Transform a Rainbow into a Drag Bike

 

Transform a Rainbow into a Drag Bike

or Bipin’s new Bike

 

At three years old it may seem extreme promoting the two wheeled experience but you have to start somewhere. I inherited a Rainbow bike from granddaughter hat needed some TLC but essential still in very good condition. Too good to need a paint job. The challenge was to remove all the rainbow stickers and add some yellow. Finding a suitable yellow was not as easy as you might think even finding one in a car accessory shop is difficult. There are not that many yellow cars. I did find one but it was not a robust paint and did not cover well it left an edge when masking was removed and lifted the paint requiring some delicate touching up.

Removing the old transfers did not take long after researching on the internet heat combined with a soft scraper should work. I tried this with a hair on maximum heat and used my thumb nail as the scraper. Other than my fingers getting a bit hot I managed to peel off the old transfers. The rainbow bike had no more rainbows.

Cleaning up the chrome was more difficult. The weather had attacked it and in only a few months there rust spots visible but my friend Solvo Autosol did a good job rescuing parts from being discarded. My thoughts of what to do with the pink wheels and saddle. Could I leave them as they are? They were still clean and tidy but did not fit the emerging look of the bike. At Gita’s suggestion could you not paint the wheels? Yellow was out of the question but matt black might work if it was hard enough. I guess the original pink was a powder coat because there was no wear on the braking surface or the brake blocks. I don’t think the brakes were ever used. I gave the pink a light rub down with1200 wet and dry,  masked the spokes and some of the rim and gave Matt Black a go. The masking of the rim was not successful and left allot of overspray on the side of the rim. I tried wet and dry to rub it off and it would not go. The Matt Black was more than tough enough to resist the pressure from the brake blocks. I could paint the whole rim. Which I did after masking the spokes on a different way and the tyres.

The seat was the next problem was what to do with the seat? Pink is not a good colour, but what to use to change it? I was limited with choices as few paints really stick to vinyl eventually they flake off with wear. Matt Black again to hide the pink and it seems to have worked. It stayed on this flexible medium for how long I don’t know.

It is looking more of a mean machine with black seat and wheels but it looks like there needs something more and the horn requires fitting. The horn had a broken bracket from being knocked when facing forward so I refitted it across the handlebar out of harms’ way with a combination of glass fibre and aluminium to get the position right.

I wanted to fit a number plate with a racing number on it but I was warned off aluminium for the risk of a sharp edge and rigidity. Where could I find a suitable size piece plastic? How about a chocolate tub. About the right size, no sharp edges, rigid enough to have a shape but will give when needed. This time it was a Celebrations lid cut to shape with holes drilled to take bag ties for fitting and painted in lurid yellow adorned with the racing number of 48. Black with embellishments of gold and white. Not quite finished yet adding yellow valve caps and go faster flame transfers as the finishing touches we are ready to race.