In a message dated 3/13/04 9:18:31 AM Pacific Standard Time,
chasds@mindspring.com writes:
> I suppose vinyl stick-on graphics were the bastard-child of
> foil, used for the same reasons...but seemingly even less
> robust. Neither a match for clear-coated graphics.
>
A gem I got from Brett Horton: The vinyl stick ons were intended to be easily
replaced using a heat gun to remove the old ones. There is a type of bike
rack used in Europe (by the teams?) that grasps the frame where the vinyl panel
is. The panels get scratched up, you gun the old stickers off, slap on the new
ones, put on fresh bar tape and...presto, it looks like you have a new bike
instead of an old one. This greatly extended the life of the overall paint job.
Many European shops apparently have drawers full of the vinyl stick ons, IIRC,
Brett said the cost of a new set of stick-ons (installed) was under $20 and
was considered a very ordinary and routine chore in the shops.
Stevan Thomas
Alameda, CA