Custom Paint Jobs v.s. Stock Paint

[Nicolas H]

Hi all,

As someone who recently got into Rivs I find myself loving the older frame color choices way more than the newer. Anyone here who has had their riv re-painted and can share their experience? Also, I'm in SoCal if anyone has any specific for a shop. 

Thanks!

[Michael Baquerizo]

during (or just before?) the pandemic, i called in to try and get a sam hillborne for myself. i think they'd just done some digging and found a frame or 2 in the back. 

the one that fit me was on discount due to some blemish, and was also orange (my least favorite color on a bike)

i took the opportunity to get it painted a color of my choice, and at the time riv was handling the hand off's to rick stefani at d&d. besides adding a couple bucks (that i justified by the frames discounted price) and some time, it went pretty smoothly. 

i'd say having a reference and an understanding of paint would be ideal. i wish i'd added a little bit of dimension to mine, via a pearl most likely. 

[Bill Lindsay]

So you already own a Rivendell and want to get it repainted?

-OR-

You intend to look for a second-hand Rivendell, and when you find one, you will get it repainted?

-OR-

You are considering buying a new Rivendell from Rivendell Bicycle Works, and want it in another legacy color?

If it's the last one, just have Rivendell take care of it for you.  They'll arrange it with D&D in the East Bay, who paints ~50 Rivs a year and knows all the colors.  

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[J J]

Hi. I had a Hunqapillar custom painted last year. I bought the frame secondhand intending to restore and paint it. It had superficial blemishes, but the frame itself was structurally perfect, with no dents or any other issues. 

I had a vision for the bike and I worked with Rick Stefani at D&D Cycles in the Bay Area to make it happen. I'm on the East Coast so I shipped the frame and fork to him, and after he was done painting, he took it to Rivendell for the build.

I can't recommend Rick's work highly enough. It was a pleasure to work with him. I wrote about the experience in more detail. That page includes fantastic pics that Will took, one of which is attached here. The whole experience was a lot of fun and the paint job itself exceeded my expectations.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Jim

<https://www.rivbike.com/blogs/customer-bikes/jimmys-hunqapillar>

On Saturday, February 15, 2025 at 12:54:07 PM UTC-5 nics...@gmail.com wrote:

[Ryan]

And he did a splendid job...I love the color and those subtle green details and yes, I remeber reading about it.

[James B]

Joe Bell used to paint a majororaty of Rivendells in the past.  His work is outstanding and he is located in SoCal (Sring Valley CA).  619-469-4312

[Joe Bernard]

Joe isn't accepting new customers anymore, although I expect he's still doing company orders like Kirk Frameworks. He did my Riv Custom 5 years ago and may still be painting those, too, but I'm not sure you can even order one from Riv right now. 

https://joebell.net/

[A. Walton]

Not-a-Riv but just seconding Rick / D+D, who repainted my modified Davidson last year (pics attached) and was a pleasure to work with.

Alex in oakland / chicago

[Steven Ayers]

Eric Marth did, he made a video about it too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OmJRDn5R8I

On Saturday, February 15, 2025 at 12:54:07 PM UTC-5 nics...@gmail.com wrote:

[Ryan]

@Joe...I don't believe you can get custom Rivendells; @Marty who recently picked up a 2014 All-Rounder made by Nobilette and painted by Joe Bell mentioned he'd been turned down for a custom order. Looks like you were wise to hang on to your beautiful custom.... avoiding the dreaded seller's remorse :)

[John Dewey]

Well, there’s Joe Bell, of course. That’s a guilty pleasure for sure. His precision is almost incomprehensible. 

Beauty to behold…but if you want perfection then JB is the answer. 

Jock

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[Jim M.]

Rick at D&D did a great job on my Bombadil, though it wasn't a stock Riv color.

jim

walnut creek

[Eric Marth]

Yes, as Steven points out I had my Hillborne repainted but the paint has not held up well. Not naming names but the guy who did the paint has since retired. Lots of flaking at chainstays and esp at the seat tube clamp. I'm a total monster and recently hit it with some brown rattle can Rustoleum (couldn't even be bothered to use black). Any place a rock dings it when riding, the paint seems to chip. 

So my rec would be to find a reputable painter with a long list of references and go with them, like Rick at D&D :0) 

[Nicolas H]

So many beautiful paint jobs here! Thanks for the insight everyone! (I'm dreaming of a new Hillborne in October with maybe a matte, Cherry Red paint job similar to the Rodeo images they have on the site today :) 

[Ryan]

You mean this?

https://www.rivbike.com/collections/framesets?srsltid=AfmBOoqCetAO08OBQzD54-ceSButP7CyjPk9QuxcDteC0-Kgn99-n5YA 

It is a really nice color. Had my mixte ordered on New Year's Eve 2015 painted a similar color by JB. I'll  try to remember to take a pic once it gets lighter