Medusa

custom paint on bare frame

Have you ever wanted a one of a kind bike? Something completely original? I sure have. Over the years I have done some detailing on my bikes like switching out a few parts or even painting the frame a new colour. My latest project came to me in the form of an old Kona Dew frame with a few rusted parts hanging off it. This poor thing had been put though the ringer. I put about $200 worth of parts on it to make it rideable and was very happy with the fit and feel of this ride. To truly put a personal touch on her I opted for a fresh custom paint job... the snake skin motif has inspired the name, Medusa.

The paint was in very poor repair and I wanted to freshen it up a bit:
Step one,  strip every part off the bike. 
Step two, use multiple grades of sandpaper to finely remove dings and scrapes, and paint off the frame. 
Step three,  multiple light layers of primer.
Step four,  paint job. 
Step five,  clear coat. (Two whole cans!)
Step six,  rebuild.

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I rode this as my winter bike for several months but wasn't happy with the original bars. They were mountain bike riser bars. I found these much less comfortable than dropbars to which I am used to. In fact, I started to have wrist problems. I visited my friends at The Bike Pedaler and picked up a pair of WTB Dirt Drop Bars. Wow, what a difference! Not only did this put a unique spin on the bike, it is so much more comfortable to ride. I have yet to hit the single track yet but I am confident they will prove their worth.

New mountain drops

front view of drops (note the flare)

She's looking great and running like a dream, however, I still hope to further modify it. An internal geared hub would clean up the looks and make it the ultimate mud and snow beast! Only time and money will tell.