Painting your bike helps make it uniquely yours.

Image Credit: Thinkstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images Carbon fiber bicycles are becoming increasingly popular now that improved techniques in manufacturing have brought the prices down. Made of woven carbon fibers sealed within epoxy resin, carbon frames are both strong and light. Painting a carbon frame requires a bit more care than painting one made of high tensile steel because epoxy resin damages more easily. But, with the proper care and gentle touch, you can custom-paint a carbon frame bicycle at far less expense than a professional paint job requires.

  Advertisement
 
Step 1

Cover your work area with a drop cloth to protect it from sanding dust and paint.

  Video of the Day
  
Step 2

Wash your bike frame thoroughly with a mild degreasing cleanser such as dish liquid dissolved in hot water. Do not use cold water, because it won’t cut through oil or grease without excessive scrubbing.

Step 3

Dry your bike frame with shop cloths. Don’t use old towels because they can leave fibers or lint behind.

  Advertisement
 
Step 4

Remove or tape over any parts of the bicycle that you don’t intend to paint.

Step 5

Dampen a sheet of 220 grit or finer wet/dry sandpaper and lightly roughen the surface of your bike. Keep a very gentle touch because you don’t want to remove any existing paint, all you want to do is remove the slickness of the surface so that the new paint has something to cling to.

  Advertisement
 
Step 6

Wipe your bike down with tack cloths to remove every trace of sanding dust.

Step 7

Hang your bike frame to let you spray paint both sides without having to wait for one to dry before painting the other. This can be accomplished in several different ways, so choose the method that works best for you. For example, insert a wire hanger through the seat-tube clamp holes and suspend the bike frame from a clothesline. Slide the seat-tube opening over a piece of rebar stuck vertically in the ground, or simply clamp the frame to a sawhorse or the edge of your worktable.

  Advertisement
 
  Advertisement
 
Step 8

Put on your protective gear, which should include a painter’s mask, goggles and latex gloves, which will keep the paint off your hands and still allow you work the spray nozzle.

Step 9

Hold the can of epoxy paint approximately 6 to 10 inches from your bike’s frame. Spray the paint on in long, even strokes. Don’t use any epoxy paint that requires heat to seal it unless you are an expert at heat-sealing paint. Appliance or automotive spray epoxy should work fine on a carbon bike.

Step 10

Let the paint dry completely according to the manufacturer’s suggested drying time. Add 30 to 60 minutes if it is damp or raining outside.

Things You'll Need

Drop cloths Degreasing cleanser Sponge Shop cloths Painter’s tape or bike tools Wet/dry sandpaper, 220-grit or finer Tack cloths Painter’s mask Goggles Gloves Epoxy paint Clear coat Tip Seal your paint with a thin, even layer of clear coat designed to be compatible with epoxy paint, for a longer-lasting finish. Warning Never use a chemical stripper on a carbon frame because it will damage the epoxy resin coating the frame and holding it together.

  Advertisement
 
  Advertisement
  
  references
  
      Ride On: Carbon Fibre Care and Repair
    
      Sheldon Brown: Carbon Fiber Q &ampamp; A
    
      The Project Junkie: Carbon Bike Repair
       




  references
  
      Ride On: Carbon Fibre Care and Repair
    
      Sheldon Brown: Carbon Fiber Q &ampamp; A
    
      The Project Junkie: Carbon Bike Repair
    




Painting your bike helps make it uniquely yours.

Image Credit: Thinkstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images

Image Credit: Thinkstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images

  • Drop cloths
  • Degreasing cleanser
  • Sponge
  • Shop cloths
  • Painter’s tape or bike tools
  • Wet/dry sandpaper, 220-grit or finer
  • Tack cloths
  • Painter’s mask
  • Goggles
  • Gloves
  • Epoxy paint
  • Clear coat

Seal your paint with a thin, even layer of clear coat designed to be compatible with epoxy paint, for a longer-lasting finish.

Never use a chemical stripper on a carbon frame because it will damage the epoxy resin coating the frame and holding it together.

      Ride On: Carbon Fibre Care and Repair
    
      Sheldon Brown: Carbon Fiber Q &ampamp; A
    
      The Project Junkie: Carbon Bike Repair