Powder and Paint

[EnginCycles]

Been a wet paint person my entire time i have had any interest in bicycles. Powder coated bikes always looked dull and lacking luster. With that said i just got my first bike back from Spectrum Powder Coating (it was the customers request and my painter was very curious to see the potential of powder). I have to say it is the most amazing finish. Paid some real money for the work but worth every penny. I still prefer the wet paint but man this has my attention. I do however think it is Spectrum and Spectrum only i would be impressed with.

Curt having just made the leap i am curious what your thoughts are. Why did you go for wet paint when you set up shop? Powder has it advantages for my area (permits and all) and if i could achieve this finish i would set it up in house.

This bike will be at NAHBS and i think people will really like the finish.

Cheers,
Drew

[rphetteplace]

I have several bikes that have been done by Spectrum. The paint is immaculate. Powder is definately different than wet no two ways about it. Just different but equally nice and tougher than nails. I just had a bike wet painted by Spectrum that I haven't gotten back yet also. The pictures they sent are off the hook though and I'm super jazzed to get it.

[steve garro]

spectrum is abso-frickin'-lutely professional and the finished product is off the charts. Mark & Liz are really great, nice people too. always a bonus in this biz. they are who i send bikes to that clients want to be really special. i'm powdercoat all the way. i had about 20 bikes done wet, and next thing i know i'm being slagged on forums for "shoddy paint". the bikes i make get drug through bushes, wrecked, dropped, scraped on rocks, thrown in 3rd world busses, all kinds of stuff, it never ceases to amaze me what people can do to bikes - i sure did awful things to them. powder just holds up. that said, i can see why one would get a swank wet coat on a sweet road bike. check this frame out. i get this powder job done 10min. from my house for $100.00 - primer, base coat, and a clear or sparkle topcoat. average turnaround, 2-3 days. that's what i'm talkin' about...........steve.

[EnginCycles]

Steve,
I hear what you are saying but bad powder (not noticeable from the outside) is really not good for a bike. They rust under the powder and always die a terrible death. I have seen way more yeti's and bontrager's rust through than the wet paint bikes from the same era. paint might chip but primer stays and keeps the bike from rusting through. I could care less about chips. It is a part of bicycles.

This is more about the ability to match a wet paint in masking and details. very rarely do i have a single color finish. most powder people can not touch this finish Spectrum does. My question is more about that. what are we looking at for equal quality? I will just send it to Spectrum for outside work. I am curious about in-house work.

Cheers,
Drew

[steve garro]

Steve,
I hear what you are saying but bad powder (not noticeable from the outside) is really not good for a bike. They rust under the powder and always die a terrible death. I have seen way more yeti's and bontrager's rust through than the wet paint bikes from the same era. paint might chip but primer stays and keeps the bike from rusting through. I could care less about chips. It is a part of bicycles.

This is more about the ability to match a wet paint in masking and details. very rarely do i have a single color finish. most powder people can not touch this finish Spectrum does. My question is more about that. what are we looking at for equal quality? I will just send it to Spectrum for outside work. I am curious about in-house work.

Cheers,
Drew

uuummmm.........i don't THINK that i'm disagreeing with you.........FWIW, i don't think that i'm supplying my clients with a sucky finish. that's why i insist that my powdercoater use the new{ish} primers for powder as well as a topcoat {spectrum does both of these measures as well}. i hate chippy paintjobs, esp. $500.00 ones. i have a bike coming up and the customer is having it sent to Joe Bell - his choice, and that's his choice to make. i'm sure it will be stunning. as per rust, i feel that if you are REALLY using a bike like the tool it's intended to be, then you are going to have to take anti-rust measures as needed, and i think that includes a paintjob every five years or so as well as taking care of the internal rust duties. very few of my clients want anything really fancy - they want a good, straight, durable bike at a good price. if they want to bling it out, i'll help them along that path too......not being confrontational, just sayin'....... steve.

[EnginCycles]

Steve,
I hear you. I trust your local guy is good. Here the local people are always turning employees and that i do not trust. My painter Todd is a GREAT guy and i like him tons. In fact he is looking to get set-up for both powder and the wet paint.

Looking forward to seeing a JB finish on one of your frames. He is a killer guy on top of a killer painter.

Cheers,
Drew