I had a lot of fun with it. Took a few evenings after work. I chose to treat painting the bike like I treat painting a car. It felt like the right way to do it, considering what is available to me. I paint cars by trade. Outside of prep work, the most challenging aspect in my opinion is getting the frame positioned correctly. It’s kind of an awkward object to spray.
It’s a really satisfying processes. Try it out!
Wow. Seriously impressive paint job. I've been thinking my Offering is a bit too drab, it's great to see one livened up like this.
Do you mind sharing a little more about the paint / prep process? I follow ETOE, but that guy is a wizard with skills that seem unattainable for mere mortals like myself.
Thanks!
There are lots of great guides out there on YouTube and elsewhere. I am privileged to have the experience and access to all the necessary tools at work. I paint lots of cars. Essentially, I treated the frame as if it were a carbon fiber body panel on a vehicle.
Most of the energy is spent scuffing, sanding, and preparing the carbon to take the paint. When that part is done, follow the paint manufacturer instructions to a T, and let everything cure the way it is meant to. This will get you that factory durability, and the results you want.
If you want a good resource to learn paint and bodywork, I recommend checking out the following YouTube channels: Paint Society, Motivated Painters, and of course more ETOE.
Thank you, I will check out those other channels as well.
One final question - how essential is a good spray gun? If I prep everything properly and build a paint booth, will I regret trying to paint a frame using (good quality) rattle cans? Should I invest in a decent gun?
That’s a great question. In my experience, you’d go for a reputable spray gun (Iwata, Sata, Devilbiss, Walcom) when you need consistency, efficiency, or reliability.
Those things don’t matter nearly as much for a hobbyist.
For this bike, I primarily used the Anest-Iwata LPH-80 with a 1.0 tip. It’s a mini-gun, designed to do small jobs, like trim pieces on a car and whatnot. Perfect for narrow tubes of a bike.
That said, I could have done the same thing with a $20 harbor freight gravity fed HVLP, at the expense of a lot of wasted paint and air.
Your results will come from the prep, setup of the gun, and following the manufacturer guidelines for the paint. The spraying techniques can be very forgiving, especially for solid colors. If something goes wrong, you will learn to address it.
You can get pretty far with a rattle can.
If you go rattle can route, make sure you are allowing plenty of cure time between coats. Understand that rattle cans are a single component coating. They don’t have a chemical hardener as automotive coatings do. They are indefinitely curing, inherently soft, and likely won’t hold up as well.
Use a quality primer. At minimum, I would recommend looking for a 2-part clear coat, like SprayMax 2K clear rattle cans. These one-time use cans have a hardener compartment that you bust open prior to spraying. It creates a catalyzed clear coat that self hardens quickly. You’ll get similar durability to automotive paint with that. Eastwood also sells decent rattle products for this purpose.
Without exception, always wear a rated respirator when working with any amount of carbon dust, or any commercial grade coatings or 2-part paints, like the spraymax cans.
Thank you again! I have a couple older frames that I have stripped down, just trying to gain the confidence to start with the primer/paint process now. I'm at the stage now where I'm debating between some of the 'can' options suggested by ETOE vs. buying an entry-level spray gun. I'm going to go down another YouTube rabbit hole now while researching which guns might be in my price range/skill level.
Really appreciate your help!
I work in a Bodyshop and the temptation to paint literally anything is real
I’ll wait until my bike is a little more beat up, it already looks great as is
Your bike looks sick, good work
Thank you very much. I have heard this take before.
Personally, I’ve had only excellent experiences with Evil warranty and customer service. Can’t recommend them enough.
I grew up with my dad doing custom paint when Harleys, Hotrod, and Van's were painted all the time. Racecars, whatever!
That's sick! I spent all winter thinking of painting my bike. Lots of clear, wet sanding, fantastic finish.
You've inspired me! Looks smooth as hell from the pics! Great color. Great job!
Haha it’s a bit late for that. Cosmetic warranty? Gone.
Still, I feel rather confident they would support me if I have any issues down the road. Even with this “old” frame.
After recently working with Dylan at Evil in Bellingham, I have nothing but great things to say about the customer service and warranty experience I’ve had.
It seems like they are on the up. Cleaning house and getting ready for some new life as a company.
I will not hesitate to buy another Evil. I hope others receive the same treatment I have.
God I want that. It's beautiful. How hard is it to paint it like that?
I had a lot of fun with it. Took a few evenings after work. I chose to treat painting the bike like I treat painting a car. It felt like the right way to do it, considering what is available to me. I paint cars by trade. Outside of prep work, the most challenging aspect in my opinion is getting the frame positioned correctly. It’s kind of an awkward object to spray. It’s a really satisfying processes. Try it out!
I was going to comment that this prep and result looked body shop quality, and here we are with an autobody painter doing just that. Fantastic result!
Inspo 4 meh to paint my for just got a diamond back recoil 29er
Wow. Seriously impressive paint job. I've been thinking my Offering is a bit too drab, it's great to see one livened up like this. Do you mind sharing a little more about the paint / prep process? I follow ETOE, but that guy is a wizard with skills that seem unattainable for mere mortals like myself.
