Not for everybody.
If you want something unusual, an investment in art that goes fast, it can happen here. For the limited number of folks who understand the value of collecting art on a human powered vehicle, I will put my fine art training and experience to work to produce something that seems alive. Each paint design is based on our conversation, your personality and desires. Prices vary with medium and complexity.

Bio in brief: I have three university degrees in fine art, one of them a BFA in oil painting from the University of North Carolina, along with the Masters from the San Francisco Art Institute. I have had one man shows on two continents, received many awards, sold work in several 2D media, worked as a art restorer, was a licensed street artist in San Francisco (watercolors), and have taught oil and watercolor painting at colleges and private art schools in California. I painted wild Victorian houses in San Francisco to put my way through grad school. I never considered painting a bicycle frame until a client talked me into it.

Time and medium determine cost: I can use state-of-the-art automotive paints requiring precise care and attention to detail in every regard, or mixed-media waterbased paints that allow more freedom in application. Techniques are based on many years working with oil and water-based paints. My personal methods insist upon intuition, spontaneity and freehand. This is mostly contrary to the use of automotive paints, making the work uncomfortable, extremely toxic and labor intensive. Such work requires the workspace be reserved for a period of time necessary to fully complete color layering and detailing. Time and expense incurred for application are prime factors in cost. Minimum cost is $1200 for my hand work with water-based paints on a powdercoat base, clear coated and cured. The charge for a lacquer-based paint job like the one pictured is $2995. The complete process takes three to four months with time allowed for the paint to cure.

The process: First, the frame is fabricated to our specifications, based on careful measurements and an interview to determine your riding style. The frame is prepped (in this case, at Moots, the fabricator), then powdercoated at Spectrum Powderworks in Colorado. The powdercoat process insures a rugged base that can withstand any solvent I may use to get the effects I want. In this case I used prime red as the base color. I chose the palette from a latex-on-paper painting I did in 1985. I put it next to the workspace as a color map.

I mix most of the colors from prime red, blue and yellow, pure white, and black. In this case I had two specific colors mixed by the paint supplier. My strengths as an oil painter are based mainly in a hard-earned sense of color. My ability to mix and match colors got me jobs as a restorer right out of college and many offers to work with museums are restoration in Europe (floods in Italy feed quite a few colorists). I use old white ceramic plates from thrift stores as palettes--a good tip for anyone interested.

The first step after powdercoating is wet-sanding the surface of the basecoat. This gives the paint something to grip. I also use sanding effects for sub-surface texture, color and tone, so the emery paper was always on hand.

I use custom cut and shaped brushes, fabrics, sponges, shaped foam, leather and liquid pens to apply the paint. I pressurize a fountain pen for low-tech spray and splatter effects. I pray over each and every stroke of the brush as I abuse, sacrifice and destroy anything necessary to get the effect I want. Every application of the paint is like a musical theme, jazz performed in line and color. Be forewarned: I will only do this kind of work if I am allowed to be spontaneous in applying the paint. You can suggest a theme, but how I interpret is my personal responsibility.

ChromaBase reducers and lacquer thinner are extremely toxic, so liberal use of paint and solvent is very dangerous. I am constantly balancing artistic freedom with scientific discipline and health concerns. Every tool must be cleaned and spill mopped up with lacquer thinner. There is a reason you cannot buy the paint I use off-the-shelf. It is only available to pro paint shops because extreme care must be taken to insure safety. Professionals get cancer and degenerative diseases from this sort of work. Get it on your hands and it takes an act or congress to get it off your skin. You can blind yourself in a single session. Amateurs can do damage to themselves and those around them. DO NOT DO THIS AT HOME! I use a respirator, eye protection and latex gloves, run everyone out of the shop when I am painting, but I still worry, as I am constantly reminded of the extreme toxicity of these materials whenever I take the respirator off. I realize there are millions of gallons of this kind of crap evaporating into the atmosphere every day. Environmental concerns make me want to keep my contribution to this evil to an absolute minimum. Water-based paints are recommended! New legislation will make non-waterbased paints illegal.

No matter the paint medium, the layering process creates most of the color range, producing depth and effects through various ways of mixing pigments in the can and on the red powdercoat, built-up color base or whitewashed surface. After the colors are layered and paint is allowed to cure for a few hours, the frame is gently packaged and shipped back to the powdercoater for its clearcoat. This takes about a week, then the frame is back in my hands to cure and prep for the build. I set it aside for as much as three months to cure, but I can rush a build, if necessary. The client should know that the paint will have to be treated gently for the first three months. You can ride it, but falling on it could be a disaster. Prepping for the build also has its risks within the first month or so.

Ordering: A Lee Bridgers paint job can accompany purchase of a titanium or steel frame, or be part of a complete titanium or steel bike purchase. I will paint an aluminum frame in some situations (no warranty on paint on aluminum). If you have a classic titanium frame you want to turn into an art object, I am open to painting a used American-made frame. I work with several fabricators--Moots, Sherwood Gibson, Land Shark, Lynskey. You can order a stock frame from us to be painted or I will customize a complete bike for specific needs based on a custom fitted handpainted frame, if you want the full treatment. The frame pictured is a Moots Compact custom. I consider titanium to be the perfect "canvas" for a fine art paint job--it practically lasts forever. The pictured custom frame with custom paint cost the client $5095. The complete bike with Campy Super Record came in at $11K. The low range for a custom handpainted titanium or steel frame is $3000 (three color Lynskey, Sherwood Gibson or Land Shark). CONTACT DREAMRIDE for more info. Call 1-888-MOABUTAH to order. Bookmark this page for future updates.

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Another very happy client visits the Dreamride shop for a final fitting session. Dreamride is not just a bicycle studio, we are a tour company, as well--Moab's original day ride provider. If you come to Moab for fitting or to pick up a new Moots or Pegoretti bike, there are special deals for YOU. For example, we give you a free night of lodging in our guesthome guide quarters and a free guided ride with the company owner. Parts and total cost for bike pictured: