How hard wearing is spray paint?

So I recently bought a Wiggins Pau balance bike for my little girl, once she outgrows her current Indi balance bike (top of the Seat post extension now). I got it secondhand quite cheap with a few scuffs on but generally in good condition.

I’m toying with respraying it the same Orange as my Bird Aeris and getting some decals made up just for a giggle.

Firstly – would I just need to rough up the existing paint work to get new paint to key to it? (Maybe with a coat of primer first)?

Secondly – lacquer – will this make it quite hard wearing or is paint still going to be quite fragile if I use some kind of rattle can stuff? I’d get it powder coated but it would cost more and might struggle to match my bike so well.

Powder coating can be pretty cheap – few places near me do it for around £35.

Rattle can jobs don’t normally last well from what I have seen and heard.

i resprayed my bike using cans of enamel paint , has its limitations but perfectly respectable results if your realistic about its not going to be a perfect factory finish

its alot of work though and cost a good £50 on paint / materials

Look up Spray.bike paint. It’s much easier to use than standard rattlecans, though it’s still quite easy to do a poor job and I’m not yet convinced on the durability front. I keep meaning to write up my experiences, I’ve done four or five frames now.

If you want durability, nothing competes with a professional finish. Powdercoating gives easily the best durability-to-money ratio.

I have looked at powder coat before, but not for a whole frame (albeit this is a small one). Maybe I’ll try and get a quote. I don’t want to spend too much though as this was meant to be a cheap 2nd balance Bike!

I wouldn’t bother; it’s got a few scuffs – and will acquire a lot more before your little girl outgrows it.
Save your money for her first proper grown-up bike – unless, of course, you’ve built up her expectations.
I guess she will be happy to be getting another bike.

How many coats will you give it?

Rattle cans aren’t very good. The paint chips easily even with laquer. Save the hassle or get it powder coated.

You can buy a 2pac lacquer in a rattle can. It gives a very hard finish but it’s pricey.

Just get your bike powder coated to match the balance bike. No issues then with you growing out of it and littleun is stoked to be riding the same bike. 😂

Decent finish not difficult, no need to prime, just key. Won’t be durable though unless you use 2 pack.

Spray.bike paint. It’s much easier to use than standard rattlecans

How so?

how are regular bikes painted from new when they are not powder coated?

that’s what needs replicating.

how are regular bikes painted from new when they are not powder coated?

With a high volume air compressor sprayer , then oven baked to harden.

Just get your bike powder coated to match the balance bike. No issues then with you growing out of it and littleun is stoked to be riding the same bike. 😂

Only issue is I don’t want a silver bike with black and red stripes – I’d want it green. Although raw would also be ok with no stripes. And then I’d be painting both my bike and the balance bike as my wife has just clocked it and asked why I’ve bought a ‘boy’s bike’ for our little girl. Ffs!

Think I’m going to strip all the bits off the balance bike and get some quotes for powder coat- if they’re too expensive then I’ll just spray / lacquer it!

The painting of the balance bikenis pretty much for my benefit anyway – if it has a paw patrol or Peppa Pig bell my little girl will be sold on it anyway!

How so?

Isn’t prone to running, gives even coverage, etc. Though I’ll confess to very limited experience with standard paint.

Used spray.bike and one of their clear coats on my sons bike. Covered well but really not impressed by the durability. Even putting it in the bike stand as balanced and gently clamped as possible marks the paint. I have ended up pretty much entirely covering it with helitape to try and get some resistance.

Very disappointed with spray.bike, it was easier to work with than normal Rattle cans. But it isn’t at all durable, put my newly painted bike in the shed and where it had been gently leant against another bike, a big chunk of paint came off.

But it isn’t at all durable, put my newly painted bike in the shed and where it had been gently leant against another bike, a big chunk of paint came off.

Probably would have happened with any canned spray paint ime.

Yeah, so far I’ve struggled to get good durability out of it. I learn a bit more with each frame; fingers crossed for my current one.

Assuming you are located in Bristol, JoeBristol, then Griff’s Motorworks is a great place to get things powder coated in Bristol: http://www.realitymotorworks.co.uk/

I just had a medium Rockhopper frame done in metallic paint for £85 including sandblasting.

Just had to completely strip the frame of parts including headset cups etc and drop it off. Took them two weeks to do.