Spray.bike paint

[T4tomo]

Has anyone used this, if so would be interested to hear you experience. I've seen the odd mention on here and it gets good reviews and it's very cost effective.

I'm mid doing (another) revamp of the OHs gravel bike which is based around a youth CX frame made by Dolan. I was mainly sorting out bars and controls, but the Dolan transfers are looking a bit scruffy, and also the white paint is a bit tatty in places, so no point just doing new decals if the paint isn't great, so now thinking might do a full strip down and spray.

A solid colour and keirin flakes finish with new decals and lacquer finish is quite appealing and would come in under £50.

It's an alu frame for the record, quite light, the chap I bought it off reckoned Dolan made then for a GB youth CX team, but I've never quite proved that provenance.

 

[chriswoody]

I used spray.bike paints on the lugs of my self built bamboo bike frame:

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/self-build-bamboo-bike-frame-kit-build-thread.225144/page-13

I used a generic primer first, over the lugs, then followed with a couple of coats of green:

As can be seen the paint goes on really nicely and gives a fairly uniform and matt finish. I then used their gloss lacquer to finish over the top. The lacquer is much thinner than the colour coat and as such, more prone to runs. As long as you don't rush it and try to keep the tin at an even distance you can get quite acceptable results from it.

The lugs are hand made from hemp and resin which is why they have a quite organic look to them, I expect the results from spraying an aluminum frame could be really good.

 

[fossyant]

I rattle canned my Ribble 653 - but it was car paint and wasn't that cheap, especially having a pearlescent finish - needed a perfect undercoat/primer, then many fine layers of top coat, then finally the laquer - the sparay.bike might be more economical by some way, but not quite give a 'workshop' finish.

 

[fossyant]

Car rattle can takes a few months to fully harden too.

 

[T4tomo]

thanks @chriswoody, that looks pretty encouraging. Needs a bit of thought over matt / silk / gloss top coat.

@fossyant I think its supposed to do a better job than car rattle can, on bikes at least, given spraying tubes not big panels, and the beauty of it is you can reassemble the bike the next day as its fully hardened.

 

[fossyant]

I thought it dried much quicker. I left mine a week before re-assembling very carefully, and it's cheaper to do, possibly tougher ???

 

[8mph]

I used it and would use it again. I sprayed an alloy frame on a hot summer day and had two coats evenly applied in about 45 minutes. I built the bike up the next day. The paintwork scuffed a couple of days later but I had about 40% of the can left. Touched up the scuff and since then the paintwork has cured and hardened nicely, no more problems. If you don't mind the powder coat style finish, I'd say go for it.

 

[T4tomo]

I used it and would use it again. I sprayed an alloy frame on a hot summer day and had two coats evenly applied in about 45 minutes. I built the bike up the next day. The paintwork scuffed a couple of days later but I had about 40% of the can left. Touched up the scuff and since then the paintwork has cured and hardened nicely, no more problems. If you don't mind the powder coat style finish, I'd say go for it.

Did you not apply a clear top coat / varnish on top - that is supposed to add protection against scuffs and chips as well as a gloss or satin finish.

 

[8mph]

Did you not apply a clear top coat / varnish on top - that is supposed to add protection against scuffs and chips as well as a gloss or satin finish.

Yes, I put the clear coat on the day after the paint. I used the gloss finish but would go with the matt finish next time.

 

[Gillstay]

I used to paint motorbikes in Techaloid coach enamel and it worked well as the brush marks just vanished and many thought the frame were spray painted. The guy who taught me used to paint cars the same way.

 

[TK421]

Without wanting to teach you to suck eggs are you going back to raw aluminium? and have you got etch primer for the base coat of primer?

 

[T4tomo]

Without wanting to teach you to suck eggs are you going back to raw aluminium? and have you got etch primer for the base coat of primer?

spray.bike is a different sort of egg.

 

[fossyant]

I'd love to see some more finishes - looked through the instagram site and some look really good. Ideally I want to re-spray my old MTB, but it's likely my 'free time' will be around Christmas as I won't be commuting on it. The fact that it dries faster (except the gloss) makes a big difference. Air temp is not Ideal but I managed doing my Ribble with normal rattle cans by keeping the frame inside, and the paint, and ensuring it was warm, then sprayed outside in around 10c.

 

[T4tomo]

Yes, I put the clear coat on the day after the paint. I used the gloss finish but would go with the matt finish next time.

could you expand on why please? might help me make a decision

 

[8mph]

could you expand on why please? might help me make a decision

The paint itself has a nice powder coat style finish, I preferred it before the gloss lacquer went on. I suspect the matt finish is more in keeping with the paint but that's only my opinion, of course.