After receiving the Chinese cassette/sprocket, the hub and the rear derailleur, I basically had everything what I needed for the bike. But I was not particularly happy with the color, so I decided to go deeply into this update and I re-painted the bike at home.
This and next posts will drive you through the process of the DIY bike frame painting.
I started of course by disassembling all the components.
I then took dimensions of all the stickers in case later on I decided to reproduce them again.
I also checked the dimensions of the square-type bottom bracket (pedals center bearing), as while removing it I've found it was not turning freely. I've tried cleaning it, but it was still somehow not spinning smooth, so I decided to replace it (Shimano Acera Square Bottom Bracket, BB-UN300). Not expensive, but not an expense I was planning to have though.
And then came what I thought it was going to be the hardest part of the job: the paint removal.
I mean, it definitely was the most physically exhaustive, but it wasn't the most challenging. That came later with the paint.
For this I've tried using some chemical removers, which are good for the tricky areas like corners, but on the straight areas of the frame the best was just to use old-school sanding paper. I also used a lot the wire brushed disk for the drill, which also helped me with the tricky corners.
It took a while, but I finished with a perfectly cleaned steel-exposed frame. In one of the pictures you can even see the serial number of the frame (original KTM B89698). I liked it so much in this steel finishing, that for some minutes I thought in leaving as it was, protecting it somehow with a transparent corrosion blocker.
I'll show you the painting process and final details on the next post.
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