New frame decals on Titanium frame?

carl1983
carl1983 Posts: 162
edited March 2014 in Workshop
Hi, I have an Airborne Valkarie titanium bike which is in good condition but for a few of the stickers flaking off! Does anyone know how I can replace these stickers? I know Airborne are no more which might make it a little more tricky!

My first thoughts are to send pictures to a custom decals maker so they can replicate them in some way? does any one have any advice on this?

The other option is to strip the decals off completely and polish up the titanium and leave it bare, thoughts?

Comments

  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 17,414
    someone did post on here a while back about some amazing decals they had made, unfortunately they never gave any details

    you could try...

    http://www.graphicshack.co.uk/custom-decals-12-w.asp
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • horizon
    horizon Posts: 91
    The Valkyrie became the Van Nicholas Yukon. You could get a Yukon decal set from Van Nicholas. I stripped all the previous generation VN decals off my Amazon - they were a bit too cheesy for my liking. The current ones are quite stylish - I've put the top tube one on and left the rest of the frame bare. One thing I found is that under the transfers, the titanium was a little lighter ie it hadn't oxidised, and it took ages (about a year) to lose the slight difference.
  • paul_smith_srcc
    paul_smith_srcc Posts: 247
    Horizon wrote:
    The Valkyrie became the Van Nicholas Yukon. You could get a Yukon decal set from Van Nicholas. I stripped all the previous generation VN decals off my Amazon - they were a bit too cheesy for my liking. The current ones are quite stylish - I've put the top tube one on and left the rest of the frame bare. One thing I found is that under the transfers, the titanium was a little lighter ie it hadn't oxidised, and it took ages (about a year) to lose the slight difference.
    Some Airborne Valkyrie trivia for you, there were infact two versions, both actually made at the same time, a Sportive and another Audax version, with mudguard clearance, slightly longer rear stays, different forks and slightly shallower head angle, the latter was introduced shortly before the re-branding to Van Nicholas and if I recall shared the same transfers as the Sportive model that were current at the time, note in the pictures below they differ as the Sportive model is I believe not the same generation as the Audax model in the lower picture. I was actually involved with the development of the Audax model as it was based on some 'custom' frame designs they made for me back when I was running the CTC Shop franchise. The Audax model did indeed evolve into the Van Nicholas Yukon.

    11498861896_d15774058d_o.jpg

    Airborne Valkyrie Sportive model above

    11498809024_e0ba4c6268_o.jpg

    Van Nicholas Yukon at the back, Airborne Valkyrie Audax at the front

    Both had a brushed finish, a finish that is just as the name suggests simply a 'brushed finish', so if you've taken all the transfers off you can simply renovate and rebrush; using nothing more than red Scotchbrite and a bit of elbow grease.

    3M-7447.jpg

    Normally those pads measue 150mm x 230mm, simply cut each large pad into three 50 x 230mm strips, take each end in your fingers, wrap the pad around the tube and brush it to a fro, shoe shine boy styley ; hope that makes sense! Well worth bearing in mind when doing this the brush marks will be directional so it can take a while to do the entire frame, infact its quite a sweaty dirty job and to do an entire frame properly will often take two hours plus.

    Paul Smith
    My personal cycling blog
  • pete.whelan
    pete.whelan Posts: 788
    carl1983 wrote:
    Hi, I have an Airborne Valkarie titanium bike which is in good condition but for a few of the stickers flaking off! Does anyone know how I can replace these stickers? I know Airborne are no more which might make it a little more tricky!

    My first thoughts are to send pictures to a custom decals maker so they can replicate them in some way? does any one have any advice on this?

    The other option is to strip the decals off completely and polish up the titanium and leave it bare, thoughts?

    I can make some single colour vinyl decals in Van Nicholas Yukon style (I've done them for other people on here). I could probably find a good enough Airborne image to make a single colour copy as well.

    downtube decals work out about £1 each

    email me for more details pete.whelan@talk21.com
    Recipe: shave legs sparingly, rub in embrocation and drizzle with freshly squeezed baby oil.
  • de_sisti
    de_sisti Posts: 1,283
    I've had decals for Pete Whelan in the past. You won't be disappointed.
  • wishitwasallflat
    wishitwasallflat Posts: 2,927
    De Sisti wrote:
    I've had decals for Pete Whelan in the past. You won't be disappointed.

    Pics or you are Ezy :!:

    Sorry I've resisted it this far but this was just too much of a temptation.
  • de_sisti
    de_sisti Posts: 1,283
    wishitwasallflat wrote:
    De Sisti wrote:
    I've had decals for Pete Whelan in the past. You won't be disappointed.

    Pics or you are Ezy :!:
    Sorry I've resisted it this far but this was just too much of a temptation.

    Ezy ? What's that in English? Alas,,, I've changed all of my bikes since then.
    Don't get them if you don't won't to. Your decision doesn't affect me.
  • wishitwasallflat
    wishitwasallflat Posts: 2,927
    De Sisti wrote:
    wishitwasallflat wrote:
    De Sisti wrote:
    I've had decals for Pete Whelan in the past. You won't be disappointed.

    Pics or you are Ezy :!:
    Sorry I've resisted it this far but this was just too much of a temptation.

    Ezy ? What's that in English? Alas,,, I've changed all of my bikes since then.
    Don't get them if you don't won't to. Your decision doesn't affect me.

    viewtopic.php?f=30005&t=12838538
  • horizon
    horizon Posts: 91
    pete.whelan wrote:
    carl1983 wrote:
    Hi, I have an Airborne Valkarie titanium bike which is in good condition but for a few of the stickers flaking off! Does anyone know how I can replace these stickers? I know Airborne are no more which might make it a little more tricky!

    My first thoughts are to send pictures to a custom decals maker so they can replicate them in some way? does any one have any advice on this?

    The other option is to strip the decals off completely and polish up the titanium and leave it bare, thoughts?

    I can make some single colour vinyl decals in Van Nicholas Yukon style (I've done them for other people on here). I could probably find a good enough Airborne image to make a single colour copy as well.

    downtube decals work out about £1 each

    email me for more details pete.whelan@talk21.com

    Given that VN charge about £40 for a set of decals - which are pretty poor quality (not vinyl) and a pig to apply - I'd say this was a bargain!

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