FAQ

Why powder-coat?

Powder-coating is amazing! I still clearly remember the moment I collected the first frame after it was done. (The bike it was built into is still here in the workshop.) The transformation from a tired, old frame with scratched, worn paint, rust spots etc. to a totally transformed good-as-new bike took my breath away. It didn't just look like it had been repainted, it looked like a brand new bike.

Advantages of powder-coating include:

  • Powder-coating produces a much thicker coating film than conventional liquid coatings without runs or sags in the finished film.
  • The finish is extremely durable with a rich, deep, lustrous appearance perfect for a bicycle.
  • Powder-coated items generally have many fewer appearance differences between horizontally and vertically coated surfaces than liquid paint coated items.
  • A wide range of speciality effects is easily accomplished which would be impossible to achieve with other coating processes.
  • Powder coatings emit zero (or near to zero) volatile organic compounds (VOC) therefore having a much reduced impact on the environment.

What if I just want to get my frame coated?

If you have a frame which you just wish to get blasted and powder-coated and then rebuild yourself then we are happy to arrange this. Cost currently is £90 all inclusive (this includes blasting, coating, cost of the powder, transportation and our handling costs). Timescale is usually two to four weeks from our receiving the frame.

Please note however that we do not then do partial rebuilds. Either we build the whole thing or you do. Please also note that an extra charge may be added for frames that have not been fully stripped.

Do you have any bikes for sale?

In the past we did try and have a selection of Specialbikes available for sale but we found that they sold very slowly as most interested parties ending up wanting us to build them their own Specialbike to order. We do have a few example Specialbikes that, for the right price, you could ride away on, but most people end up wanting us to build a Specialbike just for them.

Do you use/supply second-hand parts?

If you have supplied a donor bike then, subject to the assessment, we are happy to re-use any existing components which are in a suitable condition to do so - details of these will always be clearly noted on the spec sheet.

If we are supplying the frame and components then we only use all new parts, otherwise we would be unable to provide a warranty on them.

What are your opening hours?

Not being a retail business, we don't have specific opening hours. There is usually someone in the workshop most days. If you are interested in getting a Specialbike and would like to come down and see us that's great - but please make an appointment first.

What colour choices are available?

There is a huge range of available colours. Click here to view a sample chart. There are also some excellent special effect finishes available.

What guarantee do you offer?

We offer exactly the same guarantee as if you walked into a shop and bought a brand new bike.

I don't live nearby. Can you still build me a specialbike?

Ideally we'd like to meet you to make you a Specialbike. If it's not too far, come down to Brighton for a great day out and come in a see us at the same time. You don't need to come back to pick up your completed Specialbike, we'll ship it to you, fully built. If you really can't get to us then we can do the whole thing by email and phone. Get in touch and we'll explain how.

Do you only do single chainrings?

Thank you to the eagle-eyed person who spotted that many of the example bikes on this website have single front chainrings. We are big fans of keeping bikes simple and find that many people do not use the front chainset and derailleur on their bike. So we often build bikes with single front chainrings . However, we do build specialbikes with double and triple chainsets. No problem.

I'm not very technical / I want to discuss every detail.

We love building beautiful bikes that are exactly what their owners are looking for. We work for you. If you just want to tell us that you want an easy-to-ride, bright pink bike with a basket then we'll sort that, and it'll be perfect. If you want to discuss sprocket ratios, reaming and facing, cold setting, headset stem torque settings, LX -v- XT -v- X9.0 then we can do that too. We're not bike snobs, we're bike lovers.