{"id":36129,"date":"2022-04-24T16:00:23","date_gmt":"2022-04-24T14:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bikeradar.com\/?p=670691"},"modified":"2022-04-24T16:19:16","modified_gmt":"2022-04-24T14:19:16","slug":"6-of-fatcreations-best-ever-custom-paintjobs","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/rss_feed\/6-of-fatcreations-best-ever-custom-paintjobs\/","title":{"rendered":"6 of Fatcreations\u2019 best-ever custom paintjobs"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Geoff Waugh\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Sunday, 24 April 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Alistair \u2018Ali\u2019 McLean and his partner Rebecca \u2018Bex\u2019 Booth are the airbrush aficionados behind Fatcreations, one the UK\u2019s leading custom paint companies.<\/p>\n

Situated on England\u2019s south coast, the pair have painted everything from Steve Peat anniversary one-offs to Lance Armstrong replica frames for the film industry.<\/p>\n

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Fatcreations has painted frames for some of the biggest names in cycling.<\/span><\/figcaption> Geoff Waugh<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Their story is a familiar one in the business world \u2013 Ali painted a helmet for himself, some friends saw it and wanted theirs done, and his work has been in demand ever since.<\/p>\n

In fact, if you\u2019re after a boutique paintjob for your bike, you\u2019d better be the patient type, because the waiting list for Fatcreations is long and gets longer still during events such as the World Championships, when teams often request something special.<\/p>\n

Here are six of our favourite pieces from these professional pigment pushers.<\/p>\n

Peaty\u2019s Last Orders<\/h2>\n

High-flying Santa Cruz V10 for Steve Peat\u2019s last World Cup<\/h3>\n
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This bike was custom-painted to celebrate Steve Peat\u2019s last season of racing.<\/span><\/figcaption> Geoff Waugh<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

In 2016, Steve Peat announced his final season of World Cup downhill racing with a spectacular exit plan that involved some head-turning custom bikes, matching kit from his sponsors Royal Racing, and a farewell knees-up after every round.<\/p>\n

The Santa Cruz V10<\/a> frame he raced in Vallnord, Andorra, sported an RAF theme, with Supermarine Spitfire livery and a matching Fox 40 fork.<\/p>\n

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The frame is bristling with loads of fun custom details.<\/span><\/figcaption> Geoff Waugh<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Fatcreations went to town with this one, adding subtle details in every nook and cranny. How about the names of Steve\u2019s sons, Jake and George, tucked away under the grips?<\/p>\n

A bomb decal for every DH victory, in true fighter-pilot \u2018notches\u2019 style? Check. Bullet holes on the rims? Present and correct.<\/p>\n

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A bomb decal marks every one of Peaty\u2019s victories.<\/span><\/figcaption> Geoff Waugh<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Even the coil shock\u2019s spring was painted in camo to match the bike\u2019s \u2018fuselage\u2019. Steve\u2019s \u2018Last Orders\u2019 bell and crown logo was placed on the bottom bracket. While it was standing in the Santa Cruz pit, the bike drew a drooling crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a great one to do, because the Santa Cruz Syndicate team gave us complete free rein,\u201d says Ali.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first one we did for Steve was the Tartan Special for Fort William. By the time we got to this one, they knew what we were capable of and trusted us. Because I\u2019ve known Steve for a long time, I wanted to add loads of personal touches.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Peaty\u2019s bike was a true feast for the eyes.<\/span><\/figcaption> Geoff Waugh<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

\u201cFor example, MTB legend Jason McRoy\u2019s \u2018Ride Free\u2019 tattoo is on there, but you have to look really hard for it, and some touches can only really be seen when the frame is raw.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peaty finished 44th in Andorra (perhaps he spent too much time in his own Last Orders bar!) but was easily the best-dressed and flashiest-mounted rider of the day \u2013 and of the whole season, for that matter.<\/p>\n

The Bowie Bike<\/h2>\n

A Kinesis FF29 with some ch-ch-ch-ch-changes<\/h3>\n
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This Kinesis FF29 had a dull all-black finish when it first came to Fatcreations\u2019 studio.<\/span><\/figcaption> Geoff Waugh<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Beneath the layers of paint and lacquer on this frame is a Kinesis FF29. It was bog-standard black when it arrived in the hands of owner Geoff Waugh (the author of this article), and he decided something had to be done.<\/p>\n

A long-time fan of David Bowie, Waugh contacted Fatcreations and showed them a thumbnail of one of Bowie\u2019s jumpsuits. The design was a futuristic pattern, reminiscent of a computer circuit board.<\/p>\n

