How can I repair paint damage on my bike?
A small fall, a little inattention and bang it happens. The paint on the bike is robust, but metal on metal or a small stone chip when riding on gravel can damage the bike’s paint.
Is there any protection to avoid damage to the paintwork?
It is a good idea to use a stone chip guard or chain stay guard to prevent damage. These are individual for many manufacturers and models. When transporting a bike, it should also be additionally packed or individual components protected. Either with a blanket, cardboard or special bike covers. There are even transport covers for brake discs.
Which paint is suitable for bicycle repair?
Car paint, spray paint, touch-up pencil or universal paint. Waterproof paints from the car industry can also be used on bicycles. When buying, it is only important to know or find out the correct colour code
To get the exact colour shade, get a RAL table or a colour chart from the DIY store and compare. You can have pretty much any colour shade mixed. There is also an online RAL list here.
How do I repair paint damage?
Step-by-step instructions for paint repair
What do I need?
- Sandpaper various grits (400, 600, 1200)
- Rust converter (if rust is present)
- Grease remover or cleaner
- Primer
- Filler (if the affected area is too deep)
- Spray paint or paint stick or brush for application
- Clear lacquer
- Polish
Roughening / sanding the paintwork
Roughen the lacquer with sandpaper. Be careful not to roughen too much, but only the area that really needs to be painted. Work your way up from coarse to fine grit.
Filler / putty
If the affected area is too deep, use the filler. Carefully apply the filler and smooth it out. Allow to dry and smooth again with sandpaper.
Priming
Mask off the affected area and cover with newspaper, the rest of the bike and treat with a primer. This will make the paint last better later.
Spray paint and clear varnish
After the primer has dried, spray on the desired paint. It is best to leave the first coat dry and spray again. Then treat with 2 coats of clear lacquer.
Polishing
After the lacquer coats have dried, the lacquer can be polished with a special polish.
Related articles:
How do I open the chain on my bike?
How do I adjust my suspension fork correctly?
In 6 steps to correctly adjusted bicycle handlebars
How do I optimally inflate my bicycle tyre?
How do I adjust the bicycle saddle correctly?
How do I care for my bicycle chain?
What torque (Nm) does my screw on the bike need?
Loading ...
Recent Comments