My Paso’s wheels were suffering the typical problems which I’ve seen often on our beloved bikes: oxidation and blistering clear lacquer.
The metallic black paint on the hub and spokes seems to be more durable, at least in my case. Another thing that irritated me was a flaw
dent in my front rim.
As I was completely overhauling my brake system I decided to also restore my wheels. After having read this article viewtopic.php?f=13&t=5203&start=75 I got inspired. More importantly, I got confident enough to strip only
the clear lacquer from the rim while leaving the black paint unaffected. One major difference with Andrew’s wheel restoration however is that
I decided to also redo the clear lacquer to have it more resistant against the notoriously wet Belgian climate.
Step 1: Preparations
- I had the bearings replaced and the dented rim ‘straightened’
Step 2: Paint stripping & sanding
- Strip the clear lacquer on the spots where there’s no black paint (or red in case of 750 Sport rims). If you use a small brush and apply the stripper
carefully, you can get a very sharp line between the black area and the transparent one
- Carefully remove the blistered lacquer by rubbing with a smooth metal sponge and some water
- Sand the edge between stripped and non-stripped area with waterproof sandpaper (first 400, then 800) to make sure there is no height difference
because of the removed lacquer
- Take a Scotch-Brite hand pad (a smooth one, I took the wine colored one) wet it with water and sand the black hub and spokes. It will get a bit
dull, but don’t worry. After respraying this area with clear lacquer the black paint will regain its depth and also the metallic particles will be clearly
visible again.
- Sand the stripped area with waterproof sandpaper and some water (starting with grade 400 ending with 1200). If no too deep, damages can be
sanded out. Polish the stripped area until you have a nice, smooth and even finish. I got a very good result by doing the last polishing round with
the Scotch-Brite and some water.
However, don’t make the surface too shiny as you also want the new clear lacquer to adhere properly. Further, don’t use any polishing compounds
as they’re hard to remove and have a devastating effect on paint adhesion!
- Rinse the wheel with water. The last rinse if possible with deionized water. If you don’t have deionized water, then wipe dry the wheel with a clean
cloth. Leaving the wheel dry without wiping will leave residues from your tap water on the surface, which is not a real adhesion promotor.
Step 3: Paint preparation
- Cover the parts that you don’t want to paint. I choose not to paint the sides of the hub (where the bearings are situated)
- Degrease the complete surface that you want to paint with a good paint degreaser
- Position the rim so that you can easily spray paint it. I put it on a shoe box. As I did not paint the inside of the rim (where the tyre is mounted) I
could easily turn the wheel around and paint the other side.
Step 4: Spray paint
- 2K clear lacquer in a spray can: Spraymax 2K Klarlack http://www.spraymax.com
This product was quite a revelation to me. A two component product in a spray can, so easy to apply and not expensive (around EUR 20,- for a 400
ml spray can, which if you take care is enough for both wheels). Further, after curing the layer gets very hard, which is perfect for rims of course.
- Prepare the spray can by adding the hardener to the paint (see instructions on the spray can). You must use the lacquer within a restricted time as
the curing process will start immediately (If I remember well, within 48 hours)
- Spray a few thin layers after each other, leaving each dry for 10 or 20 minutes in between. Be careful, don’t apply too much paint as what comes
out of the spray can is quite thick! Further, this product really stinks, so use a proper respirator.
- If you let the lacquer cure for a few days, fitting new tyres is no problem.
Result: see pictures below!
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