Custom painted Privateer 161 x Alfa Romeo

A bespoke paintjob by Blackcat Custom Paint built up MTB x motorsport brands.

Words and photos by Andi Sykes

This is my custom Privateer 161. As you can see, it features a bespoke one-off paint job by Blackcat Custom Paint and is built up with a collection of components whose brands crossover the MTB and motorsport markets.

It all started with a ratty old Alfa Romeo 156 GTA which I picked up shortly after joining The Rider Firm, whose brands include Privateer Bikes and HUNT Bike Wheels. I posted a photo of my very sad-looking (and very cheap) but super rare Sportwagon on Instagram and promptly received a message from Stu at Blackcat Custom Paint ‘Good job you know someone with a paint booth’, I think he instantly regretted that message.

Stu worked his magic and turned what looked like a car that had been abandoned for years (which it had) into the showstopper we see here, but painting cars isn’t really what Stu does anymore, instead, he is better known for custom painting bikes. He has painted retro bikes, road bikes, mountain bikes and even a selection of World Champs Downhill bikes, and now with my car looking this good and with some leftover Rosso Miro paint sitting on the shelf a new plan started to brew.

I had already built up a motorsport-inspired hardtail using inspiration from the old JPS livery, but now I had the opportunity to put together a truly unique bike. One that is linked to my passion for cars, and also echo back to the racing Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm race car from the early 70’s (hence the yellow fork and head tube to match the yellow nose of those cars).

I spent a couple of weekends putting together a rough outline of the custom paint job. The Alfa Romeo ‘snake’ features on the downtube, with the iconic Cloverleaf located on the rear of the seat tube, with the chainstays featuring logos that are designed to look like 70’s sponsors.

Not knowing that Stu actually masks and paints each and every graphic on his custom bikes, I didn’t really understand the scope of what I had designed, especially when it came to the (period incorrect) HKS-inspired ‘HUNT’ on the seat stays, which sits alongside the other ‘sponsors’. A Champion sparkplug inspired ‘Proven’ logo, named after the carbon wheel range from HUNT, and the STP oil ‘ALP’ logo (the name of Privateer’s ‘Aligned Linearly Progressive’ suspension system).

I spent a full day with Stu as he cut out and carefully masked each element of the design and painstakingly painted each. The seatstays alone took hours, and that’s after fully stripping and prepping the frame prior to paint. The guy is a legend and a true artist!

Having experienced the level of precision and pride Blackcat Custom Paint puts into their work, I wanted to ensure the rest of the build was spot on and followed the motorsport inspiration.

A huge shoutout then to Goodyear for supplying the tyres, and HEL MTB for the new Advocate 4 piston brake system, not only do both of these companies have a rich motorsport heritage, but I just so happen to run Goodyear types on the GTA and I’ve fitted HEL Performance braided brake lines too.

Obviously, I’ve gone for HUNT Proven Carbon Enduro H_Core wheels. This performance-driven wheelset has been developed with help from EDR racers and looks stunningly wrapped in the Goodyear rubber.

You might be wondering about the fork. In true Privateer fashion and in the spirit of ‘run what you bring’ the fork is actually a 2021 Lyrik Ultimate, painted in yellow with the latest generation graphics to give it that modern look. In my opinion, they look amazing, and they get a lot of positive comments.

Following on with the motorsport inspiration I contacted my good friends at Production Privée who are themselves known for beautifully painted bikes. While everyone knows their hardtails, I’m not sure many are familiar with their cockpit. The stem, their first-ever product, features ‘go faster’ stripes that match up to the stipes of the handlebar so you can be sure they’re perfectly aligned. The grips are something special by themselves! Not only do they feature an offset core which allows you to dial in the perfect rise and sweep for your setup, and useful markings to line everything up, but the grip tread is based on the OG Dunlop CR65 vintage race tyre, which I believe is still available!

Originally I wanted to fit a complete Shimano Cues drivetrain to the bike. Cues is one of the most exciting drivetrain products in my opinion. It’s cheap, light and works really well, and when I do bash the mech it’s not that big of a deal. The only issue with running the complete drivetrain was the fact the 11-speed shifter had an old-school window which isn’t compatible with modern brake systems, and the fact I’m running the excellent Rimpact chain damper which requires a direct mount crank. The chain damper was actually designed for Rimpact by Dan Hicks, the same person behind the latest Privateer 161 and 141 bikes.

The finishing touches are the UK-made PEMBREE flat pedals and a brown SDG saddle which might seem like an odd choice but actually matches the black and tan leather interior of the car.

Of course with all of this work and effort having gone into the build I wanted to keep it looking like new for as long as possible, so a huge thanks to RideWrap for providing the tailored frame and fork protection.

Now it’s time to give her a good once over and hit the trails! I’m also hoping that the brands involved in the build might want to feature the bike at events across the UK, so keep your eyes peeled.

A massive thanks to:

• blackcatcustompaint
• Privateer Bikes
• HUNT Mountain
• HEL MTB
• GoodYear Tyres
• Production Privée
• PEMBREE
• Rimpact
• RideWrap
• Gorilla Brakes

@andisykes