Paint Dilemma

[rpm]

So I sent my Strong ti frame off to Spectrum Powderworks for a new paint job, specifying a light metallic blue. Tonight I got it back, and it's not metallic, but a light opaque blue.

I'm conflicted about what to do. It's not what I asked for, but it's beautifully done--they even did a mask off of Carl's signature, and the price was quite reasonable. It's not quite as light as in the pictures--it's a basic powder blue that may be Carl's stock color, Playboy Blue. It's also not unlike some classic French bikes. It is a color that would be nicely complemented by carbon components and white tape and saddle.

So, if you were in my shoes, what would you do? Send it back and have them redo it, or adjust my expectations and enjoy it?

[CNY rider]

I think that looks sharp.
I would build it up and ride it. :beer:

[Viper]

Memphis blue. Classic color. My Strong is en route to Spectrum for Eddy Orange with blue decals (Molteni-esque). I think your frame will look fantastic as you envision it; Record bits, white bar tape etc.

[ti_boi]

Damn that is gorgeous......RIDE IT!!! Sometimes the best mistakes become favorites....there is song there I think...

Dude...if I was in your shoes.....I'd be what.....6'8"? That frame is large. :beer:

[Viper]

Plus I like the paint itself, not powder coated, not metallic, just classy paint.

[Spicoli]

Enjoy it, it looks awesome I think! Custom kinda stuff is tough, its so hard to get your vision across to someone. Plus you imagine it while your waiting and that makes it worse? The bike looks great I would do a "Bob Ross"(Hippy Painter Dude w/afro) and call it a "Happy Accident"! :banana:

[Fivethumbs]

To me, that looks better than metallic blue would have looked. But you gotta look at it and ride it everyday and you probably won't be painting it again anytime soon. So, if you had your heart set on metallic blue, I would send it back.

[cs124]

I don't know what I'd do in your situation...but the colour you recieved looks great to me.

[Blue Jays]

Give them a call and see if they'll extend a decent discount to another bicycle frame that you'll send them within six months. That way they don't have to redo quality work and you'll be comfortable about the earlier color confusion.
It would be a win-win situation that way...

[huey]

I had a Titus Racer-X in almost the same color, and regret the fact that I sold it. While I realize that I'm comparing apples, to oranges, I would totally build that up and ride the #%*! out of it. I think that it looks fantastic!!!!! :beer:

[Peter P.]

If you didn't specify a manufacturer's paint chip number, I feel you're out of luck.

Here's why: a mere DESCRIPTION of a color, perhaps provided in writing or on the phone, is SUBJECT TO INTERPRETATION by the painter. He may not have "heard" you mention "metallic" or maybe overlooked the written word in an e-mail. If you were there in person and pointed to a paint chip in a catalog, or provide them with a manufacturer's number such as "DuPont Imron #4313, Continental Blue Metallic", then there would be no question as there would be no room for interpretation or misconstruence.

I had something similar happen to me, so I can empathize. Although it left me unenthused about my repainted bike, I grew to at least accept the color.

Another story: my buddy wanted his frame repaired and powdercoated but he's an internet Luddite. I was the intermediary: Spectrum's subcontractor did the repairs and Spectrum would do the powdercoat. My buddy wanted "bright orange" or "safety/neon orange". That's exactly what I told Spectrum. They responded that there was nothing close to "neon or safety" but they would do the best they could. The color was more like a cheddar cheese orange. It was a quality job but the color was not nearly what I was hoping for. My friend isn't that fussy so he was satisfied. Had I bothered to peruse some powdercoat color chips, like perhaps you should have, I would have had no surprises. You might have discovered the limitations with metallic blue and powdercoats. Caveat Emptor for both of us.

