In the previous post, I explained the reasons why I decided to rebuild my bike. The big concern was the threads for the bottom bracket. With those having been damaged by the numpty I entrusted to replace the BB some 6 months ago, it was important to get it fixed by an expert.
In practical terms, that simply mean tasking the people of The Bike Cellar, Plymouth, to fix it for me. They are – in my mind – the very best bike shop in Plymouth, and they really came through for me. Because I knew the frame could be saved, even if there was a risk if having to fit a square-taper “frame saver” BB, I went ahead and sprayed the frame.
The respray
As I said before, the first Project Rebuild post, I got the paint I used from Specialist Paints. I heard great things about them before, and I was optimistic. The Blue Grape colour I was going to use works best on a white primer coat. After some final sanding down, cleaning and drying the frame (and forks) I gave it two coats of primer. I don’t have any particular views on the primer, but I do on the colour coat.
You see, when spraying curved surfaces, it is more difficult to get a flawless finish everywhere. This is because overspray can cause a less-than-desirable finish. In addition, you also need to take care that the paint doesn’t run. On complex objects, like a bicycle frame, you can easily overspray on bit, while trying to spray a different bit. And when that happens, paint runs are almost inevitable.
However, the paint I used was more forgiving than ANY paint I ever used before. In my like I resprayed a few cars, and several motorcycles, plus plenty of motorcycle helmets. For most of the motorcycles and helmets, I used rattle-can spray paint.
I was gob-smacked when I discovered how the Specialist Paints paint behaved! If I used a less-forgiving paint, I know I would have had paint runs. Yet, with the Blue Grape cans, I applies three coats, without any paint runs! The colour coverage is great, too, and as for the colour, all I can say is wow.
Once the paint was dry, I added the new Genesis decals. Those had to be on the frame before the clear coat went on. This isn’t meant to be an ad for Specialist Paints – I’m genuinely just that impressed with their paint.
The 2K clear coat
Regardless how pretty a spray job might look, rattle-can paint tends to be quite thing, and that can leave the paint vulnerable to scratches. However, Specialist Paints had a magic trick up their sleeve with the 2K clear coat they gave me.
It’s NOT normal rattle-can gloss. The paint uses an in-can activation system. Before using it, there’s a pin underneath the can that needs to be pulled out and rotated, to start the activation. That’s a chemical process, and once activated, you have less than 12 hours to use the clear gloss. Importantly, you must also use a mask, and ideally eye protection, when using the clear coat.
Like with their colour coat, the clear gloss is very forgiving. It’s easy to spray, too. Because it’s automotive-grade paint, it hardens to a greater degree than the colour coat. That simply means the paint job will be stronger, and more resilient. Just remember, NO paint job is immune to scratches and damage, so you still need to be careful with the finished product.
You’d expect a clear coat to be fairly shiny. Despite that, I was still expecting to have to buff the frame, once the clear coat dried. I’m well happy to say that’s not necessary – it’s smooth and shiny enough by itself. The photo at the top shows how shiny it ended up.
The rebuild
After the respray, I still didn’t have a bicycle. Instead, I had a bike frame, a set of forks, and an array of bike parts. To have a bicycle again, I needed to reassemble everything. I started by regreasing the headset bearings, then refitted those, along with fitting the forks to the frame. I also fitted the spacers and the stem, to keep the forks in place.
Next came the wheels, which had a bit of a clean-up and make-over. With the wheels on, I removed the bike from the stand, and fitted the seat. That allowed me to clamp it again, around the seat post. Next was the crankset and derailleurs, followed by the chain.
I then re-attached the bars, and refitted the shifters, before wrapping new bar tape. However, I don’t like the bar tape I bought. I wanted a blue that matches the frame colour, but the tape is far too pale. If I can’t get blue bar tape in the right colour, I might simply go back to black tape.
I also refitted my aero bars, which I sprayed the same colour as the bike’s frame. After that, all I had to do was refit new brake and gear cables, and index the gears.
The result
I didn’t take a photo of the bike before I started stripping everything off, but the two images below allow you to see what the bike looked like before (and with some parts already removed) and after.
As for why I did this – well, there are lots of reasons. My bike was tired-looking, needed a lot of work, and I loved the Blue Grape colour ever since I first saw it.
The bike looks great, and I love that colour.