Cycling UK Forum

...I found a 'ding' on my forks and it's down to the steel and the rust is already in there

..so I need to touch it up a bit ...but I cant seem to find a paint that exactly matches my bike. I have a dawes gaalxy in british racing green and it has a metallic glimmer to it (2007 model).

I looked at the humbrol and airfix sites but they dont do racing green...and even if they did i doubt it would match precisily. Has anybody cut any ideas?

Try Holts car touch-up paints from a car-parts shop.

They have a really wide range. I found an orange to match my Mercian - orange is normally a dreadful colour to find a match for, but Holts do one just right for mine.

They come in little phialls with a small touch-up brush in the cap.

Let us know if you're lucky.

I usually have my frames painted black - because of the colour match problems. It's impossible to keep a frame unmarked. I had my Mercian (I don't know whether I've mentioned it before) done in orange just for a change, but I was lucky to find a matching touch-up. Mercian gave me a little pot of the original paint, but the touch-up is easier and quicker to use.

JohnW wrote:Try Holts car touch-up paints from a car-parts shop.

They have a really wide range. I found an orange to match my Mercian - orange is normally a dreadful colour to find a match for, but Holts do one just right for mine.

They come in little phialls with a small touch-up brush in the cap.

Let us know if you're lucky.

I usually have my frames painted black - because of the colour match problems. It's impossible to keep a frame unmarked. I had my Mercian (I don't know whether I've mentioned it before) done in orange just for a change, but I was lucky to find a matching touch-up. Mercian gave me a little pot of the original paint, but the touch-up is easier and quicker to use.

Shops that sell Humbrol paints for Airfix models etc are very good. I normally have my bikes in colours that are easy enough to fill in chips, plus chose colours that don’t allow the filled in chip to blend in quite well afterwards, black is a good choice, personally mine are red and blue





Indirectly this was also part of the appeal when I chose Titanium, no enamel to chip



Paul_Smith

Paul,

Off topic questions:
What is that stand the red Pearson is held up with? Where can I get one? How is it fitted to the frame?

It looks just what I'd like!

Nice bikes BTW!

Paul Smith SRCC wrote:

Mr Smith - can I ask a question about your TA chainset? I have one which I also used on a fixed wheel bike, but the spider keeps loosening... Any tips? Apart from using a bigger spanner, which seems to make little difference.

Oh, I also vote for Humbrol - I just walk into the local Art Shop and grab a pot of whatever colour's closest to my frame. You can mix them to get a closer match if you have a good eye for colour.

JohnW wrote:I usually have my frames painted black - because of the colour match problems.

Snap!

Thanks...I asked Dawes what colour they sprayed this frame but they do not know! Like thye also didnt know what stem was fitted or where to get a replacement in the UK. Seems to me that all Dawes do is act as an importer for bikes from the fsar east. My experience of their after sales service has been appalling.

I guess I will go with the humbrol idea and hope I can find a reasonable match.

Mick F wrote:Paul,

Off topic questions:
What is that stand the red Pearson is held up with? Where can I get one? How is it fitted to the frame?

It looks just what I'd like!

Nice bikes BTW!

That stand is about 20 years old and was called a Le Lobbys foot, Minoura import a similar item

Dean wrote:

Paul Smith SRCC wrote:

Mr Smith - can I ask a question about your TA chainset? I have one which I also used on a fixed wheel bike, but the spider keeps loosening... Any tips? Apart from using a bigger spanner, which seems to make little difference....

You mean the spider off the lockring? You could try loctite or something similar along with that big spanner.

Paul_Smith

Thank you, Paul!

Mick F wrote:Thank you, Paul!

You are more than welcome Mick, note they do not work that well with some modern frames if the rear stays are shaped, they work really well with more traditional shaped stays though.

Paul_Smith

I once met a hostel warden who got some touch up paint for his Galaxy from Dawes. He said it wasn't easy though, he pestered and pestered them for ages until they gave in and sold him some just to get rid of him!

...well i jus tgot back from hobbycraft with a tin of green humbrol and a brush...sanded the small bit down to the metal, cleaned it with meths, dried and painted....it's not an exact match but the damage is so small it's not a problem.

Dawes are hopeless in my opinion, they dont know which parts are fitted to their bikes, which colour etc...they jus tkeep saying that it's all sourced out in the far east and they dont know. Basically they havent shown any inclination to help me at all....unlike th edealer who sold me the bike who was very pleased to help me reduce my wallet weight I recall.

Anyway...no probs...I still have a great bike.

BTFB wrote:...well i jus tgot back from hobbycraft with a tin of green humbrol and a brush...sanded the small bit down to the metal, cleaned it with meths, dried and painted....it's not an exact match but the damage is so small it's not a problem.

Dawes are hopeless in my opinion, they dont know which parts are fitted to their bikes, which colour etc...they jus tkeep saying that it's all sourced out in the far east and they dont know. Basically they havent shown any inclination to help me at all....unlike th edealer who sold me the bike who was very pleased to help me reduce my wallet weight I recall.

Anyway...no probs...I still have a great bike.

If it is a chip I fill what is effectively the hole with paint using the pen shown below, often called a 'ruling pen', 'bow pen or 'mapping pen'; a 'google images' search will show them.



Paul_Smith

There's a bit of a gap in the market for frame-sprayers who supply touch-up kits. I've taken bikes inside Halfords stores trying to get matches, and still the result is poor. I have a good collection of touch-up kits that didn't match as well as I hoped - several purple ones from the latest attempt.

i searh the girley shops for nail varnish that matches the paint.