help, to paint or not to paint

[WWOW]

hey all,
1. does any know how much it would cost(appx) to paint a bike?

i saw on another thread an lbs charged $40.00 to put bike back together after paint job.

2. what should i expect to pay a lbs to take everything off and back on?

oh the dilemma, i'm looking @ a specialized dolce expert(ultegra 10) or to paint my bike and upgrade the components.

[DeniseGoldberg]

I suspect that your $40 figure to put a bike back together after a paint job is pretty low. given that is lower than the price for just a tune-up at shops around here. Are you going to take everything off of the frame and then have your LBS rebuild it, or will you need them to take everything off of the frame before painting and then reassemble it afterwards?

As a start, I would call your LBS to get prices to strip the frame and then rebuild it. Plus get an idea how much the new components you're dreaming of will cost.

Just out of curiosity I did a quick web search for folks who paint bicycles. Obviously I don't know any of these people, but... here are a couple of links where you should be able to get some price comparisons:
http://www.airglowpainting.com/
http://www.koolbikes.com/
Link to a bunch of frame painters via www.mikebentley.com

Have fun dreaming of and building your new bike!
--- Denise

[bcipam]

Another thread to check out is: http://spectrumpowercoating.com

They do beautiful custom paint jobs. Might cost you $500 or so.

[Susie]

My bike shop knows a local guy who does beautiful custom paint jobs for $250. They recently quoted me when it looked like I was going to get a paint defective frame delivered. Luckily, the frame that arrived had no issues. You might check with other bike shopes in the area -- they may know of someone.

Susie

[WWOW]

thanks gals!

i'm going to check with a shop tomorrow.

yes, i would want everything taken off and put back on! not something i can do. shoot, i'm lucky if i can fix a flat! heehee

[tprevost]

I think it was me who said my LBS charged $40 to strip and put my bike back together. Basically, they stripped it and held onto the parts, I took the frame to a powdercoat place and had it powdercoated in a two step process for $150 and then brought it back to the LBS to be put back together ($40 total for both strip and rebuild) You can't do designs, like flames etc., with powdercoating, but if you want, you can do things that would be taped off (like stripes or half/half). It was pretty neat actually. The bike I did this to was DH's old mtn bike and although its a great bike for me that I will keep another few years, I didn't want to spend a ton to get it painted. So, I figured that the $190 (okay, then I had to get new water bottle holders ) that I spent will tide me over for a few years!

If the components on your existing bike work well for you and you can find the right price for new paint, its pretty fun to be able to choose your own color! But, sometimes its worth it to buy a new bike to get the new components etc. Let us know what you find out!

Here's a picture of the bike I had powdercoated. You can't really tell but its got a red base that looks firey orange in the sun.

Tracy

[WWOW]

hey tracey,
thanks for the reply,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,it was you! i didn't think i was crazy. i checked with my lbs---$150.00 to strip and put back together. boy, i like your price much better.

i want to upgrade my components, so i really need to sit down and price out everything.

thanks so much for your reply,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,could i give you a call and talk a little more,,,,,
my email beverlyt0520@sc.rr.com

thanks again everyone!

[SadieKate]

I would say the $150 to strip and rebuild is more the norm. Single powdercoat starting at $150 is probably the norm also.

Lucky me, I'll be stripping a bike this weekend on the fly to get it powdercoated sooner than planned. (Thanks jo and snap, whew!)