The Octopus Bike

JAMES - i'm psyched to finally post this. It's a 1978 Raleigh Record Ace that i custom painted for Renaissance Bicycles, a local company that specializes in customizing and restoring vintage bikes. Bryan at Renaissance took the finished frame and tricked it out to make it a serious track bike.
the bike is for sale by Renaissance - here's a link, and it lists all the equipment specs: www.renaissancebicycles.com


when Bryan first contacted me, we talked about possible design directions, and i did some sketches. this is what i came up with.



when i got the frame, it had been stripped of it's original paint and decals and a nice white primer coat had been applied. i mapped the whole thing out with a pencil and an eraser - my body was twisted in and out of that thing trying to get just the right angle to draw on it. i wanted all the tentacles to attach to the head in the front, and keeping track of all the tangles was quite a challenge.



when i got it just how i wanted it, i rubbed it down with alcohol and painted it with enamel paint. the kind you use for sign painting. in retrospect, paint markers may have been an easier way to go, but there's no way i would have gotten some of that texture and flow without the thick enamel paint. but damn, those fumes killed!
i did use paint markers for the black outlines and the white bubbles, and for the lightning bolts on the rims. i'm super proud of how it came out, and i had no idea Bryan was planning to dress it up so nicely. this thing's a monster.

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