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Waugh, a Bowie fan, wanted the bike to feature some of his best-known motifs.<\/span><\/figcaption> Geoff Waugh<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

\u201cGeoff said, \u2018I\u2019m not sure you can do this, it looks really tricky\u2019, which is the wrong thing to say to someone that enjoys a challenge as much as I do!\u201d Ali recalls.<\/p>\n

Within days, Bex had done her research and made the stencils, and the airbrush compressors were revved up.<\/p>\n

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The stencilling took many hours of painstaking work.<\/span><\/figcaption> Geoff Waugh<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

\u201cThe stencils were tricky, because we had to keep all those right angles going around the thin stays of the frame\u2019s back end, over the curves and welds.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOn a scale of one to 10, if Peaty\u2019s tartan bike was a 10, then this job was about an eight,\u201d says Ali.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Bex has to take a lot of the credit for the work she put in to perfect the design.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The bike also features lyrics from the late Bowie.<\/span><\/figcaption> Geoff Waugh<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Song lyrics, originally in yellow but later changed to white, in a retro computer font, were placed around the frame, which really nailed the look.<\/p>\n

A deep, sparkling green glitter paint was used to write \u2018Starman\u2019 on the down tube, then Ali added the iconic Aladdin Sane lightning bolt to the seat tube.<\/p>\n

Gr-r-reat Scott<\/h2>\n

Zwift competition prize with some tiger-striped bite<\/h3>\n
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This bike was custom-painted for Zwift.<\/span><\/figcaption> Geoff Waugh<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

\u201cThis Scott Spark was a commission from [home-training app company] Zwift<\/a> as a prize for one of their users,\u201d explains Ali.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe painted it many months before it was seen by the general public, but that\u2019s often the case in situations where the build-up and the surprise of the reveal are crucial.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s basically painted in Zwift colours, and the overall design came from them. The idea was to tie it in with South Africa\u2019s Absa Cape Epic stage race.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The bike features the brand\u2019s corporate colour scheme.<\/span><\/figcaption> Geoff Waugh<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The RockShox SID fork<\/a> has Fatcreations\u2019 \u2018sunburst\u2019 fade finish, which is trickier to paint than it looks, says Ali. \u201cIt\u2019s important to get the transition between the two colours spot on,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is now Bex\u2019s speciality, after plenty of hours\u2019 practice in the spray booth.\u201d Bex adds: \u201cThe striped pattern was pretty involved. Just the stenciling alone\ntook many hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

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All that hard work paid off.<\/span><\/figcaption> Geoff Waugh<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

It may have been painstaking work, but the result is an absolute stunner that must have made the prizewinner\u2019s year, let alone day. But Ali and Bex will never know who that was.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bike went straight back to the Zwift offices and we never heard who\u2019d won. We\u2019re painting a similar one for them now, and probably won\u2019t know the outcome of that competition either!\u201d laughs Ali.<\/p>\n

The Excuse<\/h2>\n

Chunky, funky fatbike that\u2019s large and in charge<\/h3>\n
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\u2018The Excuse\u2019 was bought after Ali\u2019s heart condition was diagnosed.<\/span><\/figcaption> Geoff Waugh<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

\u201cI bought this fatbike when I was first diagnosed with a heart condition, and I called it \u2018The Excuse\u2019 because I could go out with my mates on their lightweight race steeds and never be expected to keep up,\u201d explains Ali.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to try a lot of different things, paint-wise, with this frame. It was a blank canvas. Hope was kind enough to custom-etch some components for us, and the hubs and orange-anodised cranks, stem, bar and pedals really add to the look.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Even the rims are painted.<\/span><\/figcaption> Geoff Waugh<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

\u201cBex made the bullet holes on the tubes, and the whole build has a look of \u2018don\u2019t mess with me\u2019 about it. So much so, in fact, that I\u2019ve converted it into an e-fatbike.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Excuse is all about small details. Look closer at the crazy urban-camo paint scheme and you can see exposed aluminium sheets and rivets hand-painted along the edges.<\/p>\n

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Hope supplied many of the components on the bike.<\/span><\/figcaption> Geoff Waugh<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Bullets appear to have torn through the metal of the extra-wide rims. This machine has seen some frontline action! \u201cIt isn\u2019t a bike for shrinking violets,\u201d says Ali.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can see it coming from miles away, and I suppose a big part of its design displays the feelings I was carrying around at the time. I\u2019m very competitive and could no longer race, so the colours are loud and vivid.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Camo-dale<\/h2>\n

