Custom Painted Columbus Genius Road Bike

One of the many great things about Columbus is that all of their carbon products are also available in an unpainted version, allowing you to get those creative juices flowing.

Cicli Corsa offers custom paint jobs on all Columbus frames and forks, and we wanted to show you the process of custom painting a Columbus Genius frame.

Step-by-step Custom Paint Process

The first step is to define the colour and graphical elements. We can paint frames any colour your heart desires, even two, three, or twelve colours if that is what you want. To define the graphical elements of a custom frame, we have to determine how many masks or stencils are required to achieve the desired effect.

What is the difference between a mask and a stencil?

A mask is a negative of a stencil. Where stencil patterns allow paint to be applied to open areas, a mask blocks areas so that paint can outline the images. For example, "Pintail" on the downtube of the Genius frame pictured below is being applied with a stencil. The brown paper that protects the rest of the frame from paint is what would be considered a mask.

Once the paint colours and graphical elements have been defined, we test all stencils and masks to ensure that they are positioned exactly where you want them (see photo below). In this case, the initial test made us realise that it would be better to move the downtube text up towards the center. Why? The crankset and pedal will cover part of the script, and centering it is more aesthetically pleasing.

This particular custom-painted frame has a special "blue inked" clearcoat, which allows the carbon-fiber to show through while giving the frame a subtle blue hue. Out of the light it almost looks black, but once it catches a ray of sunshine the blue shines through.

The next step is to send the frame to paint.

All Columbus Genius frames can be mounted with either electronic or mechanical groupsets. We offer special pricing for complete bicycle builds, with brands such as Campagnolo, SRAM, and Shimano. Let's not forget we also offer the possibility of building custom wheels, as well as offering custom paint on all accessories, such as all WR Compositi products, allowing you to ensure your entire bicycle is curated right down to the last detail.

Now that the frame is painted, it's time to mount the groupset.

And finally, here are a couple shots of the complete bicycle.