Half-hopping the Nanolight

I've recently been thinking about getting a new road bike.

I've had my Planet X nanolight since 2011 I think and it's good, but I have itchy feet.

I didn't want a standard Mamil bike, I knew that, and wanted something a bit hip hop, but other than that wasn't sure. My thoughts swung around from an off the peg Ti of some sort (I've got a sweet Burls fixeh lo-pro and I like Ti), to a Look 695, to getting Rourke to build something in 853.

But since I don't actually need a new bike, quite enjoy dicking about building things and am a cheapskate I've decided to pimp the nanolight.

I've always liked the frame and am happy with how it goes, so I think I'm just going to change up the cosmetics.

Here's how it was:

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Bone stock except a Pro saddle (off someone here) and 60mm Chinese Crabonz.

The plan is to lose a bit of weight, paint it, go 1x and fit shallower wheels cos the 60mm ones catch the Fen breezes out this way.

I'm also going to delete as many logos as poss. There are lots.

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I've chosen the colour and the paint has arrived from eBay, as have some new hubs:

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Fans of the Car Appreciation thread may have spotted I like a rear engined German car, so could only really choose from Porsche's paint chart.

I thought about that coppery-beige they do, I live near a Porsche dealer and have seen a few in the colour:

But decided it would look like an homage to @7ven 's Hobbs.

I also considered Slate Grey:

But it's a bit 2012.

So I decided to look at new colours and came across Graphite Blue Metallic.

As it turned out a pal of mine had built a rather sexeh 911 on that very shade:

It's quite blue in some lights, very grey in others:

I think it's a rad colour.

So I've got two tins of it, some lacquer, a fair bit of 400 grit wet and dry and a load of old curtains to stop it going all over the garage.

And this morning I dismantled the bike and put some on the forks just to make sure I like it. Which I do.

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I should point out that I don't think any Planet X will ever be hip hop. Good value things are anti hip hop by definition, including bieks. So that's what I mean by half hop. See?

@hp93 see here for how to do it

I'd suggest reserving judgment on that. It may yet be shit...

I dangled the frame from the ceiling from the bottle cage rivnuts and some old telephone cable, draped the old curtains on the floor, pointed the rattle cans at it and pressed the button. #prolevelgear

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I also considered Slate Grey:

But it's a bit 2012.

Nah but it's very 1988. I absolutely loved my slate grey FC3S. Dont get any paint on that trike that you've been kindly storing for me :)

It's safely behind the bus. Between that lilac crate be my nephew's drum kit.

Nice!

Just watch that overspray, though! The difference in heat from inside and outside is sometimes just enough to pull the fumes out the door (onto that beautiful 914!)

I cant believe you're spraying that so close to your camper van and car.

It's further than it looks. It's turned to dust long before the 914. And the camper is ratty as heck so it all adds to the patina. :)

It's now hardening off over a heater before flatting and maybe some stickers and lacquer tomorrow.

The end of the phone cable looks quite cool.

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What are you using to spray?

Rattle cans. You can see them next to the hubs in the pic above. £25 for two colour and two lacquer off eBay.

They're not as easy to get a flat finish with as a proper gun but nothing some 1200 wet and dry can't fix.

Looking forward to this.

love a diy paintjob, subbed

What paint did you go for, standard auto paint or spray.bike esque stuff?

UPOL, which is what my local car body repairer recommended as the best rattle can paint.

I certainly prefer the spray pattern to Halfords, much easier to put on without runs.

I've just flatted off (800 grit cos that's all I had), stickered up and lacquered the fork and it's in the garage drying.

Whilst it's doing that I've been weighing stuff.

Old FSA SL-K seat post 271g.

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New [to me] Schmolke post via @piersriley a barely believable 88g including a bit of electrical tape, so I reckon 86g.

It's got a 75kg weight limit and massive retail price, luckily not so 'spensive second hand but I can't carry much more than a couple of flapjacks if I don't want to snap it...

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