A Custom-Painted OPEN U.P. Inspired By the Fox

See our custom paint gallery for a hearty selection of custom painted bikes from OPEN Cycle, 3T, Santa Cruz, BMC, and more, link HERE.

What can a custom paint job do for your next bike? Just ask the myriad people who've chosen to go the extra step on their next bike with custom paint. One of our latest custom paint examples is this OPEN U.P. made with exactly to its new owner's specifications. We asked the bike's new owner to share their inspiration and thoughts on the process. "When thinking about a custom paint job I was pretty overwhelmed by the possibilities. My daughter and I love foxes and after looking through a ton of fox images, we became excited by that being the central theme for the bike." "I knew I wanted a nature-oriented design and this gave me a starting point from which to build. After doing more searches for custom bike paint jobs and color patterns I landed on a blue base color with a sunrise fade of oranges and greens. I tend to like clean designs so I decided to subtly add the icons—feather, blackberries, mushrooms, rabbit print, and blades of grass—which are all things native to my state of Oregon and what a fox tends to hunt and forage. I wanted a bike that from a distance caught your eye and as you got closer the intricacies revealed themselves. So, it was a process of refining a lot of ideas into a design I thought could work." "Working with the painter was where it all came to life though. I had a lighter shade of blue for the base but he really saw that it needed to be closer to midnight blue for everything to fit together and still pop. He also added some colors and the design for the stripes and fade."

"While I found all of the images online, the painter helped me fit them to the bike. This was really important with the fox image which was originally a set of dozens of very thin lines making up the face which was too intricate for the small space. They custom-made a solution that left me and my daughter stoked." "The process takes some time and effort but is fun and rewarding. Thanks to Cody at Contender and Todd for such a great experience." The complete build features a OPEN U.P. Ready to Paint frame painted to the owner's specifications. Forward momentum is provided courtesy of an ever-versatile Shimano GRX Di2 2x drivetrain, while Stan's Grail 700c alloy wheels provide a lightweight yet durable option for mixed-terrain riding. An Easton alloy road handlebar, stem, and seatpost provide excellent functionality and reliability, as do the Panaracer Gravelking SK 700 x 43c tires. Shimano Deore XT Trail pedals and a pair of Contender Carbon Gloss bottle cages complete the build. Interested in a custom-painted bicycle for yourself? Give us a call during business hours or send us an email any time to info@contenderbicycles.com.