I've had a 2007 Trek 5.2 SL with the Discovery paint job for a while now, and the team graphics are starting to look dated, particularly the Discovery logo - which seems plain tacky now. I'm hoping to vinyl wrap over the frame itself, and have some reasonably good automotive vinyl on hand to wrap the bike frame with. Show I'm facing an issue now with regards to the fact that the logos on the bike have had a clear coat applied on them. The height diferential between the logos and the tubes itself is small, but definitely perceptible when I run my fingertips over it. I'm afraid that if I wrap over the bike, the logos will still stand out like some sort of embossing. I'm hoping that the vinyl bing applied is pliable enough to hide the contours of the logo and give me a nice and smooth finish. Should I look to remove the clearcoat and decals or do you guys think that I can just apply the vinyl wrap over the existing decals and all? Thanks again for all the help and advise! ilikegreen Posts: 21 Joined: Sat Nov 17, 2018 5:13 pm What's your aim with the bike? If it's to keep the Discovery paint job intact for later then vinyl away. Vinyl will cover minor surface imperfections. The gloss level and colour selection will determine just how much it hides. If the aim is to keep the bike without a care for the current livery and an eye for a quality finish then maybe consider a proper paint job. It'll be lighter and more durable. souravdeyone Posts: 9 Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2015 2:22 am Thank you for your reply! I do aim to keep the Discovery paint job - I like the fact that the paintjob encapsulates a little bit of history with it. I'm just not quite fond of it right now. You mentioned that the gloss level and color selection will determine how much of the surface imperfections are hidden. Do you have any more advise on that? Would matte or glossy be better? Would darker colours or lighter colours be better? Thanks again! ilikegreen Posts: 21 Joined: Sat Nov 17, 2018 5:13 pm Have you wrapped something like this before? There are going to be so many, many joins and tight radii where you'll likely have long-term adhesion problems that the imperfections from the paint decals are going to be inconsequential. If you're looking for a straight colour change that's removeable then consider Plasti-Dip as it can be peeled off. My opinion? For the amount of time and effort you're looking to put in I'd suggest simply finding yourself a new frame and putting this one in to storage for when you like it again. souravdeyone Posts: 9 Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2015 2:22 am Thanks again for your reply. I have worked with wraps previously and am pretty confident I can do myself justice and not end up with a terrible hack job of an end result. Plasti-dip was another alternative for me - but I don't like the feeling of the rubbery texture on my legs when the brush on the frame. Getting another bike is an issue primarily because the place I live in lacks space for another bike. I do understand where you're coming from and I greatly appreciate you taking the time to help me out! Any pointers on what colour / finish wraps to consider? ilikegreen Posts: 21 Joined: Sat Nov 17, 2018 5:13 pm See that's an easier idea - simply covering the existing decals with vinyl patches or decals. Choose whatever colour makes you happy, seriously. And just don't look critically at it once it's done. It's the effect you're after - if you want a show finish you'd have to paint it. Personally I'd avoid lighter mattes because they're going to show dirt more readily and need cleaning and that process is either time consuming or will quickly change the sheen making the bike patchy to look at. Dark colours hide all sorts. Same cleaning / sheen issues as above for the dark matte colours but road grime and oil won't show up as easily so I'd feel the need to clean them less. Gloss is easiest to clean, but mirror finishes including piano / high gloss blacks are going to show up issues in reflections if you look closely. We place a focus on educating clients around the nature of a wrap. A lot of clientele may have no idea what a wrap is, so we believe it’s important to shed as much light as we can. At Drive we have a focus on correctly educating our clients on our product so they can make an informed decision on if it’s the right choice for them and how to get the best life out of their new wrap. Is it OK to overlap vinyl wrap?It is common to use inlays and overlays for vinyl film wrapping. When a section is too tricky to handle, and you know that the material might not be able to hold there for the long term, you would decide to use inlays or overlays because you cannot risk wrapping this part in one piece and having it fail over time. What happens if you leave vinyl wrap on too long?Don't leave a vehicle wrap on for too long. A quality vinyl wrap lasts, on average, about 5-7 years. But the longer a wrap is left on, the more difficult it will be to remove. It can become brittle over time, and the adhesive residue will be more difficult to clean off. Can you clear coat over vinyl wrap?If you go with a clear coat, we highly recommend testing the results on a separate piece of your vinyl wrap. Spray one coat onto your vinyl. Allow that layer to dry completely before applying a second or third coat. |