However, if you are VERY diplomatic and nice about it, you could contact Spectrum and see how they respond; you might get lucky and it doesn't hurt to ASK. The best advertising they have is a satisfied customer and if we hear you ASKED NICELY and they didn't even hesitate to take the frame back to try and please you, I'll bet we'll hear about it and they'll earn new customers without even knowing it. The key here is to be very pleasant and conciliatory. Perhaps offer to pay a percentage of a full repaint price as a gesture of good will. Let us know what happens.

[DarrenCT]

its a good surprise

ride it and enjoy

besides, looks isnt everything anyways....

[bluehorseshoe]

I love it. Great frame, great color.

Then again, I have a strong in playboy blue. I think non-metallics are underrated and will age really well, especially in classic light colors. Sorta like classic bianchi celeste, only more blue.

Enjoy it lots.

[Grant McLean]

Looks like they missed a spot at the back, no?

:)

Looks great, have the fork painted in the same colour!

-g

[avalonracing]

Jury is in... Everyone likes it.
Besides if you get a scratch it will be easier to match. Ask for some touch up paint.

[333halfevil]

As many already know, I am a painter, and I am the first to wanna know if I screwed up. For a frame painting company, spectrum should not have painted the frame without a paint code # a or a paint chip. I just do not understand how they can run a competitive business if they continue to do stuff like this. I have a similar story. My buddy had a local auto body shop paint some plastic for his motorcycle. He gave them the name of the color as well as the paint code. When he got the parts back, they were not even close to what he wanted, and he still had to pay $500. To make a long story short, my buddy has a lot of friends that ride motorcycles and now sends them all to me!!!! I'd have your frame repainted. I've done repaints for much,much more minute reasons. :beer:

[Ken Robb]

I like the color--it is like my Hampsten. FWIW, I think metallics are not as durable as non-metallics so maybe you're ahead in this game? :banana:

[rpm]

Thanks, folks, your comments are helpful, and I'm glad to get a painter's perspective from halfevil. I clearly should have given them an exact color number. But I did tell give them quite a bit of detail about my desires, including telling them that I wanted a silver blue metallic that was like my other silver Strong but with a blue tint, and including a picture of another forum member's Zanc as an example (see below). Perhaps I gave them too much information. I sent them an initial e-mail and included a note with the bike, and then filled out an an online order form, too (Their website was a little confusing on that score).

But the opaque blue is cool, too--check out the DeRosa. And it is probably a nicer contrast with the bare ti. As compensation, I could ask them to paint my fork as a freebie or at a heavy discount. But as halfevil points out, I'm justified in asking for a full redo. I'm still thinking about it.

[big shanty]

Looks good....roll with it.

[swoop]

it looks rad.

[Karin Kirk]

Does the color match the Michelin PR2 tires in light blue?
If so, that would look fabulous! (seeing as that's exactly how my bike is) :rolleyes:

[flux]

Sure that other color is "cool" and all that but if you spent good coin for metallic blue, why compromise?

[Marcus Torino]

Build it with an all Aluminum Record or Chorus group, Campy Ti post, Deda Dark Metal or whatever they call that finish 100/Neuton bar/stem, white tape and saddle and ride the c**p out of it.

Your going to get looks for the size anyways, why not give them something to really look at. It reminds me of the Litespeed Palmares blue, which is the only Litespeed I ever lusted after.

You could try complaining, they might cut you something for keeping it, but don't cheapen that stunning finish in the process (in your mind) so you think about it every time you ride it.

[stevep]

i would ride it. it looks nice.

[davids]

To me, that looks better than metallic blue would have looked. But you gotta look at it and ride it everyday and you probably won't be painting it again anytime soon. So, if you had your heart set on metallic blue, I would send it back.Took the words right out of my mouth (there's definitely a song there!)

The blue you got is one of my absolute favorites, and I think the frame is spectacular. But that's me.

Good luck with your choice. Either way, it's a great-looking frame.

[mflaherty37]

Get some pink bar tape.

OK, I'm not helping but I had to.

