black darker.

Paint - Auto-quality spray paint in a can is the easiest and cheapest method. Buy more than you think you need, and pick up another can on top of that.

Clearcoat - Protects the rim, keeping the paint intact. Again, pick up plenty. This will make up the majority of the coating on the rim.

Now to paint:

De-lace the rims.

Put on some gloves. Skin oil will show up if you handle the rim with bare hands.

Sand the rims WITH A SANDING PAD. If you use your bare hands you'll have impressions from your fingers. You can pick up a flexible pad at your local auto paint supply. The rim should have an even soft surface.

Wash and dry the rim. Remember: Skin oil will mess up your paint.

Read the back of the primer and paint cans and follow the instructions to the letter: You really need to be in the temperature and humidity range stated. You can paint outside if the conditions are good and it's not windy, although you need to make sure the rims can dry safely. When using spray anything, go in light coats and only lift your finger from the nozzle when the paint can is away from the rim. If you feel the can is running out of paint/primer/clearcoat STOP USING IT AND GET ANOTHER CAN. Otherwise you'll get splatter and have to do major sanding.

Spray at least two coats of primer. Lightly sand in between. Make sure you now have a perfectly even surface. Make sure the rim is clean of any sanding debris.

Spray the paint. Lightly sand between coats. Keep doing this until the paint looks -absolutely perfect-. You may even end up sanding down to the primer layer in between coats. Keep in mind that the clearcoat will make it look shinier.

Spray the clearcoat. Same as painting. More clearcoat is always better.

Finish by polishing. While it may "dry" in 24 hours, it may take days or weeks for the paint to fully harden.