Chinertown
Chinese Carbon Road Bikes => Road Bike Frames, Wheels & Components => Topic started by: Cryptic Truth on July 05, 2022, 05:39:02 AM
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Hi there,
My first post here; I hope everyone is well?
Just about to order my first Chinese Carbon frame, looking at the Velobuild VB-R-168.
I'm unsure about what to do with the paint finish.
I was going to order Matt Black, but now I am in two minds about whether to choose a custom paint scheme.
What is the quality of the paint finishes like on the Velobuild frames?
Kind Regards,
Terry
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It is what you would expect it to be for $50-$80.
It’s way cheaper than getting it painted professionally afterwards.
It’s way better than most of us can do DIY.
For my experience, all things considered, my paint job was very good for the price.
The color was wrong, but it’s grown on me. They got the pattern 95% correct and made a minor decal error. I prefer it over a matte or glossy black frame, and wouldn’t pay the 5 to 10x more (In my locality) to get it done professionally.
If you are picky or OCD, you’ll notice all the imperfections. If you are like me, you’ll notice them but quickly forget them. As with most things in life, if you go out in search of problems, you will find them
Do:
Use Pantone Color codes
Stick with relatively simple designs
Provide picture examples if you can
Double-check proofs
Factor in some imperfections in your expectations, as there is no turning back once you receive it.
(Mine had a decal error. Wanted it to say “Mk. I”. Received “Mk. L”)
Do not:
Ask for custom Colours (I made this mistake)
Request an elaborate pattern (I kind of made this mistake too)
Provide too many emails and instructions (I also made this mistake)
Assume they’ll nail your interpretation on the proof
Expect:
-Shades, potentially, to be slightly off from expectation. Especially with special colours like pearlescents, neons, chameleon, etc. Seems to happen commonly. Could be due to lighting, screen vs real life difference, or mixing. No idea.
-Job to be more or less clean, but with some drips and/or orange peels.
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It is what you would expect it to be for $50-$80.
It’s way cheaper than getting it painted professionally afterwards.
It’s way better than most of us can do DIY.
Wholeheartedly agree with this. I spent $80 DIY painting my Dengfu R12 and the results are nowhere near that of my 177 painted by VB.
Not to mention the time needed and nuances required when painting at home.
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I have a VB-R-168 that's painted in Gloss Chameleon Purple that fades down to gloss black, and also have custom decals on the head tube, down tube, top tube and seat tube. All of which was done by VeloBuild at the cost of around $80 USD - this was broken down by 2x colours used in paint (Gloss Purple Chameleon and Gloss Black), and 1x colour decals (white), even though the decals were in multiple places.
Everything was perfect with order with the exception of the head tube decal where they used the wrong font - I imagine the font I requested corrupted when they printed the decal but they did not realise - all of the other decals are exactly as requested in terms of colour, font, size and placement. Honestly, it took me 2 months before I even noticed the head tube mistake myself so it has not caused me any bother.
I also must add that after 2,500km the paint is holding up very well, especially the underside of the down tube that has been hit with numerous loose stones from the road, and the chain stays. I've still got no chips or scratches etc, and after a wash it comes up looking like new.
I agree with everything that 1Sigma said regarding the Do's, and wouldn't hesitate to ask them to paint another frame for me if I got round to ordering another.
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I think everyone's comments are bang on. I now have two custom painted Velobuild frames, have experiences the good and bad mentioned below and would strongly agree that the pro's outweigh the con's especially for the cost.
Another suggestion that goes in line with providing examples is to choose color or design options that VB has done before and can be seen in their custom paint galley http://www.velobuild.com/collections/custom-paint . For my latest build I asked for a particular two tone color paint job they had done before but asked that they fade the colors instead of having a hard stop like they had done on the example frame and it turned out great http://chinertown.com/index.php/topic,3499.0.html
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Don't have a VB paint job, I did it myself. I can tell you that next time I order a VB I'll get a custom paint job from them. Based on forum pictures alone, the quality of their paint is better than I can diy and even a bit cheaper. Supplies cost me at least $100 for a paint job that would have been less than $80 from Velobuild.
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It is what you would expect it to be for $50-$80.
It’s way cheaper than getting it painted professionally afterwards.
It’s way better than most of us can do DIY.
Really really great way to answer the question. I selected custom colors from their palette and a design from their designs available and it turned out pretty great! (I also got the 168 and now I’m trying to unload the frameset unridden due to external complications.)
I even got the seatpost painted and it too was really not that bad!
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Thank you, everyone.
It has made my mind up to go with colour! I'm sure it will come out nice.
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Really really great way to answer the question. I selected custom colors from their palette and a design from their designs available and it turned out pretty great! (I also got the 168 and now I’m trying to unload the frameset unridden due to external complications.)
I even got the seatpost painted and it too was really not that bad!
Side thought about the painted seatpost…
Carbon seatposts have a tendency to slip.
Mine has been rock solid since day 1, only torqued to 3 Nm.
My seatpost is also painted. I wonder is the slight layer of paint is enough to make the tolerance tighter. Similar to the plastic wrap or shim trick.
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I am in the process of painting my 168 now. So far I have spent about $20 on supplies, hopefully it turns out looking better than it does now.
This is without clearcoat or wet sanding.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OdWWflldqo
The paint is Duplicolor Shift