How to use Spray.Bike
Spray.Bike is a groundbreaking range of bicycle-specific colour coating designed for both amateur and professional use.
Spray.Bike paint is a dry matte powder-coating that doesn’t drip, dribble or misbehave in any way.
It’s revolutionary in its ease of application and quality of finish, making it perfect for customising, repairing and restoring.
Click here for pics of the fantastic things people are doing with Spray.Bike all round the world
Solid colours tech spec
- Highly pigmented acrylic paint compound
- Dry-fall powder coating
- Non-drip, non-dribble formula
- No primer required
- Suitable for steel, aluminium and carbon surfaces
- Permanent and resilient: UV-resistant and weather-resistant
- Deep matte colours
- Easily-achieved fading, stenciling and blending effects (see below)
- Requires no post-application equipment or heat treatment
- 400ml and 200ml options
- 1 x 400ml can will cover a frame and fork in a single coat
- Minimum recommended coats: one
- Ensure surface is clean and dry
- Wear protective gloves, protective clothing, eye/face protection
- Always paint in an open space in the open air
- Shake can for at least 3 minutes before use
- Test spray for 2-3 seconds prior to application
- Optimal temperature for spraying: 20-25°C. Do not use Spray.Bike if the temperature is below 10°C or above 35°C, or if relative humidity is above 75%
- Always spray with the can in a vertical position, otherwise the paint might 'spit' unevenly
- Solid colours: spray surface from a distance of 5-12 cm
- Pocket Clears, Frame Builder’s Smoothing Putty, Frame Builder’s Transparent Finish, Frame Builder’s Cold-Zinc, Frame Builder’s Metal Primer, Frame Builder’s Carbon Primer, Frame Builder’s Metal Plating: spray surface from a distance of at least 20 cm
- Keirin Flake and Keirin Sunlight: spray surface from a distance of at least 30 cm
- Frame Builder’s Top Wax: Spray onto a paper towel or soft lint-free cloth and apply gently
- When spraying, keep hand moving at all times
- Allow to dry before adding 2nd coat (touch dry: 10 minutes, complete cure: 2 hours)
- At end, turn can upside down and spray for 2 seconds before storing
- Protect can from sunlight and temperatures exceeding 50°C/122°F
- For a satin or gloss top-coat, finish with Spray.Bike Frame Builder's Transparent Finish - Satin/Gloss. For a matte top-coat, finish with the Frame Builder's Transparent Finish - Matte
- For ongoing protection (whether the finish is matte, satin or gloss), regularly apply the Frame Builder's Top Wax
Spray distance | |
All solid colours | 5-12 cm |
Pocket Clears |
at least 20 cm |
Keirin Collection | at least 30 cm |
Frame Builder’s Top Wax | spray onto paper towel or lint-free cloth and apply gently |
Prep
Spray.Bike paint will adhere to most raw metal and painted surfaces without any major pre-prep. However, if painting onto a fresh-from-the-factory painted bike with a high gloss finish, rub down the frame with a very fine sandpaper or an abrasive cloth, just to give the surface a little ‘bite’ for the paint to sit on.
Always ensure that all surfaces are completely clean and grease free. Any micro-film left from degreasers or cleaning products can create a barrier preventing Spray.Bike from adhering properly.
A pure medical alcohol is recommended for the ultimate pre-paint cleaner - but do make sure all residue is removed with absorbent kitchen paper.
NEVER use acetone or a product containing acetone, as this is guaranteed to weaken Spray.Bike, it being one of the ingredients of the paint.
Using the Frame Builder’s Prep & Finish range
Click here
Spraying
It’s essential that you understand and follow the spray distances. These are the distances from the can in your hand to the metal being sprayed. They vary depending on the product:
-
Solid colours (BLB, Pop, Historic, Vintage, Fluorescent, Pocket Solids): 5-12 cm
As Spray.Bike cans are pressurised, there’s an optimum distance at which the paint is effective on leaving the nozzle: 5-12 centimetres. In this ‘window’ the paint is semi-wet and the pigment is perfectly primed to do its job properly. Under 5 centimetres, faults can occur. After 12 or 14 centimetres the paint will have turned into a dry powder dust with little adhesion at all. - Pocket Clears, Frame Builder’s Smoothing Putty, Frame Builder’s Transparent Finish, Frame Builder’s Cold-Zinc, Frame Builder’s Metal Primer, Frame Builder’s Carbon Primer, Frame Builder’s Metal Plating: at least 20 cm
- Keirin Flake and Keirin Sunlight: at least 30 cm
- Frame Builder’s Top Wax: Spray onto a paper towel or soft lint-free cloth and apply gently.
Polishing
For best results, always polish Spray.Bike solid colours with kitchen paper or a lint-free soft cloth. A gentle pressure and polish action will compact the paint’s surface for greater strength. This is best done before the paint has completely cured, so polish within two hours of spraying.
Be more careful where colours meet in order to avoid physically forcing colours to bleed.
Old stickers that you can't remove and want to paint over: |
cover with the Frame Builder's Smoothing Putty before you paint |
Old decals that you want to paint over: |
just paint over them |
New stickers or decals: |
set on top of your new paint-job and then seal with the Frame Builder's Transparent Finish |
Be aware that the Matte Transparent Finish adds an opaque textured layer when sprayed onto a clear surface, so don't spray onto stickers or decals with a transparent backing – unless you want that transparent backing to have a frosted, opaque effect.

