Removing tyre brand graphics

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lo5707
Posts: 83
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2012 7:03 pm

by lo5707

As part of my new 'Carbon Stealth' build i am removing ALL branding from every component part to give a cleaner finish to the bike (that includes all my Campy SR 2012 components!).

I thought i'd share with you how i got the graphics off of my Conti Supersonic tyres

After a couple of test patches of rubbing, scratching, black permanent marker and a couple of black paint spots, i was having no joy and reside to the fact i would have to keep the graphics on. I started to rub the permanent marker off with a rag towel and the Conti rubberised graphic started to come off.

I started to rub a bit harder with the towel across the graphic and it started to rub off.

I found that you had to do it in patches or alternating between different graphics as a lot of heat can occur during rubbing and i didn't want to damage the supersonic inner tube.

Here are a couple of photos. This worked with Conti but i have not yet tried it on other brands of tyres.

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Elrey
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Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2010 11:13 pm
Location: Denmark. Yeeees

by Elrey

What did you use beside a towel? Acetone?

by Weenie


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lo5707
Posts: 83
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2012 7:03 pm

by lo5707

Just the towel. The heat caused by the friction causes the rubberised brand paint to simply break away. It took a good hour to do one tyre like this. There may have been quicker way to do it - i.e. with a solvent but this way seemed to be working well and allowed me to control exactly how it was removed rather than relying on a solvent which may have caused unwanted side effect to the rubber.

quattrings
Posts: 479
Joined: Sun Nov 14, 2010 10:25 pm

by quattrings

seems like an awful lot of work to do to a disposable item.
Surprised you could still type this down, with the inevitable blistering on your hands and al. :D

lo5707
Posts: 83
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2012 7:03 pm

by lo5707

quattrings wrote:seems like an awful lot of work to do to a disposable item.


When you have spent 20 hours sanding down carbon cranksets to remove paint jobs, or 8 hours removing the clear coat from carbon brakes and brake pad shoes just to get the right effect for your new build you have been obsessing about building for 2 years.........an hour removing the yellow and white branding from tyres that will not go with the look of the bike is nothing really.

Or am i just being too meticulous? :roll:

crohnsy
Posts: 399
Joined: Mon Aug 16, 2010 6:43 pm
Location: Canada

by crohnsy

You appear to still be using the presta vale nut and cap..... You can't be that meticulous..... :oops:

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HammerTime2
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by HammerTime2

But there's no branding on the presta valve nut and cap.

lo5707
Posts: 83
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2012 7:03 pm

by lo5707

crohnsy wrote:You appear to still be using the presta vale nut and cap.....You can't be that meticulous.....


The caps are lighter than the alloy ones i have and are also yet to be sanded down! :lol:

And you have also missed Conti valve caps are yellow.........thus swapping them out for black to match my build.

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prendrefeu
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by prendrefeu

Yet you are still using the nut and cap. :roll:

Hint: don't use them. Save weight.

Oh, and welcome to Weight Weenies.
Exp001 || Other projects in the works.

wojchiech
Posts: 405
Joined: Thu Feb 24, 2011 6:33 pm
Location: bay area, california

by wojchiech

maybe this is just me, but abrasively rubbing off a logo on a thin pressurized material (bicycle tire) sounds like a bad & unsafe idea. I've seen and experienced enough tire sidewall failures to know.

And plus, how are you going to know where the valve hole is if you can't line up the tire label with it. :noidea: :thumbup:

crohnsy
Posts: 399
Joined: Mon Aug 16, 2010 6:43 pm
Location: Canada

by crohnsy

The nut and cap are not needed. Not having them on your bike is lighter than having them on your bike.

lo5707
Posts: 83
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2012 7:03 pm

by lo5707

Thanks prendrefeu.

Been on and off the forum for about 3 years now and love it. Hope to post my new build as my first 'proper' post in the new year (a completely matt carbon ride in the region of 5.5kg).....not the lightest i know but a good first WW build on a budget i think!?!
Last edited by lo5707 on Sun Dec 23, 2012 7:15 pm, edited 2 times in total.

lo5707
Posts: 83
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2012 7:03 pm

by lo5707

wojchiech wrote:maybe this is just me, but abrasively rubbing off a logo on a thin pressurized material (bicycle tire) sounds like a bad & unsafe idea.


I did consider this and was one reason i didn't want to use even the lightest of sand paper and simply used a soft towel. The surface (of the actual tyre wall) under the thin rubberised graphic is in perfect condition........hence the reason it took about an hour to do a tyre.

lo5707
Posts: 83
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2012 7:03 pm

by lo5707

crohnsy wrote:The nut and cap are not needed. Not having them on your bike is lighter than having them on your bike.


Point taken..........maybe the weight saved from removing the logos will counter the caps :D

by Weenie


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