Sharpie Madness

There are advantages to owning a really scruffy bike. You can lock it most anywhere and not worry about it. If it falls over - which this one inevitably does - oh well, just pick it up. I also view this bike as a learning process: experimenting with accessories, riding it in the rain, on dirt trails, hauling groceries, and testing its limits. It also has mismatched tires (one smooth, one knobby) as I try to utilize all the leftover half-used tires in our basement.

My Ross has so many nicks and scratches that I decided to color it with black Sharpie. It's permanent ink so I went at the rust and scrapes.

fork before Sharpie application

While not quite the same luster, the overall effect is wonderful.

fork after the Sharpie madness

I kept going, coloring every nick and spot.

seat tube before paint

Inspired by Lovely Bicycle's post on painting lug work, I bought a Sharpie paint pen and pinstriped the only lugs on the Ross. It was fun to personalize it too.

Oh, so pretty.

 I also added my name on the top tube.

I'm not sure what to do about the stem. The green Sharpie did not adhere to the metal so I'll leave it as is, for now.

Next up: the chain stay.

Kelly green duct tape as chain guard.

It was an interesting project and - I wouldn't attempt this on every bike but - for the Ross it's a perfect way to experiment with paint pens. The coloring spruced up an old well-ridden clunker.