Everyone remembers their first – well so they say. I had trike, then bikes, but my blue 20″ Hallmark BMX is the first I can vividly remember – especially my Grandpa reversing over it.  That was a tough lesson to learn.

Back when this De Rosa was conceived by Jody, I thought it was cool but didn’t really understand just how cool – until I too became a Dad.

If you fancy having a crack at creating your own mini Merckx, Colnago, De Rosa, Cinelli, Masi or Kenevans – here is how.

Buy a balance bike.

There is a plethora of options online.  For $60 I had this one land on my doorstep.  I assembled it, modified the saddle to get it to the absolute minimum height, then disassembled it completely.

SAND

Get out the sand paper (600 grit or similar), break the clear coat and sand down to the raw ply only on all the surfaces you plan on paint.

GET ARTY

I always had this bike in mind when it came in making a mini version.  It was simple and classic and one close to my heart.

Bit of bashing on the keyboard, export to the PC and then let the Roland weave it's magic on the vinyl.

Sourced the headbadge from Cyclomondo and the fork blade decals were leftovers from the first Fauxnago.

MASK / SPRAY / MASK / SPRAY

I got just a little fancy and masked off the fork ‘blades’, using a metallic silver spray paint for this section.  The overlap is electrical tape – a similar approach is often used to cover masks and transitions between colours or chromed sections.

Once the fork legs are done, mask them up and paint the remaining sections in the colour you select –  gloss red for my project.  Two coats – let it harden for at least 24 hours and then assemble.

I masked and painted the ‘Cinelli’ on the bars and would opt for vinyl if I did it again.   Bartape replaced the stock grips and voila!

The next level of fancy would have been my own attempt at a Busyman saddle – maybe for the next bike.

I doubt she’ll remember today, but it’s one us parents will never forget.