Quantcast

Can you repaint carbon?

ire

Turbo Monkey
Aug 6, 2007
6,196
4
Or maybe strip the paint off? I don't care much for the color scheme on my Addict CX and I would either prefer that it be all black (like my old Oirign 8 was) or have it be bare carbon with Scott stickers. Is this even possible?
 

loco-gringo

Crusading Clamp Monkey
Sep 27, 2006
8,887
14
Deep in the heart of TEXAS
Strip...I don't think you should, as the epoxy is pretty important and stripping would compromise strength. Trek does recommend a painter in the PNW that does their re-works, if I remember right.

The Foxtrot is a pretty nice looking frame, if I may say so myself.
 

ire

Turbo Monkey
Aug 6, 2007
6,196
4
Strip...I don't think you should, as the epoxy is pretty important and stripping would compromise strength. Trek does recommend a painter in the PNW that does their re-works, if I remember right.

The Foxtrot is a pretty nice looking frame, if I may say so myself.
Do you know who the painter is? I wonder if they could strip the frame for me?
 

James

Carbon Porn Star
Sep 11, 2001
3,559
0
Danbury, CT
Sure, anything's possible! It might cost a bit, depending on the finish, but taking off the clear coat/paint shouldn't be too hard for a professional painter.
We used to use Road Runner Velo near Santa Cruz for all of the in-country Colnago repairs, he did an amazing job. He does repairs on carbon too.
http://www.roadrunnervelo.com/repairs.html

Highly, highly recommend, and his prices were good too.
 

SuspectDevice

Turbo Monkey
Aug 23, 2002
4,157
359
Roanoke, VA
Any component body shop will have no problem repainting carbon safely and well. You just sand it down. I've stripped an painted plenty of carbon bikes fairly well with just rattle can paint.

It's just a bike. not a child. Nothing fancy is going on there that requires a white glove treatment, nor the exorbitant fees most bike painters charge...
 

loco-gringo

Crusading Clamp Monkey
Sep 27, 2006
8,887
14
Deep in the heart of TEXAS
I disagree, to a point with SD. With steel, you lose a bit of metal and it might not ruin the day. With carbon, it really could fail, and you'd have no idea it was about to. One of the drawbacks to carbon.
 

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
Any component body shop will have no problem repainting carbon safely and well. You just sand it down. I've stripped an painted plenty of carbon bikes fairly well with just rattle can paint.

It's just a bike. not a child. Nothing fancy is going on there that requires a white glove treatment, nor the exorbitant fees most bike painters charge...
I have an aluminum road frame with carbon stays that has about three coats of spraypaint on it (including a layer of rustoleum :weee:).

Please guide me. Want make pretty again.
 

maddog17

Turbo Monkey
Jan 20, 2008
2,815
105
Methuen, Mass. U.S.A.
splat and i found it kinda strange that a company like Hot Tubes, who sponsers a team, would get Cervelos for the team to ride rather than ride their own frames. and i just noticed they raised the price for their frame building class too!!! hell, for that price i'll find a builder who knows what the hell they're doing!!
 

SuspectDevice

Turbo Monkey
Aug 23, 2002
4,157
359
Roanoke, VA
Don't patronize me. I'm aware of what it is. I'm also aware that very few finish removals stop at the clear coat.
Sandpaper does. And that is what people use, with their hands, by applying visual cues from their eyes, and altering digital pressure through proprioceptive means. Humans trump technology, once again!

And that's being patronizing!

Seriously though, any competent body shop is familiar with carbon stuff now after it's been so thoroughly adopted by the rice-rocket crowd. And in my experience, most people who work in body shops are way better versed when it comes to materials, material handling and MSDS type, general fabrication dimensioning, tolerances and most importantly, resourcefulness, than your average bike biz type.

Most bike painters charge a huge premium to deal with scared or un-informed consumers. Going to people who have the skills and equipment, and knowledge of the materials and methods of construction are what matters.
If you walk into a paint place, and start talking, and you get a glazed look from the kid behind the counter, leave. Otherwise, if you guys communicate, throw down some cash, the frameset, review masking, and head home. I regularly get my local shop to repaint carbon frames and forks that we do repairs on for $100 for a single color overnight. If people are into painting stuff, it probably means that they are into high-performance cool looking wheeled stuff. Bretheren!

Any place that focuses on the bike market will be likely to charge you $250+, with long lead times. Perhaps the end result will look better, but I have never found a hot-rod quy that took an unacceptably slap-dash approach to finishes either.
 

loco-gringo

Crusading Clamp Monkey
Sep 27, 2006
8,887
14
Deep in the heart of TEXAS
blue's neg rep for saying that sanding into carbon is the way to do it proves that he's as retarded as I ever thought he may be.

Ghetto is cool you knuckle dragging dipsh*t, but compromising someone's frame is just plain stupid. Go ride a broken bike and shut up.
 

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
blue's neg rep for saying that sanding into carbon is the way to do it proves that he's as retarded as I ever thought he may be.

Ghetto is cool you knuckle dragging dipsh*t, but compromising someone's frame is just plain stupid. Go ride a broken bike and shut up.
I'll listen to the structural engineer with a PhD and a guy who builds frames for a living over a school furniture salesman turned glorified bike shop wrench any day. Sorry. :weee:
 

Mr. Hankey

Monkey
May 13, 2007
280
0
Ohio
splat and i found it kinda strange that a company like Hot Tubes, who sponsers a team, would get Cervelos for the team to ride rather than ride their own frames. and i just noticed they raised the price for their frame building class too!!! hell, for that price i'll find a builder who knows what the hell they're doing!!
Why would you want to ride anything else other than a Cervelo? Besides they make steel bikes, not aerodynamic carbon, super stiff race machines.
 

maddog17

Turbo Monkey
Jan 20, 2008
2,815
105
Methuen, Mass. U.S.A.
nothing wrong with Cervelos, just saying that for a shop sponsored team, why not ride the frames you build. it would be like Sach's cx team riding Ridley's. and wouldn't it be nicer to have a custom taylored ride rather than some off the shelf frame?