First of all, I bought these two bikes, simply because I liked the frames and wheels. At $300.00US for the pair, I figured it couldn't be that bad...famous last words. When the bikes arrived, they were both well packaged, but after un-boxing them, I was not impressed with their fit and finish. The Galena was a train wreck; dented and scratched fenders, obvious runs in the paint, scratched handlebars, slightly twisted forks, and lower head bearings that were improperly installed (Visibly crushed between the bottom of the head and the fork). The Onyx was in better shape, but the front inner tube needed to be replaced, there were runs in the paint, and the seat post was bent (I had to cutoff an inch and a half just to get it into the seat post tube). Lastly, the decals on both bikes appeared to have be installed by preschool children. Consequently, I immediately decided to completely rebuild both bikes.
Galena with all stickers removed and ready to be disassembled.
Onyx with stickers removed and ready to be disassembled.
My wife did not like the white paint, so I built a temporary paint booth in my garage. Since it wasn't my bike, I had my wife pick out a paint color. She's partial to green and while browsing the rattle can aisle at Lowes, I came across a paint that I'd never seen before. Rustoleum calls it Multishift paint and it costs about $15 a can (Ouch!). However, after seeing the final results, I think it looks pretty good and it's cool how the paint shifts from green to purple in variable light...plus, the wife loves it! Note: The white chain came off the Onyx and I painted the handlebars a silver metallic.
For my ride, I decided to paint the frame and forks a flat black, leaving everything else the factory gloss black. I also replaced the pedals with Sunlites, moved the front fender to the rear, and I shelved the chain guard and original rear fender. I really like the look and I'm really happy with the end result.
Galena with all stickers removed and ready to be disassembled.
Onyx with stickers removed and ready to be disassembled.
My wife did not like the white paint, so I built a temporary paint booth in my garage. Since it wasn't my bike, I had my wife pick out a paint color. She's partial to green and while browsing the rattle can aisle at Lowes, I came across a paint that I'd never seen before. Rustoleum calls it Multishift paint and it costs about $15 a can (Ouch!). However, after seeing the final results, I think it looks pretty good and it's cool how the paint shifts from green to purple in variable light...plus, the wife loves it! Note: The white chain came off the Onyx and I painted the handlebars a silver metallic.
For my ride, I decided to paint the frame and forks a flat black, leaving everything else the factory gloss black. I also replaced the pedals with Sunlites, moved the front fender to the rear, and I shelved the chain guard and original rear fender. I really like the look and I'm really happy with the end result.
