Velocolour Bicycle Painting

[velocolour]

This is pretty cool Noah. Thanks for taking the time to organize all these posts.
Craig

Thanks Craig,
It is very time consuming but as long as people are interested or curious than it is worth it. By the way, the last time I documented an entire repaint was a here a few years ago on a 1950's Cinelli. Pretty stark contrast to this project. I have learned a lot since then and still have a lot to learn.
Thanks for looking Craig.
noah

[velocolour]

After a few beers and a few bike rides I thought I'd get a little colour on this machine.

Everything was clear coated to seal the edges and make sure there would be no bleed through or running under the masking. I lightly primed the frame to give a bright and even base for the colour. Scuffed and then colour by colour the sections were filled in staring with white on for the down tube font and arrow. As previously stated everything but the section to be painted was masked to keep the paint from building up.
I didn't want to bore with too many pictures but you can see the white has been painted and is being masked. The inside of the arrow is masked and the outer section will be painted next.
It's hard to wait until the enitre thing is done to see how things are coming out so I took of some of the inner maskings as I went to make sure it was going as it should. As well I prefer not to leave masking on for too long so I was more comfortable removing some of it along the way.
On it goes. All of the colours were filled in and masked then all that was left to do was paint the main frame colour.
I wanted the frame to be bright but not completely white so I went with a very light gray. In my head the white of the Pinarello font with carbon black outline would create a really nice gentle contrast to the gray.
Once the paint cured enough the exciting and and terrifying part came happend.
Unmasking...
You finally get to see if you've gone horribly wrong with colours and/or design and also find out how much clean-up there will be. Generally there should be much but there are always a few areas where the paint mask may have lifted up and paint has made it's way underneath. The Prince frame with all of it's undulations is a bit of a masking nightmare. It can be a real challenge to keep the masking down in the groves as it wants to gently lift and sit flat with the rest of the material. It is imperative not to stretch the paint mask or tape when you are laying it down. It will almost always move and shrink back to its original shape and position. As well, the solvents in the paint soften the material some and can increase the likely hood of this happening.
A few small areas to scrape at with a knife but over all everything went pretty smoothly.
noah

[Rody]

Noah,

As a pinball enthusiast and a hack painter, I admire the vision, and cringe at the amount of time and precision involved :)

Enjoying watching your process.

cheers,

rody

[velocolour]

Noah,

As a pinball enthusiast and a hack painter, I admire the vision, and cringe at the amount of time and precision involved :)

Enjoying watching your process.

cheers,

rody

Hey Rody,
I thought I was the hack painter here.
Yes, lots of work here. I have been trying to keep it to evenings and between coats on other projects as not to lose too much time to the regular work load. Big projects like this always manage to distract from what you "should" be doing though I think in the long run this stuff is really important.
The really labour intensive part comes after all the colour is on.
noah

[velocolour]

Even after all of the planning is finished, the maskings have been drawn, cut and laid down. Even after each colour has been painted and masked and clear coats have been sprayed there is still lots to do. Sanding, sanding, sanding.

Clear coat, as well as giving a nice glossy finish and protecting the colour, decals and whatever else might be underneath, is also used to build up uneven surfaces and fill in low areas in the paint. The number of clear coats you put down depends on how many layers you are trying to level out and how smooth a finish you want.
The Pinarello had lots of colours but none were overlapping so I had to apply enough clear to even out one clear coat, one primer coat and two colour coats. I put down 5 clear coats over the detailed areas and two more over the entire frame.
This would give me 2-3 extra clear coats to even things out. One thing to know is even when you think you have plenty, it's not enough. The Pinarello was much more difficult than previous projects to sand smooth. The front section for instance with four colour stripes and five deep and narrow partitions down to the carbon underneath proved to be a challenge to sand. On top of the small details the undulations in the Prince frame once again added challenges to an already difficult task. It was very easy to sand through the high spots on this frame without really getting down in to the grooves.
You have to pay very close attention during the leveling sand and check for any slight colour shifts in the paint or coloured dust on the sand paper.
Halfway through the seven hours of sanding I added another 3 clear coats to the tricky parts of this paint scheme as knew I was getting very close to the colour in a few spots and still had a lot of sanding to do. If you go through it you're eff'ed.
No problems here though it was hot and I hate sanding in the heat.

I will also note that my masking cutter and decal printer (the shop not the machine) has recently quit on me. George said that the jobs have been getting more and more complex and it's too much from them. This project seems to have put them over the top.
Currently I have a line on a vinyl cutter and will start cutting everything myself. I prefer to keep what I can in house at any rate.
noah

[jmoote]

Fantastic Noah, I can't wait to see the finished product!

[velocolour]

Fantastic Noah, I can't wait to see the finished product!

Thanks Jeff.

[velocolour]

Once the sanding is done you're on your way. Blow the frame (and yourself) off with an air gun. Tack it, clean it, tack it and... This is your last chance to make sure everything is good. Look it all over. Cleaning with light mineral spirits help you see what is there and if there are any flaws.
Then one or two good clear coats to bring back the gloss, shine and depth.
Well, I think all the sanding was worth it.
Walter Lai came in on Saturday to help shoot some final pictures. The pictures I took weren't bad but no there is no replacement for a professional.
noah

[velocolour]

Here's a few more detail images. I don't have the final full shots yet. When I get them, you'll get them.
I've also noticed the colour really dulls down in these small sized images. I will get the full sized photos up on flickr shortly. The full sized images are much better and the detail really comes out.
Now I just hope someone buys this thing after all this or at least likes.
Final images and details to come.
Thanks for looking.
noah

[velocolour]

And the computer drawings for context.