[soulspinner]

My daughter happened to be looking at the forum with me and her comment was it "looks girlie but I like it". Judging from the size of that frame you can handle anyone who wants to break your stones. Ride that thing, its hot!

[Ahneida Ride]

The frame looks fantastic ..... That's the color I wanted ... or close to it.

But ... It's not what you want ... you clearly specified metalic ....

What if the color does not grow on you ... ?

[thejen12]

Wow! I am not a fan of light blue, but that's a great looking light blue bike! Has it grown on you any?

I picked out color chips for my custom bike and spoke with the painter over the phone. I knew exactly what I wanted and thought I communicated it well. When I first saw the bike, it was not at all like the picture in my mind or what I thought I had described. I was disappointed. However, as I looked closely, I realized that it was much more a work of art than my crude imaginings, and was really quite beautiful. The reason I didn't like it originally was because it wasn't what I expected. As soon as I got rid of my prior expectations, I loved it.

That said, I would say you should be fully entitled to a "do-over" because it's obviously not metallic. I don't know that you should be entitled to keep it and get a repaint of a different frame, though (as some have suggested), that doesn't seem right seeing as how this was a well done paint job, just not the right color.

Jenn

[rpm]

I appreciate all the wisdom from the electronic village. This morning my wife came down and said "Wow, that's a striking color" and suggested I get a new jersey to match. And then I took it my LBS where the crowd told paint surprise stories and reminisced about how it looked like a Schwinn color from the 70's and a 90's Bianchi Verata.

As part of the Support_Your_LBS_In_the_Winter program, I left it to be fitted with a Force/Red gruppo and the hot new Hed Ardennes wheels. And yes, Karin, it does match the PR2's nicely, but I'm afraid that's a bit too over the top with the girlie look for me. It will get some Black Chili Conti 25's which should work great with the wider Ardennes rims.

I'll post some pix when it's built up. It will be cool.

[wasfast]

The one thing I wondered about after seeing all the replies is did you call Spectrum and explain the situation? For all reports they're a good company so I think that would be my starting point.

I used to paint bikes but did guitar/bass building for many years. I built a custom bass for a guy in Florida that had this specific color in mind and sent me a brochure picture of the color from another manufacturer. It was a transparent blue on figured maple but had a very different look to it.

I did all sorts of samples, tried different techiques, mailed samples back and forth. He approved one of the samples. In the end, the finish was killer and everyone (forum circle) agreed (like others did here) it was very cool. However, the customer was never really happy and ultimately sold the instrument just because of the color.

My point is if YOU really don't like the color (that little nagging feeling inside when you see it), then remedy it. It's great that others like it but it's your bike, not theirs. If the issue is more about "I asked for this and got that", more of a principle thing, then I'd say let it go.

[rpm]

Just to follow up on this thread. I talked with Spectrum and they explained what they did to accomodate my potentially incompatible requests. The painter added some silver pearl to the blue that gives it a subtle lustrous quality. The color really pops in the outdoors, and I love it. Yes, we should have had the conversation before the paint job, but Spectrum really does fine work. With any painter, it's probably a good idea to talk to the painter just before they actually starts the job.

Anyway, it's all built up with a Force/Red gruppo and Heds Ardennes wheels. It's not my bike for the snow and muck, but when spring comes, I'll be on it all the time. The wheels are my first venture into low spoke count wheels. The wide rims put more rubber on the road than open pros do.

[flux]

Just to follow up on this thread. I talked with Spectrum and they explained what they did to accomodate my potentially incompatible requests. The painter added some silver pearl to the blue that gives it a subtle lustrous quality. The color really pops in the outdoors, and I love it. Yes, we should have had the conversation before the paint job, but Spectrum really does fine work. With any painter, it's probably a good idea to talk to the painter just before they actually starts the job.

Anyway, it's all built up with a Force/Red gruppo and Heds Ardennes wheels. It's not my bike for the snow and muck, but when spring comes, I'll be on it all the time. The wheels are my first venture into low spoke count wheels. The wide rims put more rubber on the road than open pros do.

