just acquired a hack bike for general shop/camping/dad bike duties etc alloy frame, how bad would it look if I gave it a quick rub down with sandpaper and sprayed it with a spray can? would like it a different colour but if it looks a bit rough so be it, less likely to interest the local scrotes

if you do it properly it’ll look ok. it’ll cost you more than a powder coat though.

if you want to make it rough just get it done.

by the time you have sanded bought paint lacquer ect. its pointless doing it your self imo, wear are you based there is a exceolent powder coaters near me in oswaldtwistle, good finish and very cheap, if its a hard tail he will blast and coat for around 35 pounds, he also has a facebook page with his work on the link is https://www.facebook.com/#!/advanced.coatings1

just curious if all the paint will fall off in a week because it hasn’t been primed etc

I have a trek 1.5 that I use for commuting/pub/town bike its wrapped in black tape, looks shit. Which is ideal. Uglifying I do believe its called.

I hammerited mine but yup- quite a lot of work, not particularily cheap, makes no economic sense (I enjoyed doing it though)

I’ve no intention of doing a ‘proper’ job, i was not even going to strip it right down ie leave the BB and headset in and mask off, quick rub down and spay with a colour least likely to interest the scrotes…..lime green, bright yellow or pink. Anyone know what the least stolen bike colour is? Uglyfying it by covering in insulation tape (green and yellow earth) maybe an option

if your doing it i would advise primer and laquor, otherwise the paint will probs just flake off maybe not in a week but within 3 months it will look bad, but thats what your after right? insulation tape dont sound too bad, come in all diffrent coulours, and if u fancy a chance its as simple and adding difftent tape, if i ever get round to buying a pub bike i may tape it up maybe even a stripy effect lol

cover it in stickers and spray with lacquer – looks different and should last a while

I covered my Il Pompino in reflective tape, which makes it practical for winter commuting and highly undesirable to scrotes.

Think I may have found a winner..chequered reflective tape….maybe not £70 a roll more than the bike cost

I got some hammerite gloopy paint on to rust stuff from Halfords.
Slapped it on my Inbred commuter by hand. Looks well crap.

I’m going to get a can or two of plasti dip. It’s a sort of rubbery coating you can spray or paint on then peel off when you get bored of it. Not permanent but looks pretty durable. Loads of clips on you-tube, people do whole cars.

plasti dip uk

They do a luminous one too.

I Fablon’ed my old hack bike in wood effect. Cost about £5, took an afternoon, looked great and far too bizarre for thieves to bother with.

found some blue & white chequered reflective tape on flea bay….cheap as a can of paint should do the job.

Wish I’d thought of that, good man!

why did I not think of fablon I could have had a marbled hack bike

Fablon actually looks pretty pimpin’ if done right:

Here’s my old hack, complete with home-made wooden mudguards and bargain bin wooden grips: