[mtbjc280]

So I went in to meet Darren at PUSH yesterday (very gracious, extremely busy but still took the time to say hello) and the whole time I was talking to him I kept eyeballing this RFX frame he had sitting by his desk. It had no paint on it, and he told me it had done the removal with a scotch-pad. This gave it a 'brushed' look. I don't know if he was planning on having it painted and had just done that to prep it, or if he was planning on keeping it as it was. Either way I thought it looked bada$$. I watch that discovery channel biker build off every now and then and I always like the Exile bikes by Russell Mitchell (pictured below) because they look so efficient and practical. I have decided that I would like to use this current state of extreme snow to strip my frame and try to make an 'exile' 5-spot. I may strip my fork and go flat black. My questions are these:

1. Is there any reason you need paint? It seems like you scratch the raw frame, you get some steel wool and buff it out.
2. Do you think it would look cool on a 5-spot? I think the RFX looked so cool because of the fat tubes. Might not look that way on the spot.
3. What does a bike paint job cost if it sucks and I want to UNDO.
4. Has anyone done this? Have pics so I can decide before I take the stripper to it?

I used to paint motorcycle tanks, so I was also thinking of adding some flat black flames....

 

[cactuscorn]

yep/ yep.
uh huh.
1 to 2 hunny most days.
i think so.

sounds like a cool idea man. i saw that look too and i dug it. that things been sittin there in his office since last summer waitin to get rebuilt. i think it was a shock test mule.

 

[mtbjc280]

sounds like a cool idea man.

Well if Cactus likes the idea I'm going for it. I'll post pic's when I'm done!

 

[S-Works]

Come to think of it.....

Well if Cactus likes the idea I'm going for it. I'll post pic's when I'm done!

Wasn't the Sultan that Aqua tested unpainted?

 

[mtbjc280]

Wasn't the Sultan that Aqua tested unpainted?

That looks cool! I assume that becasue it was a test they didn't want to pay for paint?

 

[miles e]

1. Is there any reason you need paint? It seems like you scratch the raw frame, you get some steel wool and buff it out.

Cannondale is doing raw frames now that look pretty nice (especially the Six13 variety), but I think they use a clear coat. Doesn't raw aluminum oxidize and start to look pretty ratty?

Regardless, I like that picture. I'll keep it handy for when the wife says cycling is too expensive a hobby. :lol:

 

[FM]

Hey well before you get too excited.....

The scotch-brite / brushed alu. finish is pretty similar to what came stock on my '06 highline. (although the highline is shot-peened and ano'd I think, just to seal it?) I'm pretty indifferent about the finish, since the ride is incredibly perfect in all other aspects. But, I would not seek out this finish and will probably get a re-painted in 1-2 seasons. Here's why-

• The raw matte finish seems to absorb greasy fingerprints, crap off greasy bike racks, etc.
• The matte finish actually scratches pretty easily. Granted it's no big deal since you can buff it out with steel wool, but still it never looks quite perfect.
• Any areas where you rub on the frame while riding (shoes on chainstays etc.) tend to get buffed out & polished, taking on a different appearance.

One thing I am curious about (maybe some turner employees will chime in on this?) is the prospect of having the frame sisel-polished, or even just using finer-grade sand-paper / steel wool/ billet polish on it, to buff the finish out into some sort of raw but semi-polished look?

Regardless, I love the bike in all other aspects, and the color just isn't that big of a deal to me, so it stays for now. Just giving my .02c worth.

 

[mtbjc280]

I think they use a clear coat. Doesn't raw aluminum oxidize and start to look pretty ratty?

Regardless, I like that picture. I'll keep it handy for when the wife says cycling is too expensive a hobby. :lol:

A buddy of mine used to have a GT Zaskar (is that how it is spelled?) and it was raw aluminum with a clear coat. I liked the way it looked as well, but it was shiny. I guess I am kind of going for the 'ratty' look. I also hope to put all red anodized hardware on it, to offset it a little.

Amen with the "wife saying cycling is too expensive". I used to have a jeep (sold it for bike parts) and you couldn't look at it without dropping a grand on it. I could have put 20k in that thing and still not had it where I wanted it. Plus it didn't help my conditioning goals any!

 

[Mr Tiles]

exile makes my favorite bikes. I really like russell's style of bike building. If I had *cough* $60k *cough* laying around, I'd own this sucka...

 

[Marshall Willanholly]

Intense offers this finish (unpainted raw aluminum) on all their bikes. For me, it's the perfect finish. I really like the industrial look, and it's the easiest to take care of.

 

[ignazjr]

• The raw matte finish seems to absorb greasy fingerprints, crap off greasy bike racks, etc.
• The matte finish actually scratches pretty easily. Granted it's no big deal since you can buff it out with steel wool, but still it never looks quite perfect.
• Any areas where you rub on the frame while riding (shoes on chainstays etc.) tend to get buffed out & polished, taking on a different appearance.

I concur. It's a good finish if you don't like to clean your bike often, or if your frame is scratch prone. When I worked at Schwinn, I acquired a Yeti made Homegrown prototype that was never painted. I had it for about 5 years and it looked the same when I sold it as when I got it.

Intense offers a non painted finish as well. I've seen quite a few of these first hand new and later. They still look great. Intense has been doing that for just shy off a year.

 

[mtbjc280]

exile makes my favorite bikes. I really like russell's style of bike building. If I had *cough* $60k *cough* laying around, I'd own this sucka...

That is sweet! I like the tape on the exhaust. I wonder if I could incorperate that somehow......Tape the cranks?

 

[mtbjc280]

Intense offers this finish (unpainted raw aluminum) on all their bikes. For me, it's the perfect finish. I really like the industrial look, and it's the easiest to take care of.

Yep, I think that this is what I am looking for, without the stickers and with flat black everywhere else. While at the gym I was thinking about how I could incorperate the turner logo into some flat black flames. I think I can do it, but making it not look like ass will be a challenge.

 

[Mr Tiles]

bar tape on the cranks = keepin' it real

 

[turnerbikes]

Raw

Raw is what we showed on the earliest proto Highlines 3 years ago, and Raw is what we wanted to ship last year, Buuuuuut the frames were not shipped in the pure mill finish that we wanted as someone in Portland took a sander to the little nicks that end up in the frame during manufacturing. That makes for shiny spots here and there on the nice quenchant oxidized finish. So, we had them bead blasted and anodized, and that finish is not at all like true mill finish raw. I really like the raw look like the proto Sultan and in 6000 series alu the look will never change from the air or water or sweat etc, it does not need to be clear coated. Like Ignaz said, they stay the same for ever, unless they are rubbed or crashed of course but what wouldn't.

Anyone can have ANY Turner frame raw at any time. We have shipped raw frames to customers for several years. Just ask. Stickers are optional, if you want stickers on you can pick either silver or black. Of course we really like putting the Made in USA one on, and the head badge.

DT

 

[mtbjc280]

Raw is what we showed on the earliest proto Highlines 3 years ago, and Raw is what we wanted to ship last year, Buuuuuut the frames were not shipped in the pure mill finish that we wanted as someone in Portland took a sander to the little nicks that end up in the frame during manufacturing. That makes for shiny spots here and there on the nice quenchant oxidized finish. So, we had them bead blasted and anodized, and that finish is not at all like true mill finish raw. I really like the raw look like the proto Sultan and in 6000 series alu the look will never change from the air or water or sweat etc, it does not need to be clear coated. Like Ignaz said, they stay the same for ever, unless they are rubbed or crashed of course but what wouldn't.

Anyone can have ANY Turner frame raw at any time. We have shipped raw frames to customers for several years. Just ask. Stickers are optional, if you want stickers on you can pick either silver or black. Of course we really like putting the Made in USA one on, and the head badge.

DT

Thanks for getting back to me on this! If I have aproval from the man himself, I guess it is OK to go ahead. I'll post pics of my "industrial spot" when I get it done. I'll keep the Made in the USA and headbadge. I actually was thinking I may anodize one of the new ones red and put it on. I have a red headset and other hardware. Thanks again!

 

[cactuscorn]

hi again. i dont think ya can anno the headbadge as its stainless but a good paint job as others have done would be almost as cool.

how bout heat tape on the right side stays? protection and style all at once. not sure if the crank idea would work well over time with all the rubbin they get on shoes, legs, etc. maybe the r brake line and a full length r der housing instead? a bit small but it might get the point accross, even though im on record as not bein a big fan of un nessesary housing lengths.

 

[mtbjc280]

hi again. i dont think ya can anno the headbadge as its stainless but a good paint job as others have done would be almost as cool.

how bout heat tape on the right side stays? protection and style all at once. not sure if the crank idea would work well over time with all the rubbin they get on shoes, legs, etc. maybe the r brake line and a full length r der housing instead? a bit small but it might get the point accross, even though im on record as not bein a big fan of un nessesary housing lengths.

I was being a little silly with that suggestion, but putting the tape on the chainstay might be really sweet. Thanks for the suggestion. Do they make it in black, or go with the dirty white?

I run flack jackets and they have turned kind of a pukey orange color. Has anyone swapped out anything for those connectors that hold their color or possibly a different color? It would be cool if you could run some sort of braided housing line, like they use for water lines in hot rod engines. Do they make something like that? Combination hot rod/industrial.

Another thing that would be cool would be a brown leather saddle, ala-exile bikes.

 

[cactuscorn]

yes, yes and yes!

go with the off color if yer gonna do it. in my book that would rule.

steel braided brake line is plentiful. goodridge and jagwire have it, maybe more. jag and avid both make a braided look der housing. good stuff too.

there used to be some tan leather look saddles but im not sure if theyre still around. check fizik'.

 

[mtbjc280]

Can't strip anodized....can you?

So....after getting DT's message I checked my frame and it is indeed one of the anodized rather then painted frames. I looked at some places where the cable housing had worn the clearcoat off and saw it was anodized. I have done lots of paint removal in my day but never anodized, I don't imagine you could get all of the color out unless you sanded. Even then you wouldn't want to sand the welds. Does anyone know anything about this?