How do you like the Hed's? Steve is really psyched on them.

[handsomerob]

I think you just need to get some of those lighter blue tires... it will really tie it together nicely.

Also, I have 3 frames at the powdercoater's right now that are getting a similar color to what you were originally looking for. Truth be told, I was a bit inspired by the paint on that exact same Zank. I am going with Poncho Blue... I think it is a touch more blue than the pics.

They should be done by Friday.

[14max]

*

[Elefantino]

The paint on the bike is fine.

The paint on the garage door, on the other hand, needs work.

[rpm]

Flux: I'm really psyched about the wheels too, but haven't ridden them yet! Too much greasy skid stuff on the roads. I'm riding my fugly Honjoed 650b until they clear up (which could be June at the rate we're going). I like the wide and light concept, and if I have problems with them, Hed is just a short drive away for me.

Rob: The tires are just placeholders. I'm putting on all black chili Conti 25's soon. The frame color is actually a bit darker than it appears and the light Michelins don't seem to be quite a match. I'll also be replacing the scuffed up seatpost with an FSA carbon.

And where did you find the color chips? I found it hard to find powdercoat chips in metallic colors. Actually, though, the masked-off logo wouldn't have stood out well with the true metallic. That's part of the reason Spectrum did what they did. A painted on white decal would work much better. I'll be eager to see your frame in the pancho blue! Shoot some pix when you get it.

And as for the garage door--hey it's a gestalt thing. It looks good with the brown trim on my house. That brown Sachs in the gallery would be just the thing to put in front of it, though.

[handsomerob]

Rob: The tires are just placeholders. I WILL SEND YOU MY ADDRESS TO "DISPOSE" OF THEM PROPERLY.

I'm putting on all black chili Conti 25's soon. The frame color is actually a bit darker than it appears and the light Michelins don't seem to be quite a match. I'll also be replacing the scuffed up seatpost with an FSA carbon.

And where did you find the color chips? THEY WERE AT THE POWDERCOATERS

I found it hard to find powdercoat chips in metallic colors. Actually, though, the masked-off logo wouldn't have stood out well with the true metallic. That's part of the reason Spectrum did what they did. A painted on white decal would work much better. I'll be eager to see your frame in the pancho blue! Shoot some pix when you get it. COUNT ON A THREAD WITH LOTS O' PICS ;)

I think the black Chilis will look very good as well.

[abqhudson]

The color is absolutely great - enjoy the new bike and never look back.

[LesMiner]

Anyway, it's all built up with a Force/Red gruppo and Heds Ardennes wheels. It's not my bike for the snow and muck, but when spring comes, I'll be on it all the time. The wheels are my first venture into low spoke count wheels. The wide rims put more rubber on the road than open pros do.

Interesting comment about the HED Ardennes wheel. I know the rim is wider than normal but I thought it was for aerodynamics. The idea being to reduce the drag where the tire meets the rim. Anyway a nice bike with the latest components. SRAM Force/Red, wow and Ardennes wheels, they are so new that that HED website does not have a price. Did you get these at your LBS?

[rpm]

Les--

I got the wheels from Grand Performance. They're more expensive than Bastognes, $995 retail. They are available now from HED or an LBS. I can't wait to give them a go.

Ron

[LesMiner]

Les--

I got the wheels from Grand Performance. They're more expensive than Bastognes, $995 retail. They are available now from HED or an LBS. I can't wait to give them a go.

Ron

I saw them the first time at Now Bikes and they look amazing?

[Ahneida Ride]

The bike looks Fantastic ! ;)

[Badgers]

Good choice to keep it. It looks great, you've communicated to Spectrum about your reservations, and you won't be adding additional chemicals to the environment just to get a slightly different shade of blue.

Really looks classy.

[rphetteplace]

if u don't like it I'll buy it :beer: