I decided to take an old steel frame that was filled with chipped paint and some surface rust and got it powder coated a dark navy blue, matte finish. I just picked it up the other day and it looks brand new! I'm really happy with the job the powder coaters did. Now, I'd like to take it one step further and have been playing with the idea of adding some personal touches to make the frame really unique. Also, I've had this bike since 1989 and while it's not an expensive bike by any means, it has brought me many rides. I thought about painting the lugs a contrast colour, like yellow or orange, but then I hit upon the idea of polka dots. I don't want to spend too much time doing the job so I thought if I created a cutout of a circle, I could spray or paint on contrasting colours -- white, light blue, red (to match the nifty Zaffiro's I have). Should I do patterned or random dots? Or is this just a silly idea???

I'm open to thoughts & suggestions!

p.s. the pictures you see are a basic idea of what I'm thinking in MS Paint (yeah, low-tech). The 3 overlapping circles represents what I'd try to do on the head tube.

Man, do what ever you like. Its your bike after all and if you think it will look good then do it. It will definetly stand out in a crowd if you do it. Also, I think you should all kinds of different colors for the dots in no percievable pattern. If your gonna be different, you might as well go all the way. Just my .02 cents.

If I was to do that I'd do only kind of a racing stripe with the dots in pattern. Top tube only. That might be quite stylish. But if you're really into dots do what ever pleases you most!

Then again I want a new paint for my Trek and been toying with some quite crazy (fugly) ideas even.

Yes, you are crazy. Next, you'll put a top tube pad and spoke cards on it. JK
I'd go with the yellow lugs so it'd look like an early Navy jet fighter or Blue Angels. A WW1 German lozenge pattern on the TT would be cool but difficult to "decode".
That's something to consider. Base the scheme off some obscure historical vehicle - plane, hotrod, etc. so you can refer to that when asked about your paint job. Just do something deeper than what any average hipster with pink grips would do. Learn about something unique and it will fuel your imagination. You can then tell scoffers to, "Go read a book!"

Food for thought:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y2/dmar836/misc/5coltop24modcopy.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y2/dmar836/misc/Loz5SixthLower.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y2/dmar836/misc/FME743.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y2/dmar836/misc/aircraft1.jpg

Thanks for the ideas dmar! Although I'm experiencing vertigo with that pattern...

shinsplits
I have been kicking around the idea of powder coating my Motobecane LeVelo and was just wondering what did you have to do to prep the frame for coating? and if you don't mind me asking about what did the charge to have it coated?
Thanks Bob Smith

shinsplits
I have been kicking around the idea of powder coating my Motobecane LeVelo and was just wondering what did you have to do to prep the frame for coating? and if you don't mind me asking about what did the charge to have it coated?
Thanks Bob Smith

Sandblasting & powder coating, IMO, is the easiest way to repaint a steel frame. All you have to do is strip all the parts (fork, derailleurs, cranks, etc.) and drop off at the sandblaster/powder coater. I found a place that does both so it was quite easy to just drop off and a week later, pick up. The place is known locally as the place to go so they're familiar with bike frames -- other places may not have the experience so you'll have to explicitly tell them to cover all frame openings (BB, seat tube, head tube, etc.) because you don't want paint to get into those areas. All in all, I paid $75 cash, and I'm really pleased with the finish. I chose a matte colour because they happened to be doing a large order of patio furniture so they could just add my frame to the run. You may have to wait a bit longer if you choose a colour that they'll have to set up the machines for.

Oh, and they told me that no clear coat is needed - maybe someone could verify?

Oh, and they told me that no clear coat is needed - maybe someone could verify?

That is correct. Put some car wax on it to get some shine and protection.
That is AFTER you've done your part of the paintjob. ;)