[velocolour]

And a few final pics. Left, right and one in the middle. Ooh, they don't look very good here. To Flickr shortly.

So, this frame set will be auctioned on ebay apparently. If I were Richard Sachs I'd probably have all of the details sorted out but my small brain can only handle so many things at a time. After the time demand of designing and painting I am left with little little time for more than continuing to work through my current wait list which has been steadily growing for quite some time.
Ebay may not have been my first choice as I find it a bit cold and a pretty un-sexy way to do this. I guess others have decided it to be a reasonable way to handle it.
And so it goes...
The Pinarello currently hangs at Blacksmith Cycles in Toronto. They have graciously offered space to display the frame while the auction takes place.
Once again, more details when I have them.
Flickr added if you're interested
noah

[velocolour]

The press release posted by Mike at Blacksmith
Head on over and have look for yourself.

[velocolour]

The Ebay auction page is now live.
I think it looks great and am happy they were able to use so many images.
Have a look, make a bid.
noah

[velocolour]

Well the auction has been on for five or six days now and the price has been creeping up. It hasn't met the reserve yet though there is still plenty of time.

Amazing to have the support of Sky, Canadian Cycling, Pedal Magazine and many others who posted about this project.

The auction system is a strange thing to be apart of. After many months of discussion, planning, designing and painting it all comes down to ten days on ebay.
It is hard to know what to make of all of this. How does the final price reflect my value as an artist or bike painter?
If the final price remains low does that show a lack of interest in the object?
Perhaps it lacked instead in advertising or its specific size was the ultimate limiter.
Really it is something I try not to think about but I it’s probably only natural to have these concerns. The end result can’t be taken at face value as I believe there are too many factors at play.
My wait list continues to grow and I now have customers coming in from outside N. America. This is exciting but being that I am equal parts confidence and self-doubt, most days are a struggle either way. A big thing (to me) like this Pinball project is as exciting for me as it is worrisome.

This self-evaluation aside, the response about the Pinarello has surprised me. I have received many notes saying that Michael and I have inspired others to want to do something good for others. Some have said though they won’t bid on the Pinarello because it is either the wrong size or more money than they have to spend they will still be donating to Right to Play on their own. Others have just expressed their appreciation for what we are doing.
It has also spawned some other possible projects, which can’t yet be spoken about, but I will say I am always amazed at the compassion people have for one another and the desire to make a difference and have a positive impact.

After all of this I guess I just hope this bike makes a lot of money for a good cause.
Once again a couple thoughts have turned into another rambling post.

As always, thanks for reading,
noah

[velocolour]

I haven't posted anything here in a little while and it looks like Mr. Pegoretti needs a break.

A Toronto city/entertainment paper just did a piece on me. In fact I was immortalized on the holographic cover page and they gave me a big two page spread inside. Pretty awesome.
Most of the info is more or less accurate though I'd like to dispute the term bicycle painting artist and being the premier one at that but anywho...
Noah Rosen of VéloColour: North America

[Too Tall]

I for one really enjoy keeping up with Noah Rosen.

[Matthew Strongin]

I haven't posted anything here in a little while and it looks like Mr. Pegoretti needs a break.

A Toronto city/entertainment paper just did a piece on me. In fact I was immortalized on the holographic cover page and they gave me a big two page spread inside. Pretty awesome.
Most of the info is more or less accurate though I'd like to dispute the term bicycle painting artist and being the premier one at that but anywho...
Noah Rosen of VéloColour: North America

So you won't do something like a howling wolf with a cobra if asked?



Congrats on the press! Your work looks awesome.

[velocolour]

Carl&Rose3.jpg
Carl&Rose is a new product design company I recently started with my partner Suzanne.

Suzanne Carlsen, cyclist, jeweler, textile artist, florist, should I go on? She formerly operated Poka Cycle Accessories creating custom and small run head badges and chain guards along with bike bags (including the Velocolour Musette).

Noah Rosen (Me) yeah you know me.

Carl&Rose is a wide ranging product design company focused on cycling goods, interiors from individual objects to large scale installations and wearables (jewellery if you like).

We are starting to get some media attention across the board and are getting our current products in to LBCs, shops and galleries accordingly.

New products are coming out shortly including musettes, alternate design saddle bags, tool rolls and panniers to speak of the cycling products and more for the other categories as well.

I was going to post the bags in the classifieds but thought the smart, good-looking crowd here at VS deserved the whole thing.
Carl&Rose

Thanks for looking and hope you find this interesting.
Noah

Mods if you want to move this than do what you must and I'll post more personal stuff relating to this in the SO thread.

[Too Tall]

Thanks for letting us in on the ground floor Noah. As we are coming to expect creative and wonderful things from you this is another welcome surprise.

[rowdyhillrambler]

me likey..