Wrapping a Track Bike
Discussion
I have managed to get hold of some scruffy panels for my Duc track bike and am in the process of stripping the clear coat and stickers off ready for some fiberglass repairs, bondo filling and sanding ready for paint. Trouble is, she's a track slaaag not a garage queen and the paint always looks a bit rough after a couple of years.
Additionally, some of the prices I'm getting for a single colour paint job are ridiculous so I'm thinking about taking another direction and wrapping it. Matte black with the red frame I think. Anyone have any experience of bike wrapping, pro's or cons and does the underlying bodywork have to be glassy smooth otherwise the imperfections are going to show???
I can get Avery Supreme wrap for a reasonable $150 and thinking of taking a punt at it myself.....
Thoughts or experiences????
Additionally, some of the prices I'm getting for a single colour paint job are ridiculous so I'm thinking about taking another direction and wrapping it. Matte black with the red frame I think. Anyone have any experience of bike wrapping, pro's or cons and does the underlying bodywork have to be glassy smooth otherwise the imperfections are going to show???
I can get Avery Supreme wrap for a reasonable $150 and thinking of taking a punt at it myself.....
Thoughts or experiences????
Cheap wrap - thin, easier to manipulate, shows imperfections, chips.
Expensive wrap, thicker, much harder to fit to complex curves, covers a lot more sins beneath, stands up to more of a battering.
Do it on a hot day and you won't have to bother warming the wrap.
Don't overstretch pieces (this is tricky on multi-planed panels).
Use blades like they're going out of fashion for trimming as any tears can proliferate and ruin a run.
Once it cools, it hardens and toughens much more than you'd expect and is difficult to reposition or manipulate.
Expensive wrap, thicker, much harder to fit to complex curves, covers a lot more sins beneath, stands up to more of a battering.
Do it on a hot day and you won't have to bother warming the wrap.
Don't overstretch pieces (this is tricky on multi-planed panels).
Use blades like they're going out of fashion for trimming as any tears can proliferate and ruin a run.
Once it cools, it hardens and toughens much more than you'd expect and is difficult to reposition or manipulate.
Yes you can do it no problem, most of the stuff said above is good my advice is
make sure the panels are very clean and degrease
try and keep the panels fixed to the bike for most of the job ( you dont want to be chasing the panel around a work bench when you need to stretch / glass out the film )
dont lay it onto bodo / filler at least give it a primer coat first
dont overstretch, do it in pieces if there are tricky shapes
inlay the tricky shapes first
any joins overlap by 2 / 3 mm
and Avery is a good brand of material just make sure you use the wrap material as it will be an air release film ( crossmakings in the adhesive ) not like the cheaper sign vinyls
i do signs and graphics and done quite a few wraps over the years
make sure the panels are very clean and degrease
try and keep the panels fixed to the bike for most of the job ( you dont want to be chasing the panel around a work bench when you need to stretch / glass out the film )
dont lay it onto bodo / filler at least give it a primer coat first
dont overstretch, do it in pieces if there are tricky shapes
inlay the tricky shapes first
any joins overlap by 2 / 3 mm
and Avery is a good brand of material just make sure you use the wrap material as it will be an air release film ( crossmakings in the adhesive ) not like the cheaper sign vinyls
i do signs and graphics and done quite a few wraps over the years
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