17 Wild Paintjobs From Sea Otters Past - Pond Beaver 2021

Apr 10, 2021
by Alicia Leggett  
This Custom V10 by Rie:sel Design - 2019

Sea Otter 2019

Sea Otter 2019
Sea Otter 2019

More info.




Fuji's Miami '80s Auric - 2019

Sea Otter 2019
Whether you love it or hate it, Tony Baumann is the man responsible.

Sea Otter 2019
Sea Otter 2019

More info.




A Bike Design Inspired By Gloves - 2019


Ard Kessels challenged painters to match his new Handske gloves.




Cody Kelley's Patriotic Alchemy Arktos 29 - 2018

Anyone remember this Red White and Blue Alchemy Arktos Cody Kelley rode in DS

Alchemy Arktos Cody Kelley
Alchemy Arktos Cody Kelley

Full bike check.




Mitch Ropelato's Sanded 5010cc Frame - 2017

Mitch Ropelato and his sanded Santa Cruz Bronson. Rockshox and SRAM running gear Fabric seat Roval wheels and a Specialized Butcher up front with a Ground Control out back.
This bike carried Mitch to the pro men's slalom win in 2017.




Devinci's Sunrise-Ish Neo-Retro Project - 2017

Devinci s YYZ in a candy looking white yellow red fade.

All the 2017 bikes in one place.




Glitter and Wood Pattern from SaltAir - 2017

One of the freshest looking from afar.
#sparklewatts

Maybe a little much up close So much sparkle.
Wood glitter combo.




Intense Living Up to the Name - 2017

Another custom painted Intense. This time with some orange tiger camo if that s a thing
A closer look at the tiger stripes.

The colorful custom Intense Tracer with a very realistic metal flake on the downtube seatstay.
It looked like raw alloy but it s a metal flake paint that does a convincing job of appearing like metal.




DVO's Louis Vuitton Tracer (Yep, Another Wild Intense) - 2017

DVO s Loui Vuitton Intense Tracer.

The LV details in the Intense logo.
And on the Enve decals too.

LV details on the shock.




Rocky Mountain's Loud Pop Art Maiden - 2017

A rocky Mountain Maiden painted with comic style characters over it. This paint method is unique and will set you back about 2 500 USD

Details on the fork and rims.
Rocky s head badge remains in place.




This Stunning Airbrushed Transition Patrol - 2017

This Transition Patrol with a custom cedar airbrush is not new but it was here and it still is amazing to look at.
An up close detail of the cedar




Yet Another Intense Tracer - 2016

Intense T275

2016 bikes available here.




Dave Cullinan's Pinstriped Santa Cruz Hightower - 2016

This is Dave Cullinan s custom painted Santa Cruz Tallboy. It has custom hand painted race stripes and a forest green the crew were using for a moto project.




Nino Schurter's World Champion Scott Scale - 2014

Nino Schurter s World Champion Scott Spark 2014

Full bike check.




Santa Cruz Tazmon - 1993 or 1994ish, but shown at Sea Otter in 2018

Sea Otter 2018
This bike has been going strong since before I was born.




Pond Beaver 2021


Posted In:
Reviews and Tech Bike Checks Now That Was A Bike Sea Otter Sea Otter Classic


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88 Comments

  • 87 3
 That 80s Fuji is sick, love the dolphin hahaha
  • 4 1
 Agree
  • 3 1
 My favourite!
  • 5 2
 Its only missing a boombox playing some new retro wave...
  • 3 1
 If only I could own that bike!
  • 5 0
 I hate so much that I want this Fuji.
  • 2 1
 I would love my bike to look like that but riding in a white blazer and boat shoes with no socks would be tough. Do they have SPD sperry's?
  • 51 0
 havent seen a cigarette company name on a race bike in awhile
  • 12 0
 I wonder how many Marlboro miles that thing went for back in the day.
  • 3 0
 @jrfields: did'nt need any , had it custom painted by Dr. Deltron in Pacific Grove Ca, probably one of first bikes custom painted, bouggt it new in 93 had it painted and my good friend put it together
  • 1 0
 even better: shopboardwalkvintage.com/shop/marlboro-fanny-pack-w-plastic-water-bottle
  • 7 0
 Those are not done by the bike brands right? Do they always strip the original paint or is there a manufacturer where you can order a ready to paint frame? I also wonder why it's not more common among normal users to have one, with bikes approaching 10k+ it seems like a blingy thing to do.
  • 8 0
 Some brands do their own custom paintjobs for sponsored riders, but most custom frames are done by independent paintshops. Fatcreations is one of the more well known paintshops, they either strip the frames down before painting or get them ready to paint from some manufacturers, but mostly for woldchamps bikes (Santa Cruz & Pivot come to mind), don't know if you can get a frame like that if you aren't sponsored tho.