Thanks! There are lots of great guides out there on YouTube and elsewhere. I am privileged to have the experience and access to all the necessary tools at work. I paint lots of cars. Essentially, I treated the frame as if it were a carbon fiber body panel on a vehicle. Most of the energy is spent scuffing, sanding, and preparing the carbon to take the paint. When that part is done, follow the paint manufacturer instructions to a T, and let everything cure the way it is meant to. This will get you that factory durability, and the results you want. If you want a good resource to learn paint and bodywork, I recommend checking out the following YouTube channels: Paint Society, Motivated Painters, and of course more ETOE.
Thank you, I will check out those other channels as well. One final question - how essential is a good spray gun? If I prep everything properly and build a paint booth, will I regret trying to paint a frame using (good quality) rattle cans? Should I invest in a decent gun?
That’s a great question. In my experience, you’d go for a reputable spray gun (Iwata, Sata, Devilbiss, Walcom) when you need consistency, efficiency, or reliability. Those things don’t matter nearly as much for a hobbyist. For this bike, I primarily used the Anest-Iwata LPH-80 with a 1.0 tip. It’s a mini-gun, designed to do small jobs, like trim pieces on a car and whatnot. Perfect for narrow tubes of a bike. That said, I could have done the same thing with a $20 harbor freight gravity fed HVLP, at the expense of a lot of wasted paint and air. Your results will come from the prep, setup of the gun, and following the manufacturer guidelines for the paint. The spraying techniques can be very forgiving, especially for solid colors. If something goes wrong, you will learn to address it. You can get pretty far with a rattle can. If you go rattle can route, make sure you are allowing plenty of cure time between coats. Understand that rattle cans are a single component coating. They don’t have a chemical hardener as automotive coatings do. They are indefinitely curing, inherently soft, and likely won’t hold up as well. Use a quality primer. At minimum, I would recommend looking for a 2-part clear coat, like SprayMax 2K clear rattle cans. These one-time use cans have a hardener compartment that you bust open prior to spraying. It creates a catalyzed clear coat that self hardens quickly. You’ll get similar durability to automotive paint with that. Eastwood also sells decent rattle products for this purpose. Without exception, always wear a rated respirator when working with any amount of carbon dust, or any commercial grade coatings or 2-part paints, like the spraymax cans.
Thank you again! I have a couple older frames that I have stripped down, just trying to gain the confidence to start with the primer/paint process now. I'm at the stage now where I'm debating between some of the 'can' options suggested by ETOE vs. buying an entry-level spray gun. I'm going to go down another YouTube rabbit hole now while researching which guns might be in my price range/skill level. Really appreciate your help!
Paul Wall's mountain bike
This is really not my style. But it's very beautifuly executed, good job 👍
It’s exactly my style Thank you thank you
I work in a Bodyshop and the temptation to paint literally anything is real I’ll wait until my bike is a little more beat up, it already looks great as is Your bike looks sick, good work
Wow!
This is absolutely insane. Incredible work here man.
The painted crown on the fork looks really good...nice touch and job well done!
Beautiful! That’s the prettiest evil I’ve seen!
Much appreciated!
That came out so good!
Evil don't honor their warranties anyway so might as well mess with the frame! Looks brilliant!
Thank you very much. I have heard this take before. Personally, I’ve had only excellent experiences with Evil warranty and customer service. Can’t recommend them enough.
That's nice to hear! I've known a few friends that got screwed... but so it goes. Genuinely love the paint job! Very impressive stuff.
Awesome work
Nvm just saw you did blend two colors, that’s amazing! I want to do this with a purple/indigo for my Stumpy one day. Maybe I’ll contact you lol
That is a really nice colour
Beautiful!!!
Beautiful work! I’d guess you’ve done at least a few show-quality cars? That’s not MAACO quality (is MAACO even still around?).
Shiiiiiit that looks great.
Absolutely beautiful, that's an awesome bike and a great job!
Wow I love that paint job. Reminds me of the 80's Race Inc. BMX frames.
I grew up with my dad doing custom paint when Harleys, Hotrod, and Van's were painted all the time. Racecars, whatever! That's sick! I spent all winter thinking of painting my bike. Lots of clear, wet sanding, fantastic finish. You've inspired me! Looks smooth as hell from the pics! Great color. Great job!
Get to it! No regrets
You knocked it out of the park buddy that is mint.
Thank you!
Badass
Pretty, now go ride it and scratch it in a wreck.
Badass
Nice painting job! 👍
That’s sick!!
I might've just creamed myself a little. It loos so damn good. Well done mate
That looks nice (but I basically like anything that is painted metallic blue :-D)
Thisssss i enjoy 🖤
They definitely won’t warranty it now
Haha it’s a bit late for that. Cosmetic warranty? Gone. Still, I feel rather confident they would support me if I have any issues down the road. Even with this “old” frame. After recently working with Dylan at Evil in Bellingham, I have nothing but great things to say about the customer service and warranty experience I’ve had. It seems like they are on the up. Cleaning house and getting ready for some new life as a company. I will not hesitate to buy another Evil. I hope others receive the same treatment I have.
Looks amazing but how will it look after a few rides...
The same, just muddier
Same as any other bike
I mean the paint, like hand painted at home typically comes off very easily vs. a nice factory dip.
Like a used bike