Custom stickers/decals (and de-stickering)

[mhespenheide]

As much as I drool over modern carbon, I have a titanium LeMond "Victoire" that is likely to continue as my bike #1 for a while yet to come. It rides great, but I'd like to change the aesthetics.

Currently the bike has blue panels with grey lettering. I'd like to change it to white panels with black letters in a different font. I know, I should ride more and obsess less. Granted.

[1] Has anyone gone through the process of getting custom decals made and applying them? Do you recommend any company in particular? Are there any things I should look out for or try to anticipate? Is this a DIY process, or should I hand it over to someone else? If I do hand the entire job over to someone else, do you know of anyone in Seattle (or Portland?) that you'd recommend?

[2] What's the best way to get the current stickers/decals off the frame? Or, failing that, can you point me towards an existing thread or website that talks about the process.

Thanks for putting up with my speculation,
Mark.

[zennmotion]

Ti frame, and on the cheap? You can buy a pack of waterslide decal paper that runs through a laser printer and make your own design, font etc. It can be applied, then clearcoated with rattlecan clear enamel- start with a VERY light spritz for the first layer and then several layers afterward (mask off the rest of the frame, obviously). Use a laser (the pigment is non-watersoluble powder) and not inkjet. Press from the middle of the decal out to avoid trapped air bubbles. Not exactly professional quality, but looks OK and fairly robust, it will hold up for a few years if not abused. And on a Ti frame the clear is easy to remove with solvent and then re-apply the decals when they're looking old. Any color but white- laser printers don't print white and the decal paper is clear (once the backing is removed). You'd have to spraypaint the white panel, then apply the decal. You could print a panel in a color other than white though. Printing a non-white panel with "white" lettering would result in the bare Ti showing through the decal, which I think would look pretty cool. Caveat-I've done this for cheap rattle can paint jobs on steel and was pleased with the results- but not Ti- I think Ti would be easier if anything. Another Caveat- use a good quality printer, take your graphic file to a Kinkos and pay for a few copies run through one of their expensive machines. And try to use a machine that's cooled off and not run for awhile, the waterslide paper is notorious for jamming- so don't try it at work when the boss is around!

As for getting the old graphics/paint off the frame, with Ti it should be easy, I'd just use a paint stripper, obviously just avoid use of any kind of abrasives (scotchbrite etc). But the Ti should be immune to any solvents- I like the citrus gel strippers as they're non-flammable and less toxic, paint it on and let it sit for 30 mins or so and the paint and decals should rub right off with a solvent soaked rag.

[vqdriver]

i did mine at stickeryou.com

good for one off jobs.

[TopQuark]

i did mine at stickeryou.com

good for one off jobs.

Cool site. Which one did you select for decals? Clear stickers, window decals, or custom logos?

[ultraman6970]

The idea of the ecal paper is good but you have to be carefull with the paper and the clear you will pick, some paper is so bad that from looking at it starts disintegrating, some paper no matter the clear it starts wrinkling while the clear dries. I would use polyurethane 1k or 2k clear... rattle can might burn the water slide decals.

Good luck.

[vqdriver]

Cool site. Which one did you select for decals? Clear stickers, window decals, or custom logos?

I had an image file I emailed to them and had them make it into a vinyl decal. Applied it over matte powder. Looks good

[eddief]

rather than what came on the bike, you can design some fine stick ons right here. A fun place to play around:

http://doityourselflettering.com/create/

[mandasol]

Give your local sign shop a try. I had a local shop recreate decals for several bike redo's and they were able to find designs online and recreate them almost exactly and the cost was actually kind of cheap considering the extra time they put into making the designs as accurate as possible.

[tv_vt]

I just got some replacement decals from Velocals.com for a Serotta. You can pick colors and outlines. Browse around that site. They make replacement decals for over 100 bike brands in the original fonts.

T

[Gatorfreak]

I recently removed the decals from my motobecane Ti frame. I recommend citristrip. Walmart carries it. It's nontoxic and you just put it on the decal, wait 15-30 mins and wipe it off. Decals are gone. It was really that easy on mine.