And as for why not more people do it, most good paintshops have long waiting lists (Fatcreations' is around 1 year normally I believe) and most manufacturers won't let you keep your warranty.
  • 4 4
 There were times when bike manufacturers sold their frames with nice paintjobs to the customers..
www.pinkbike.com/photo/17629439
  • 1 0
 @adamdh: most similar nowadays is probably Trek with their Project One program. But their effect paint isn't really the level of customization expected for an upcharge of 800€.
  • 2 0
 It would also be nice of they had a raw option just so someone could go get their custom paint without having to strip the paint from the manufacturer.
  • 2 1
 @rosemarywheel: Privateer is offering a raw version of their frames!
  • 3 0
 @Juan007: most raw versions have a clear primer, sometimes an intercoat, and then a clear coat over top. They're about as ready to paint as any other bike. Not a true raw.
  • 6 0
 "This bike has been going strong since before I was born."

Thinking that was like... a few years down the road!
thank you for bringing me back to the future/present
  • 2 0
 Yeah, now that everyone seems half my age I guess it's friends off with @alicialeggett.

Thanks for that. Grabbing oatmeal/advil breakfast.
  • 2 1
 I was only 10 or 11 but even then, it doesn’t seem that long ago. Got my first rigid, chromo MTB just a year or two later.
  • 3 0
 When you start hearing songs from high school on the classic rock station... Or you're mentoring new hires and they were born after you graduated university.
  • 1 0
 @BikesBoatsNJeeps: Not quite there with the latter yet. Something to look forward to being depressed about.
  • 1 0
 @BikesBoatsNJeeps: or are younger than your children! ahahah.
  • 1 0
 @gonpalco: I got a late start on the children, so I'll probably retire before that happens.
  • 7 0
 Cody Kelly literally pulled a Ricky Bobby with that leg.
“I don’t know what to do with my leg right now.”
  • 15 5
 Idk, but these ‘murica designs always seem a bit over the top.. would be nice to see usa theme , but done in a more tasteful way..
  • 39 9
 @GZMS: USA and tasteful? Together? Huh....
  • 4 0
 @GZMS: I completely agree. I think Neko Mulally’s Scott world champs bike from 2015 or 2016 was pretty good looking.
  • 5 1
 @GZMS: Have you ever been here? We're not exactly tasteful nor are we subtle.
  • 4 2
 That alchemy bike looks like its about ready to go invade a small country for its oil reserves
  • 1 3
 @thebradjohns: Salty, bro?
  • 2 0
 @GZMS: we leave that to the French.
  • 5 5
 @thebradjohns: Now that Biden is in, all the small countries should be worried. Trump was the first president in nearly 60 years that didn't invade another country.
  • 8 1
 Yes to all, except for the Louis Vuitton one.
  • 2 2
 I like the concept, but I think it could have been better executed.
  • 4 0
 I'm a huge fan of the pin striping and would embrace it fully if it came back... I had a Kona 853 road bike with subtle pin stripes that still gets me all excited Wink

