Isen workshop: adventures in batch production (or not...)

HAS to be someone on here

Isn't the whole point of the Isen project to get bigger by breaking away from parochialism?

Yeeeaaaaahhhh but. Still. I wasn't aware that any had been sent to the US yet. Took me by surprise, is all.

Would there be any interest in a 51cm Isen 4 season in Milk Tray fade? Built with Ultegra 6870 Di2 Hydro groupset. Complete with two wheelsets 1 x 650b set with matching purple hubs and 28mm GP 5000s and 1 x 26 inch SP dynamo set with 40mm Marathon Supremes...

Bought in March this year. A fair few scuffs to the paint as detailed above in the thread but otherwise pretty new.

Ooo interested in the 6870 if you decide to split

Sorry it'd be whole sale or nothing

PM incoming.

any pics yet of the damaged paint?

I've sent some to Matt and will put up here shortly

Paint chips. Will obviously take better pics for anyone interested in the bike.

4 Attachments

I’d hardly call that substantial. Looks like nothing more than pretty typical ‘wear and tear’ for a used bike to me.

The chip on the fork looks very much like it’s been caused by being leant against something like a low brick wall in my opinion.

I’d hardly call that substantial. Looks like nothing more than pretty typical ‘wear and tear’

It can be both.

Typically substantial?

Or substantially typical?

Substypical!

Nailed it.

There's quite a few more on the fork, which I'll photograph properly for anyone thinking of buying. I guess people's definition of wear and tear differs. This is by far the newest of the 4 bikes in our household and it's the only one with any marks or chips. The others are all immaculate despite being much older and ridden much more. I think that's the main frustration, maybe that's just par for the course of nice paint.

@hoops Would you recommend stuff like Cyclewrap to protect nice paint jobs?

When what should have been a scratch turns into a chip I’d say the paint is delicate. That rear stay looks bad.
Also, rear brake needs re-adjustment, you’re only utilizing 2/3 of the rotor brake surface :)

Edit: same thing on the front

you’re only utilizing 2/3 of the rotor brake surface

Rotor tracks are typically deeper than the pads, partly to allow for some radial position tolerance. As long as there's 100% radial engagement on the pads, it's all good.

You have to be a bit circumspect with this stuff because it can remove lacquer and paint should you try and take it off or adjust it.

Also needs skills and patience to apply it. Applied badly it looks awful.

For sure - what’s considered ‘acceptable’ with regards to the durability of paint will obviously vary from person to person.

I think the main thing that a lot of people are unaware of is that handmade bikes of this type and the paint that’s applied to them is not the same as what you’d get on a mass produced bike with a factory paint finish - the paint products used in the by the majority of the big factories in the Far East are horrendously nasty chemicals, both for the environment, and the person applying them, and as such are illegal in the EU due to their impact on the environment and user. I paint bikes for a living, and even if these products were available over here, I still wouldn’t use them because of how damaging they are not only to myself, but more importantly the environment.

So yeah, factory paint will always be much more durable than a custom / small batch production finish, but that’s the trade off you have to make if you want a more unique and technically involved paint job like you get with a custom finish.

Dont get me wrong, I fully understand your point of view and that it must be pretty frustrating, but fact of the matter is that hand made bikes of this type will always need to be treated with a bit more care than a standard factory bike painted in the Far East.

There are a few products available - some are better than others. How skilled the person who applies the protection also plays a big part.

Some of my customers choose to have protection films applied to their bikes, and have been happy with the results, some have been very unimpressed.

Personally, I wouldn’t ever bother with it on one of my own bikes - I don’t see the point in having a really nice custom finish, and then just covering it sticky back plastic. It just makes the finish look a bit crappy IMHO.

You also have to be super, super careful when removing it on a custom finish, as the adhesive is so strong it can rip the paint off with it - I’ve seen this happen more than a few times. You also need to make sure the paint is fully cured before applying any protective film, otherwise it will prevent the solvents in the paint from evaporating properly - it can take anywhere from a week up to a month after painting for the 2k clear coat to be 100% cured depending on the products used.

The pre cut invisiframe kits that are manufactured for specific frames do look ok when applied well, but they are only really available for factory MTB frames really (which is understandable as these types of bike are much more likely to get a beating) - pretty much all road bikes will need to have the wrap cut by hand from a roll of stock protective film, and looks pretty shit in most instances - don’t get me wrong, it can be done well, but will most likely take almost as much time as the paint job itself to do a really clean application.

I think Cyclewrap is probably the only guy who puts the effort into making sure the film is cut accurately for a tidy looking wrap on one off projects.

TL;DR - paint chips, it’s just a fact of life. Trying to stop it from happening can have more negative aspects than positive depending on your point of view. The only way to ensure paint stays in pristine condition is by never actually riding your bike.

Makes sense now. Thanks for clearing that up

The only way to ensure paint stays in pristine condition is by never actually riding your bike.

Or ride titanium.

Does paint on titanium have magic adhesive properties?