Resprayed my Cannondale forks and accessories—restored the logos using DIY laser waterslide decals.

I’ve wanted to respray parts of my bike for a while, but I didn't want to lose the original branding—especially on the colour matched accessories. After some research, I decided to try making my own laser-printed waterslide decals at home, and the results exceeded my expectations.

The Process:

• Printing: I used clear laser waterslide paper. The key is using a Laser printer rather than inkjet; the toner is waterproof and doesn't require a "sealant" spray before clear coating, which makes the film much thinner and easier to hide under clearcoat.

• Application: After flatting my 2K color coat with P1000, I soaked the decals in lukewarm water for about 30 seconds. I slid them onto the parts and used a small squeegee to get every bit of moisture out.

• The "Pro" Tip: I learned the hard way that 2K clearcoat is aggressive. I had to apply a very light "dust coat" of clear first to lock the decals down before going in with a heavy "flow coat" to prevent them from wrinkling.

The forks and Tubus Tara front rack are over 25yrs old and needed some love.

The bike was painted in my garage and the decals were printed in my home office. It’s a bit of a learning curve, but it’s the only way to get that factory look on a DIY budget!