Need Paint/Rehab/Cheap Parts Ideas Please!

[deadman13]

Ive started Charleston Bike Rescue & Rehab, and most of the bikes Ive got and sold Ive just repainted flat black. Ive done other colours,but I need ideas. Pics appreciated

I am hoping to do some bikes to appeal to the college crowd, and all I have access to is walmart and auto places for rattle cans. The next bike Id like to do in a powder blue with white, and if I can find it a chrome strip separating the colours. If not chrome, darker blue I guess. Heres my issues:

Where can I get chrome stickered pinstriping? Or any good colours. I know autozone and the like will carry some.

How hard would it be to just do a simple line by hand drawing the pinstripe old school? (Ive only got 70% function in me left arm from a car running me over 9 years ago, but Im a righty)

90% of the bikes I get in either have UGLY rims, or theyre bent. Is there anywhere I can get coaster brake rim sets cheap/in discount? Same with tires, I have 4 bikes sitting because they need 26" white walls and im not wanting to put a $40 set of tires on a $10 bike. The last tire/rim set I bought ran me $170 from my LBS. Cables also.

Lastly, I could use some pics of anyones repainted bike, both ladies and mens. I have sold over 20 murray montereys in the past month...theyre everywhere here.

Im trying to go with classic car/hot rod themes within my limitations above. I need durable, rattle can paint. heck, my next bike is going to be covered in the truck bed liner!

Thanks all. This is by far my fav forum on the net. Nicest group around. Thanks!

 

[JLarkin]

If you are going to paint bikes by the dozen you should consider getting a small air compressor and a touch up gun. Harbor Freight sells a touch-up small spray gun for $14, $5 air flow regulator and a $6 hose. Craiglist, Sunday classifieds and yard sales are good places to find a compressor. With the above equipment, now you can buy some decent paint for cheap. Tractor Supply sells Valspar paint by the quart and even has hardener available. The have several colors so you can create a variety of looks. Now you can paint bikes and have them dry in a day instead of a week. Plus buying paint by the quart ends up being cheaper than rattle cans; cans have gotten to be $6 - $7 each for good stuff. A bike only needs about a pint of 50/50 reduced paint. A quart yields four pints when reduced 50/50.

For rims, michaelscycles here on the board has quoted some very reasonable prices for wheelsets. I'd contact him.

Autozone or simlar places likely have the chrome tape. If you want to learn hand striping, good luck. It requires dedication and I've not decided to take the time to learn either.

Tons of photos here in the BIke Gallery. Read alot of threads. I don't know what college students are into these days. Booze and sex is timeless for most young adults.

 

[Philphine]

hit some flea markets if you haven't already. the set of bikes i've been trying to make for my family are all flea market/thrift store finds, as are a lot of the parts. these particular bikes don't cost me much more to make than what i paid for them to start with.

i haven't specificly looked for white walls much, but when i did try to find some a local shop pulled a couple older ones from the back of their store. i think i paid $10 each. they were 20" though.

i have black walls on most of mine just because they're easier to find off mountain and bmx bikes. maybe you could like have black walls as standard and white walls like an offered upgrade, that way some people who won't care will be fine with blackwalls and you won't need as many whitewalls. maybe just keep a couple sets around to change out if someone wants them. if people are willing to pay extra for whitewalls, it will offset your cost of getting them and/or keeping them in stock.

 

[Crassly]

If you are looking for brake cables, I have a bunch of nos ones I would like to get rid of cheap. A lot of them are universal that you cut to fit so they would work on a lot of different bikes.

 

[michaelscycles]

I too have not tried my hand at pinstriping, I still use the rolls of tape for cars. Instead of Auto Zone, see if there is an auto body supply store near you. They sell much longer rolls, all different widths and colors, and much cheaper then an auto parts store will have them for. The one near me has hundreds of different styles to pick from.

As far as the other parts, as stated above, I may be able to help. 26" whitewalls start at around $10. Shipping all depends on where you are located. I see you are in SC I am in PA, so it wouldn't be that bad.