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  • Argos Cycles Resprays – Metallics v Flamboyants
  • Pitto
    Free Member

    Anyone got any close up pics of the differences?

    Spoke to them over the phone and they said that the flamboyants are richer in colour but not as 'sparkly' as metallics.

    Was wanting to respray my frame some sort of blue but unsure if I want flamboyants or metallics.

    Cheers,
    Chris

    stumpy_m4
    Free Member

    Was a cycle painter myself for many years , so here goes
    Flams are different to metallics in that metallics have the silver or sparkly bits as part of the color itself .
    with a Flam they use a sparkle silver as a base coat first and then put a Flam over the top , a flam is basically a coloured lacquer, so you get a deeper/richer color with a Flam .. you can darken a flam color …. just by adding a extra coat … You`ll probably find also that the Flam color will be slightly darker at frame intersections where the color over laps….
    Flams do look good in the sun though , with the sparkle coming through the color …

    Pitto
    Free Member

    Sound, cheers for that. So if the colour is in the lacquer of a flam what happens as the frame gets scuffed etc. Does it start looking tired. What stands the test of time better? Metallic or Flam?

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    stumpy_m4
    Free Member

    Pitto – Member
    Sound, cheers for that. So if the colour is in the lacquer of a flam what happens as the frame gets scuffed etc. Does it start looking tired. What stands the test of time better? Metallic or Flam?

    Id say a metallic will age better , as a flam is a coloured lacquer over the top of a silver base ,the paint layers get quite thick and the thicker the paint , the easier to chip

    layers go:
    etch primer – primer – metallic colour – clear lacquer
    or
    etch primer – primer – sparkle silver – flam colour – clear lacquer

    Flams do look very good at first , alot depends on what bike its going onto ?? .. mtb or road bike and how you treat them ?? .. if you just throw your bike around id look into powder coating instead as this is much harder wearing … if you prize your bikes like me, id go stove enamel , as the colours and designs are endless ..
    Have been out of painting bikes for 10 years now , but i`m about to be made redundant from the the job i left cycle painting to go to , so ive been thinking of spending some of my redunadancy money and maybe starting painting again ?
    Some of the refurb companies seem to make a alot of money for a respray !!, thats over double and tripple to what we were charging 10 years ago …

    Pitto
    Free Member

    Going on a mtb, turner flux. It was third hand when I got it so its pretty tired looking.

    Its a metallic copper colour but its looking quite flat now. I keep them in resonably good nick, but I enter 24/10 hr events, puffer etc, so the bikes take a good thrashing now and again, nothing heli tape doesnt take care off though.

    The new turners seem to have an enamel finish but I dont think it'll suit mine, so I'm swaying towards a metallic again. Its a lot of money to spend not to get it right hence the post.

    Good luck on the job front by the way, hope it works it.

    Cheers again for the info, much appreciated.

    Reluctant
    Free Member

    I've had both from Argos. Metallics are dull in comparison to Flamboyants. I had a Kona Lava Dome done in Met Flam red in 96 and owned it for a couple of years after, it was still good, fairly hard wearing. Had other bikes done in rosso red metalic, violet metalic and cobalt blue metalic. None of them had the brilliance of flamboyants and all chipped more easily. Met flam gold is awesome in the sunshine!

    Pitto
    Free Member

    Cheers for the input. Think I'll just have to pick and see what turns up. I'm sure I'll be happy either. Dont suppose you hae a pic of the cobalt blue up close? Was going to go for that initially, but have since been tempted by a green.

    Reluctant
    Free Member

    Sorry, no pics of any of those old bikes….it was a looooong time ago!

Viewing 8 posts - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)

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