Wheels decals

kfinlay

Hi all,

hope someone out there can help/advise.
Got a pair of Pro-Lite Bracianno wheels and don't like the painted decals.
I was thinking about getting something to cover them up but it would need to have a black background and white and/or coloured writing. Ideally they would not be shiny vinyl more of a satin shine but if this isn't possible then I could do shiny if it was contoured cut.
Anything I can get? I've seen wheels decals on ebay etc but think these are just cut vinyl. Don't know If I would need something screen printed but then that could get expensive.

Any help folks?

Monty Dog

If you go to a vinyl sign specialist they should be able to do you something special - there are UV-fast inks that they inkjet onto the vinyl to give you all sorts of effects - only limited by your imagination and your wallet!

daniel_b

You could try giving this place a call: http://www.graphicshack.co.uk/ (Who are one of the ebay sellers)

I have mailed them several times and had no response though

Once I have my wheels I am going to give them a call as I need a slightly larger size to what they are selling. I hope they answer their phone quicker than they do e-mails.

markos1963

Daniel B wrote:

You could try giving this place a call: http://www.graphicshack.co.uk/ (Who are one of the ebay sellers)

I have mailed them several times and had no response though

Once I have my wheels I am going to give them a call as I need a slightly larger size to what they are selling. I hope they answer their phone quicker than they do e-mails.

I emailled them once about decals for my wheels as they were not showing any. They never replied but a week later they started showing them for my bike on ebay at £50!! I got someone I know to do them for me, £12

petemadoc

I got some decals for my new bike from these guys

www.spincollective.co.uk

They are really good quality. I suspect you might have trouble if they've never done wheel decals before, the measurements would have to be mm perfect.

kfinlay

cheers guys,

a local sign company wanted £90 for printed decals :shock:
Will think about other options and talk to other local companies to see what they can do.

cobbslane

Hi
just come across this thread which looks like it might need a bit of input from someone who makes decals for a living - and sells on eBay - me!

The tech bit:
There are two types of decals - vinyl (printed or cut) and transfer printed (sublimated)
Sublimated transfers are where the design is printed onto a carrier and then using heat applied and 'transfered' to the surface you want the design on. Often used for mugs, T shirts etc. However, the surface needs to have a polyester coating so it will adhere and transfer. Not very useful here. so, the next type is vinyl.

Printed vinyl is produced using specialist inks. (Steer clear of those done with a desktop printer and then overlayed with a clear film as they fade almost immediately in the sun as a piece of printed paper would) The specialist inks are solvent based as the ink needs to react with the vinyl to adhere otherwise it would rub off. That means the printer needs to be solvent-proof itself and that costs. A narrow model will set you back c£9k and so the investment is heavy. Also - just like your desktop - it needs regular use to avoid clogging up so waiting for a small, single, non-repeat order using material at 42 inches wide for a narrow 15mm sticker 6 inches long is not very attractive to these guys. The same process is used to wrap (clad) vans etc such as Sky TV, buses, peloton cars etc where the cost is high but the finish and quality is remarkable. And at that level it will outlast your interest in your bike. It will be very difficult to find a printer that is cheap at that quality level and is also interested in such a small piece of business - but they do exist if you are prepared to pay.

So that brings us to cut vinyl. As the name suggests sheet, self adhesive vinyl is cut out using an (often) expensive cutter with accuracies of better than 0.1mm. The vinyl is solid colour or with some variation such as carbon weave effect, woodgrain, mirror chormes etc. Your design is unrestricted in the main but the size of the type or level of detail can be an issue. If the strands of vinyl are too narrow as a result of the design they may not adhere well so are best avoided. Background colours can be added but remember that this adds a layer and so the thickness increases.

If you do go in this direction look for 5-7year vinyl as a minimum (used for marine applications, vehicle graphics etc) and will last that long with little problem. Branded vinyl is also worth having as then there is someone to back up the claims. Also be meticulous when cleaning the rims before application. Stickers rarely come off due to the adhesive - it is like the proverbial on a blanket - but if there is wax, grease, dust or road grime beneath then expect the worst.

Good thing about cut vinyl is it is reasonable cheap if you know where to get them cut
As for me, I do hundreds of cycle and helmet stickers every month worldwide and unlike some of my competitors every enquiry is answered very promptly! There's no excuse for that...
Hope that helps
Gerry

dcurzon

hey Gerry - maybe we are competitors on ebay? But probably not, as my market is slightly different to yours. Good informative post there. I use JAC Serical (5 year) which is probably overkill for my normal customers needs

kfinlay

Thanks for that Gerry, good to get an understanding from the sellers side as I'm sure you get a lot of enquiries that are simply not worth your time.

I've covered the Pro-Lite decals in electrical tape and I'm surprised at just how good the wheels look and how well the tape blends in - you really have to look for it.

So now I think I can get some satin finish black cut vinyl to cover the decals (I'm sure the tape won't last).
I would need 8 bits outer diameter 610mm and inner diameter 578mm, height 16mm and length 265mm around the outer edge. Also a the corners should be rounded not more than a 3mm radius.

Would you mind giving me a PM to let me know how much it would cost, Gerry?