Giving a Road Bike New Life — Experimenting With Wrap Colours & Decals

There’s something addictive about bringing old gear back to life. Anyone who rides knows the feeling: your bike still rides beautifully, but the graphics are dated, the colours don’t excite you anymore, and the whole thing just feels… stuck in another era. That’s exactly where this project started.

I’ve been using vinyl for a long time now, mostly for wall art, signage, and custom decals, but experimenting with full wrap accents on a road bike was a whole new kind of creative challenge. The original scheme on this bike had that early-2010s look—heavy graphics, busy lines, and colours that didn’t match the rider’s current style. A refresh wasn’t just a cosmetic idea; it was a chance to modernize something that still had plenty of miles left.

The first step was testing colour palettes. Matte blacks, deep metallics, bold primaries, and even some textured vinyls—each one transformed the personality of the bike instantly. I created small sample patches and laid them against the frame in different lighting, checking how the colours played with the carbon weave and the existing components. Some combos were too loud. Some didn’t stand out enough. But every test made the vision clearer.

Once the colours were locked in, it was time for decals. Clean lines, modern shapes, subtle branding—nothing too busy, just a sleek identity that matched the rider’s style. This is where vinyl really shines: I could prototype dozens of ideas without committing to paint or permanent changes. Layer by layer, the bike went from “outdated” to “custom build energy.”

The final result was more than a facelift. It became a reminder of why I love working with vinyl in the first place—how a simple material can completely transform something familiar into something personal, modern, and uniquely yours.

Whether it’s a wall, a vehicle, or a bike frame, that moment when a design clicks is magic. And I’m already looking forward to the next experiment.