Military-themed motorised masterpiece<\/h3>\n
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This Monterra is painted in a camo finish inspired by the British Army.<\/span><\/figcaption> Geoff Waugh<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Like The Excuse, this Cannondale Moterra is one of Ali\u2019s personal rides. With its electric motor, it\u2019s allowed him to carry on riding after suffering years of harrowing health issues.<\/p>\n

It started life as another blank slate, which stood in the studio for a long time while he was wielding an airbrush and a head full of ideas.<\/p>\n

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The frame has a purposefully weathered look.<\/span><\/figcaption> Geoff Waugh<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Based around the British Army\u2019s camouflage pattern, the paintjob again features loads of small touches that need to be seen up close to be fully appreciated.<\/p>\n

Ali explains: \u201cWith this one, I wanted to try a matt finish. I actually dislike matt paint in general, but needed to experiment with it because I got asked for one by a customer.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Ali sanded the frame back to the primer in some areas.<\/span><\/figcaption> Geoff Waugh<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

\u201cIt was important to me to be able to tell them what I know, rather than what I think I know, about flat paintjobs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI also wanted to play with sanding back a finish. My idea was for the bike to look worn, like an old army Land Rover that has seen some life.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I sanded my original green and brown camo finish down to the primer. The frame is aluminium, but I didn\u2019t go right down to the metal, even though it looks like I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

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No detail was left untouched.<\/span><\/figcaption> Geoff Waugh<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The result is a bike that\u2019s way more understated than The Excuse, but demands closer inspection.<\/p>\n

Its \u2018fatigued\u2019 look is stunningly accurate \u2013 so much so that if he ever came to sell it, Ali would have a task on his hands convincing a buyer of its true age.<\/p>\n

Sleigh of the dead<\/h2>\n

Super-spicy Mexican-flavoured Santa Cruz<\/h3>\n
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This bike was painted as a prize for an ENVE competition.<\/span><\/figcaption> Geoff Waugh<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Another bike that was painted for a lucky competition winner, this time in collaboration with carbon fibre wizards ENVE, this Santa Cruz Nomad looks plain from a distance, but up close you can see myriad details amid all the glitter.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis guy was into calavera [Mexican sugar skulls], so we made sure there were some along the top tube, behind the seat tube and on the fork,\u201d Ali remembers.<\/p>\n

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The paintjob is inspired by calavera.<\/span><\/figcaption> Geoff Waugh<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

\u201cThe rest was a cool, classic paintjob, with anodised parts in complementary colours. The ENVE logos on the wheelset are purple to match the frame, and the shock body likewise.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the head tube looks stock, turn it to face the sun and boom \u2013 the details light up!\u201d<\/p>\n

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The paint pops in the sunlight.<\/span><\/figcaption> Geoff Waugh<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The Fatcreations duo know who this bike went to, and what it meant to him. \u201cSadly, his partner was receiving treatment for cancer at the time, and he badly needed a pick-me-up,\u201d explains Ali.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no way he could have bought a bike like this under the circumstances, so to bring him some joy was hugely gratifying. Seeing his face when we presented the bike to him was incredible.\u201d<\/p><\/body><\/html>\n

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By Geoff Waugh Published: Sunday, 24 April 2022 at 12:00 am Alistair \u2018Ali\u2019 McLean and his partner Rebecca \u2018Bex\u2019 Booth are the airbrush aficionados behind Fatcreations, one the UK\u2019s leading custom paint companies. Situated on England\u2019s south coast, the pair have painted everything from Steve Peat anniversary one-offs to Lance Armstrong replica frames for the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":36130,"template":"","categories":[1,36],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"11"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/04\/6-of-fatcreations-best-ever-custom-paintjobs.jpg",1328,885,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/04\/6-of-fatcreations-best-ever-custom-paintjobs-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/04\/6-of-fatcreations-best-ever-custom-paintjobs-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/04\/6-of-fatcreations-best-ever-custom-paintjobs-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/04\/6-of-fatcreations-best-ever-custom-paintjobs-1024x682.jpg",800,533,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/04\/6-of-fatcreations-best-ever-custom-paintjobs.jpg",1328,885,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/04\/6-of-fatcreations-best-ever-custom-paintjobs.jpg",1328,885,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Geoff Waugh Published: Sunday, 24 April 2022 at 12:00 am Alistair \u2018Ali\u2019 McLean and his partner Rebecca \u2018Bex\u2019 Booth are the airbrush aficionados behind Fatcreations, one the UK\u2019s leading custom paint companies. Situated on England\u2019s south coast, the pair have painted everything from Steve Peat anniversary one-offs to Lance Armstrong replica frames for the…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/36129"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}