Custom Giant Cadex

Hello everyone,

I'm Jay and since I'm new to this forum, I thought the best way to introduce myself was by posting my project (will try to add the complete project in several replies to this post).

1. Found a new friend
I found this Giant Cadex at work somewhere in a back storage and since the original owner left it there in dust, it was given to me to restore and make it a happy bike again. So I decided to totally strip it and customize it.

So here is the bike as I found it:

2. Sanding Sanding Sanding
After bringing it home, I stripped the whole bike, taking all parts off to the bare-naked frame and started sanding it. It's a carbon frame, so I used wetsanding paper and sanded it by hand (which took several days).

And this is the result before starting the paint job:

(I didn't have the proper tools back then to remove the bottom of the headset, so I decided to leave it in ...)

3. Base paint
A friend of mine had some room in a garage where I could create a DIY paintboot. So some plastics, rope, duct-tape and blankets did the trick. I used several layers of filler to repair some damaged spots on the frame and after sanding (again!) the first layers of base-coat were sprayed on.

And the frame in base-coating:

4. Design and cleaning
In the meantime all parts were taken apart and cleaned until shiny and working again.
I decided to go for a blue frame (RAL 5012 - Light Blue) and black seatpost, fork, cables and bar tape.

And here is the frame in blue:

5. Assembly
The most fun part in a project like this is the assembly of all the cleaned parts on the "new" frame after all the hard work. I was now about a month into the project and seeing the chrome on the chosen blue with the black highlights was awesome:

Welcome home, honey! :)

6. Before & After
So here we go, the before and after shots ...

7. Awesome buddy!
The first rides were awesome (and it still feels great to ride my blue buddy). Putting love and passion in a machine like this, makes every ride better. Before this bike, I've never ridden a lighter carbon frame, but it feels great!

Here are some shots in the wild:

8. Since then ...
A bicycle is never really finished ;)
It's always in need of love, care and attention.
Since the built and a summer full of cycling, I've changed the saddle (to match the color ;)), built my own wheels (!) with black rims and black tires, changed the cassette and upgraded the brakes and rear-derailleur to shiny Shimano Ultegra 6700 ... and there is still a lot left tot have fun with.

Thanks for reading, feedback and tips welcome ofcourse.
Will keep adding pictures later on.

Cheers,
Jay

Really nice job, I've got a similar frame I've had since'92, its naked though, with black components, polished the lugs a few years back, this thread makes me want to clear coat it again, (:

Thanks for the compliment, nice that it's inspiring ;)

Good work, nice job; especially considering the DIY paint booth!

My heart sank a little when I read about the matching saddle, but it's not too bad: please don't try matching the bar tape though. :)

No matching bartape, no worries on that part. The saddle looks more like a little touch in real life than on the picture where I zoomed in on it. Thanks! :)

Nice job on the paint but (in my opinion) I preferred it before. The colours on the tyres, cream tape and pink decals really mixed things up.

Thanks for the compliment on the job.
It's a matter of taste I guess ;)

Nice paint job.

My 2p, you should get some of the original decals - it's a bit too plain otherwise and the pink ones looked good. Also the bar and shifter position looks pretty odd - almost like the reach is too long (which is hard to believe given how tall I'm guessing you are based on size and seatpost exposed). Maybe some slightly shorter reach bars? I know I found the gunslinger shimano hoods a bit long with regular old school drops.

hmm, i like what youve done and the ratio of black to alloy is good. I especially like the clean lines where the black seatpost meets the frame but i agree with hugo that the pink decals would be next level. Theres a complete giant cadex cfr-3 up the road from me for £160, tempted.

Thanks guys, I'll give the decals some thought ...
@hugo7 Although I rode it like that whole summer, I have changed the bar, will post a more recent picture of the bicycle soon!

I nearly painted one of these once. The one I have now is chipped to hell but I'll lever repaint it because fadezzz.

Good on you for putting some time into something

Good effort fella