A friend of mine just bought a high end XC FS model of a major manufacturer from 2004 (I am keeping all the names secret just in case).
The components have all been upgraded to 05-06 XT/XTR.
I didn't think much about the bike until I heard it was painted. Then I thought the bike might be stolen.
With a lot of high end stolen bikes, thieves will switch parts around to make it less identifiable.
However, painting full suspension bikes is always a chore. You have to disassemble the entire frame to do it correctly, and be absolutely sure to cover all the surfaces which contact other frame members, or the fit will not be correct when you reassemble the bike.
For these reasons, very few people I know have ever repainted a full suspension bike. Admittedly, most of my friends would just sell their bikes because of their industry hookups.
I guess I am still jibing the effort with repainting with the possibility it was stolen.
The components have all been upgraded to 05-06 XT/XTR.
I didn't think much about the bike until I heard it was painted. Then I thought the bike might be stolen.
With a lot of high end stolen bikes, thieves will switch parts around to make it less identifiable.
However, painting full suspension bikes is always a chore. You have to disassemble the entire frame to do it correctly, and be absolutely sure to cover all the surfaces which contact other frame members, or the fit will not be correct when you reassemble the bike.
For these reasons, very few people I know have ever repainted a full suspension bike. Admittedly, most of my friends would just sell their bikes because of their industry hookups.
I guess I am still jibing the effort with repainting with the possibility it was stolen.