and that devinci retro is just wild
  • 7 0
 That Transition is BEAUTIFUL
  • 6 1
 @ninjatariam - yeah blinging out is great and all, but nothing LV ever looks good
  • 8 0
 No kidding, I ride mountain bikes in the forest to get away from the LV crowd
  • 6 0
 Rocky Mountain Pop Art Maiden stoll my heart totally Smile )))
  • 3 0
 My favourite too! To own it then when retirement comes around hang it in the living room.
  • 6 0
 Anyone else getting Ayrton Senna vibes from that last bike?
  • 2 0
 For sure, that bike is definitely riffing on the old Marlboro McLaren paint scheme. Actually wouldn't have been the old paint scheme at the time either.
  • 1 0
 Lotus - McLaren - Williams. Glad I got to see him race at Phoenix. Senna, Prost, Piquet I believe.....
  • 3 0
 I'm 40 years old and I still find myself squinting at the Rocky Mountain frame to find all the cartoon women like a perverts version of "where's Waldo?"
  • 4 0
 $10 says the new Santa Cruz will be named Tazmon.
  • 3 0
 Tazboy
  • 3 0
 More like the Superlight as it’s an XC bike
  • 1 0
 Heckmon
  • 2 0
 I'd really like to see more interesting painting jobs from manufacturers with more integration with components. Nothing here really appeals to me though.
  • 1 0
 The Gravel Bike with that Wild Vibrant Colourway is kinda cool..reminds me a lot of Fresh Prince of Bel Air! Would Ride that! The Miami Fuji Bike reminds me a bit of the Aqua Magenta Nomad 3.
  • 3 0
 Room for 2 water bottles and a pack of smokes
  • 2 0
 Right? Nothing like having a sponsor that openly promotes cancer and heart disease.
  • 2 0
 Looks like a Hightower -------> Dave Cullinan's Pinstriped Santa Cruz Tallboy
  • 1 0
 Yeah, looks to be a 1st gen Hightower. Shock mounting is wrong for it to be a tallboy.
  • 4 1
 My eyes are bleeding. Who needed that?
  • 2 0
 I think Dave Cullinan's Pinstriped Santa Cruz is a Hightower, not a Tallboy...
  • 1 0
 i started making up my mind early on as to which one i liked best but then they just kept getting better and better . All are fantastic .
  • 2 0
 Love the sanded SC. It sings like Bill Withers, "Keep on using me, 'till you use me up."
  • 2 0
 Love it or hate it, those are wild.
  • 2 0
 Where are those bikes today??? Should be sold for charity and ridden!
  • 2 0
 Probs stolen
  • 1 0
 Probably in a museum
  • 2 0
 Where are these bikes now?
  • 2 0
 A surprising amount of bikes I did not like....
  • 7 0
 Every gaudy intense makes me want to puke
  • 1 0
 that's a year's worth of lockdowns for ya! looking forward to next year's >:>
  • 2 0
 Schwinn Homegrown Anodized Gold and Bass Boat paint jobs.. still the best
  • 1 0
 So if I were to take sandpaper to a Santa Cruz would I get the same results?
  • 1 0
 I hate that the fork lowers are never painted, like a hot stripper in walmart tennis shoe's!
  • 1 0
 I wanna like these but none of them got me excited.
  • 2 5
 I see quite a bit of cleavage and side boob and an angry gorilla on that pop art Rocky Mountain. I guess we should all assume RM is a misogynistic, neo-nazi, testerone-fueled, anger-filled, elitist brand on a mission for world domination? I mean come on, all the signs are right there in the paint job.

#DCA
  • 1 0
 Dont be sad that Freedom is gone; be happy it existed at all.
  • 1 0
 "Alchemy Arktos"! Nice combination of words !
  • 1 0
 Anybody know what front disc brake that Santa Cruz is running?
  • 1 0
 Only one of those Santa Cruz paintjobs is any good, cowboy
  • 1 0
 That Rocky Mountain Maiden is unreal! Want!!
  • 1 0
 Allan cooke 2017 santa cruz nomad 3 andes pacifico edition
  • 1 0
 That 2016 Tallboy looks like a Hightower
  • 1 0
 pinstripe !
  • 1 0
 What cool colors!!
  • 1 0
 My favorite color is ham
  • 1 0
 That Fuji is amazing.
  • 1 0
 Really like that Fuji!
  • 1 0
 Thats a real bike
  • 1 0
 Wow too many favourites
  • 1 0
 Devinci YYZ!

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