I removed the paint off a Raleigh alloy bike before. I wanted to personalize it for my son. It was not an easy job because we did not use the right paint remover. I was told that it would be easier if I had used aircraft paint remover.

The alloy frame looked very good after the paint has been removed but before we could do the next step, a customer bought it. So, if yours is an alloy bike and the current paint work looks bad, maybe you may just want to strip the old paint off and leave it be.

I found this article "How to Strip Yer Bicycle for a Raw Finish" on Instructables.  The instruction is very clear and there is a photo of how an alloy bicycle will look like with its paint stripped off.



If you are still keen on repainting your bicycle, cover up parts that should not be contaminated with paint. We had difficulty removing parts while repairing bicycles for owners who repainted their bicycles.

Other than painting, there are other ways to decorate your bicycle to personalize it. You can stick washi tape on it and seal your creation with mod podge or decorate it with duct tape or stickers for a more interesting look.

Here is how a bicycle decorated with washi tape looks like. You will have to choose colours and designs that will make it looks less girly.



You do not have to strip the paint off your bicycle if you plan to use tapes or stickers. Just use sandpaper to remove any rough surfaces and you are good to start taping.

Here is how one of my customers' bicycle looks like with stickers on it.



Personalising your bicycle this way, may deter a thief from stealing it as it will be more difficult to change its looks to sell it without being caught.

What is the best way to lock up your bicycle?

Are you frustrated that the bicycle you kept locked in your house still gets stolen?  Even so, we shouldn't make it easy for someone to take away what we paid for and own!

The first thing that a thief will do when they steal a bike is to make changes to the bicycle so that it is not easily recognized by the owner or his friends. Changing the colour of the body is the easiest way.

So, make it difficult for the thief to make changes to your bicycle should it get stolen. Add stickers that are difficult to remove or make markings on part of the bicycle that is obvious for all to see even if painted over. A thief will be deterred from stealing your bicycle if there is too much work involved because of the lock installed or if it will be a hassle changing its look.

So, if you plan to park your bicycle, especially without a lock installed, make sure that it is within your sight. Make it stands out so that it can be seen from a distance away. You can do that by adding decorations on your bicycle that makes it uniquely yours. Eg, adding strips of self-adhesive reflective tapes in different colours to the rim. That way, if your bicycle is park with many others in a row, you can recognise it right away.

Go to YouTube and do a search for “How To Lock Your Bike” and you will find many videos showing mistakes that one can make when they use locks on their bicycle. Here is one I found that can rectify those mistakes.

At Jom Johan you can find many different types of lock ranging from RM5.00 to RM38.00.  You may not even have to pay for the lock because of the gift voucher you will be getting when you purchase a bicycle from us.

Here is another way to deter thieves from targeting your bicycle. Put this note on your bicycle where it can be seen by any thief; “Reporting Once Stolen at Bike registry”. So saying, make sure that you take down the serial numbers on your bicycle and take enough photo of the bicycle and proceed to register online if it gets stolen.

Change handlebar tape? Learn to DIY.

If it is time to change your handlebar tape, learn to do it yourself by watching this video.



At Jom Johan you get a rebate of RM4 off SPL-WORKS RACING TAPE if you decide to tape it yourself.