Bike 198 has become a great place to look at the latest and greatest the cycling world has to offer, share ideas, and socialize with like minded wheel junkies. While it is cool to check out what is “next” in the cycling world, sometimes it is fun to get the most out of what we already have. Whether you are trying to squeeze a few more good years out of a trusty frame in a tough economy, refurbish a classic you got at a bike swap, or you just want to customize, custom painting can play a key part in making your ride look its best. Fortunately, we are not too far from Spectrum Powder Works – one of the best custom paint shops in the cycling industry. Mark Brandt and his amazing team were nice enough to have me down to their shop in early March to show me their fine work and how they perform their magic.
There are two basic roads one can go down in the world of paint – liquid or powder coat. Before you make that decision, ask yourself a few key questions:
- What kind of material is your frame made of?
- What kind of look do you want to achieve?
- Do you need a really durable paint?
- What is your budget?
- What kind of paint will work best for your particular needs and budget?
I have to admit, I had a few preconceived notions about what someone could do with liquid painting versus powder coating. Some were right, and one was just plain off base. Fortunately, Spectrum does both types of work as well as etching, so they were able to answer all of my questions.
Liquid Paint
Liquid paint is a little more low-tech and old school. There is a lot that can be achieved with a liquid based paint job and the results can be beautiful. Many of the hand built frames are done in liquid as some of the more detailed builders use a very thin lug. Liquid can be applied and dry at much lower temperatures than to protect these types of parts. In addition, the frame material may dictate that you have to use a liquid process. Liquid can be used on wider range frame materials. If you have a carbon frame you would like fully painted or detailed, liquid is your only option as the drying temperatures for most powder coats are at about 390 degrees Fahrenheit. These temperatures would compromise the carbon fiber structure. Liquid paint has its limitations though. For one, it is more expensive. The materials are more expensive, and liquid paint jobs can be more labor intensive. A basic one color paint job is about $150 more by using liquid rather than powder coating. In addition, liquid paint jobs are more prone to chipping and are harder to get into every crevice of an intricate frame.
Here are some examples of liquid-based paint jobs:
Powder Coat
I have to admit, I really thought of powder coating to be more of a mass production thing in cycling. In my mind, it seemed like the kind of deal where a paint shop could do a high volume of projects in more simplistic designs pretty inexpensively. It turns out that powder coating has come a long way and a variety of looks can be achieved, even on very detailed frame designs. We’ll show some examples of what can be done with powder coating that you may find surprising. Powder coating is a very descriptive term as it involves applying a free-flowing dry powder in an electrostatic fashion. The powder is then cured in a high temperature oven that allows the particle to dry into a skin on the frame. Powder coating is typically a less expensive and more environmentally friendly process as there is very little waste produced in the process and almost no volatile organic compounds. Powder coating is nice in that the powder really binds into every tiny crevice during the application process, so every nook and cranny gets covered without the risk of creating drips and runs in the finished product. It is also creates a very durable finished product.
Process
So what happens when you send in your grungy looking frame in for a makeover? Well, both liquid painting and powder coating start off pretty much the same until the final stages.
For metal-based frames, your frame will need to be stripped of its old paint (assuming it has paint) and prepped. Depending on the frame material, this involves using a high-tech form of sand blasting. Please see the pictures below to get a better idea of what we are describing. The frame is put inside a box where fine particles of either plastic (for steel and aluminum) or glass (for titanium) will be blown against the frame to remove old paint and impurities like rust. The handler will actually slide his/her hands into the holes you see on the side of the sanding machine and into embedded gloves that are impervious to the particles. In this way, they can hold the frame and aim the hose while looking through the window you see above the holes.
For steel frames or those undergoing a liquid paint job, the surface is immediately prepped with a primer to prevent oxidation and ensure that no impurities get on the freshly prepped frame. It is also at this stage where any minor dings or dents are fixed to make the tube look perfect again. As a side note, each dent repaired costs about $25, a small price for cosmetic perfection.
Here is where the processes differ between liquid and powder coat. For a liquid job, a base coat is applied that the paint can bind to and then the liquid is applied and cured. Multiple layers and masking can be integrated for painted logos and other graphic design details. Further detailing can be added. In a powder coat, the powder is applied as described above. Some frame materials may require different curing temperatures. Scandium, for example, would require a lower temperature (more like 325 degrees Fahrenheit) to maintain its structural integrity and would need to be cured for a longer period of time.
A final clear coat or pearlescent coat is applied to help protect the finish. This both protects the frame and adds to the gloss. The pearlescent coats are unique in that they bring out different pigments in the paint, creating a little bit of a luminescent effect that changes the look of the frame in different lights.
Graphics
One thing that is really cool is the graphic flexibility that is possible in a custom paint job. While this may not be available at all shops, the facility we toured had the ability to replicate any logo for application on a frame. This is done using Adobe. They can take an existing file from the manufacturer or they can recreate one using their own artistic skills. This is a great option if you are restoring a classic frame. In addition, they can create just about any paint effect. For titanium frames, graphics can actually be etched into the metal, creating an everlasting and subtle design detail.
How good can it get?!
Here are some of my favorites from their gallery.
Powder Coating on Bike Frames
Liquid Painting on Bike Frames
Pricing
Every shop is going to have different pricing, but some general rules of thumb apply. A basic paint job with graphics will run about $250 for a powder coat. As noted before, a liquid-based paint job will run about $150 more. As complexity increases, so does price. Multiple colors, extensive masking, and pearlescent finishes, all add to the price of a project. As you can imagine, costs can increase dramatically due to the additional labor and materials required for more complex projects.
Special Thanks
While this article is intended to be general in nature, we wanted to send out a special thanks to Mark and his team at Spectrum Power Works. They took an entire morning to let me tour the shop and walk me through each step of the process, answering all of my novice questions. If you are thinking about exploring a new paint job, you will want to research the different options out there. As a former customer of theirs, I can tell you that these guys do great work and are great to deal with; even letting you view your project online as it is in process. I bought a used Land Shark tandem road frame that normally retails for $3,500 for $500. The paint was purple, white, and pretty dinged up. They created a water effect, re-logoed the bike, and added some shark gills to the top tube. They also added in some shark gills. It is now truly a one of a kind and a great conversational piece for a third of what it would have cost new.
This post was written by Eric Pringle. The crew at Bike198 wanted to extend a special thanks for getting this together for publishing and taking the time to visit the team over at Spectrum Powder Works. Spectrum is known throughout the industry for providing high quality finish jobs for cyclists.