Sticker it up

[Hobo Mikey]

Raining so much today on the Gower, thought I might have to sell bike and get a boat. So into the garage with bike and some eBay stickers to personalise my bike and my pump. Gave me something to do and kept me quite.

 

[levity]

adds some spice and frame protection

 

[Hobo Mikey]

I have always been into custom cars and Hot rods etc. And always liked to be a bit different. I my eye there are hundreds of bikes like mine out there but mine is different. I know a lot of peaple will say what if you want to sell it, I don’t care I own it now so I want it like I want it.

 

[Ssscrudddy]

Waiting on so more flames for the rear mudguard

 

[steve_sordy]

I wonder if there is such a thing as too much sticker? Maybe plenty of stickers reduce the chances of the bike being stolen?

For a different tack, consider this. I was chatting to a guy in the carpark and as we were talking, I was slowly checking out his mtb. Everything I looked at appeared to be the absolute top of the range, but it was hard to tell because there wasn't a sticker, decal, or brand name anywhere to be seen. He had even removed all the graphics from his carbon rims and hubs. The only place that you could see any graphics was on the tyres. Every single part of the bike that could be worked on (like all of it) had been worked on. The frame paint job had been some dark purple metallic finish, but he had rubbed it down. The end result was a matt black carbon-framed, matt black kitted-out bike that at first glance looked like nothing much. I asked him why and he said that the bike had cost him upwards of £14k (this was 5-6 years ago) and it looked it. He was immensely proud of it, but everywhere he went shifty characters were looking at it and circling around him in the car parks. He was certain that he'd been followed on the way home several times but managed to lose them. It unnerved him, hence the drastic action. He can enjoy his bike in peace now, but what a penalty to pay!

 

[Hobo Mikey]

I think some peaple just like to be different. Like I said I have always been into custom cars and hot rods. My bikes as a kid would start of normal and then I would change the look just to make it mine. Not always a really radical change just a small detail here or there. My E Bike now I want to be different so that’s why I sticker it up. Not everyone’s cup of tea but it’s mine and I like it. If / when I come to sell it, possibly it would be harder to sell but I don’t think a few stickers would make a lot of difference. The bike is still there and works as it should.

 

[KnollyBro]

I think some peaple just like to be different. Like I said I have always been into custom cars and hot rods. My bikes as a kid would start of normal and then I would change the look just to make it mine. Not always a really radical change just a small detail here or there. My E Bike now I want to be different so that’s why I sticker it up. Not everyone’s cup of tea but it’s mine and I like it. If / when I come to sell it, possibly it would be harder to sell but I don’t think a few stickers would make a lot of difference. The bike is still there and works as it should.

I can see both sides of the coin but some people's taste is interesting to say the least!

 

[7869hodgy]

I’ve just realised my Trance X E has minimal sticker-age.

 

[Mcharza]

Stickers make your bike more personal and sometimes cover the dull colour of the bike.

 

[VWsurfbum]

I’ve just realised my Trance X E has minimal sticker-age.

View attachment 101180

Thats calling out for some stickarage!

 

[steve_sordy]

This is what makes my Merida e160 red/black bike different to all the others.

 

[Ssscrudddy]

How did your saddle get infested with tubifix worms...

 

[steve_sordy]

How did your saddle get infested with tubifix worms...

The usual damage to the shoulders caused the skin on the saddle to start to peel away. The padding underneath was being exposed and it was getting worse quite quickly. I used to try gaffer tape, but that was an almost complete waste of time as well as looking awful. This is what I did to sort it.

Get some PVA adhesive. It's a white adhesive that looks a bit like latex sealant, except it's sticky! Use a 1/2" paint brush or smaller to push the adhesive under the skin of the saddle and above the padding. Get plenty in there. Get some thread and a needle. I used some quilting thread that my wife said was stronger than ordinary cotton (it just happened to be red!) It is no good getting something super strong and thick because it will just pull through the saddle skin. I put the quilting thread onto the needle and knotted the two loose ends together, so that I was sewing a double thread. I had to use a pair of pliers to hold the needle and force it through the saddle skins (top and sides) and to draw the two surfaces together. It is important to sew through the wet PVA adhesive as the threads get coated too. This not only strengthens the job, but waterproofs the thread. Starting at one end of the gap, work your way around until the gap is closed. Do a few back stitches in the opposite direction for security and cut off the loose threads. Once the job is done give the area of the tear and the exposed threads a coating of PVA. Leave it to dry overnight. It might not look pretty at first, but the PVA dries to a clear shiny finish. It also feels slightly tacky, but that disappears after the first use. Do a decent job and it will last for ages, MUCH better than gaffer tape!

 

[MountainBoy]

I’ve just realised my Trance X E has minimal sticker-age.

View attachment 101180

You might want to remove the Fox QR code sticker on the forks. It kinda takes away from the awesome "stealth" look. Maybe black out the tire sidewalls too!

 

[emtbPhil]

I've used stickers in a slightly different way on mine

I got a bargain factory rear shock early in the year, and after riding around on that for a while I caved and bought a brand new factory front fork too

Only problem was my bike was black with green stickers, and the orange fork made it look like a tic-tac

After searching around to try and find a replacement sticker kit I ended up buying a vinyl cutter and making some custom ones

Before

After

Even replaced my van window stickers to match

 

[steve_sordy]

You might want to remove the Fox QR code sticker on the forks. It kinda takes away from the awesome "stealth" look. Maybe black out the tire sidewalls too!

Fox used to sell "stealth" decals. They may still do so, I haven't checked. The stealth decal was two-tone black on a black background that matches the fork lower, or shock body. The Fox logo could only be seen if you looked at the correct angle and caught the light just so. I thought they were totally cool, still do! In my opinion, only worth doing if the bike is black.

 

[Ssscrudddy]

More stickers on the rear mudguard

 

[Stihldog]

The first step is admitting you …oh whatever!
I like both looks but I’m in the “less is more” camp. Trying to keep it stealthy as possible while I still like the stickers I get. There’s nothing here that I would put on my bike though.

Trying to stay with a gray/black/red theme but I really screwed up here.

And this Rock Shox Lyric sticker for my upgraded fork left a bad taste in my mouth. After these were delivered by the DHL truck from the UK…the final cost was rediculous.

And then I scratched them up in a crash a few days later.