Son's dad powder coated his bike

[latishia6]

Pissed off is an understatement.

My son's dad didn't see him for years due to domestic abuse. He did a domestic abuse perp programme and now has access every other weekend overnight. In the community/hotel not at his house as he lives 3 hours away.

I bought my son a bike. It was £800 custom built and a gift for him completing his racing season and coming second. He's got another season coming up and he was growing out of his old bike.

His dad was taking him to his training last Saturday so I sent the bike with him. Has always been fine in the past.

Son comes home, dad tells me I'll need to pick the bike up in a few days because son wanted it a different colour and he's had it powder coated. Fuming.

Just been to collect it and it's bright green, the handlebars have been sprayed so the grips are now unsafe and moving around, and I'm just so pissed off.

They usually hold their value well as it's a very good brand. All branding has now been removed and it is now unsellable (well, I can't sell it as a branded bike when he grows out of it!). I'm going to have to buy new handlebars as the club chairman has looked at a photo and said they're not safe (don't spray handlebars!).

I actually don't know what to do with myself right now.

For the umpteenth time, I was responding to OP's suggestion that she would need to buy a new handlebar for the bike. That's it, nothing more.

I sell on all the bikes my children outgrow and the money I get is mine. Even though I ostensibly 'gave' the bikes to the children, they are expected to take care of them and are not allowed to sell them and pocket the cash. Only I am allowed to do that because really they remain my property. This is not controversial.🙄

(Of course in real life I spend that money on their next bike).

If you buy a cheap bike as a toy, sure, it's just a present, you wouldn't get much for it second hand anyway. If your child rides a lot and you can afford to invest in a good bike for them, the present is that they get that experience of riding a good bike, not the actual object itself.

I agree with this. I can’t understand why the handlebars are an issue because they are slippy.

The bike won’t be unsellable and how much it’s devalued will depend on how well the spray job was done. Respraying bikes isn’t unheard of. The bike may not have the brand logo on it but it’s still the same brand and that will be easy for anyone who would want to buy to see. I guess you still have the receipt for it too.

I completly get that it was a dick move but if your son wanted it doing then I can see that your ex may have had good intentions.

OP
He's 8. He's not massively fussed but he doesn't like that it's just totally plain. Said he thought it would still have the stickers. School run time now so can't respond to everyone but going to take a break from this to calm down a little 😅

Let you son choose new decals for the bike. He can get brand decals or whatever he likes really. They are cheap and I’m sure your son would enjoy choosing them. The worst outcome out of this would be for your son to dislike the bike.

Here are an examples of the decals you can buy. They are cheap and they last. I get that the ex is an absolute bastard but I don’t know how posters are so adamant that he has a 100% definitely only done this to piss off the OP. Maybe he has but maybe he hasn’t. The son would have thought the bike was his and if he was asked if he would like it another colour would have said yes. It’s not possible to know if the ex bullied him into it or not.

I don’t know how posters are so adamant that he has a 100% definitely only done this to piss off the OP.

I imagine that, like me, they’ve experienced abuse from a partner and they know how they operate. These men don’t try to do nice things. They try to do things which exert power and dominance, because that’s what matters to them.

That is shocking.
When bike shops respray bikes they usually strip the frame properly first, as otherwise the paint/ powder coating can cause damage to various moving parts.
Your ex is obviously stupid to take it to a car-spraying place, and I suspect he only did this as a power-play - even if your son had come up with the idea of changing the colour all by himself (which is doubtful) and begged his dad to help make it happen, any decent person would have checked in with the parent who'd bought the bike in the first place. I hope you feel strong enough to go down the small claims route, and this stops him fucking around with any other items in future.

I agree your ex was a twat but you gifted this to your son but are talking about it being technically yours and selling it on. That is a bit weird. A present is a present. I'm assuming your son is in his teens. Does he know this gift was just a loan?

He’s 8.

Exactly it's a pattern of behaviour. Trying to exert power and domanance, the poor child is just calatarol damage. Hence why going to the small claims court wont help, even if she got money back it will just increase this kind of behaviour.

Im guessing you brught something like this
https://crucialbmxshop.com/meybo-clipper-expert-2024-bmx-race-bike
Id be gutted. Bike size only last a season and then you need a new frame and or cranks etc.
He has massively devalued the bike. Id be fuming

As to the grips. Get some odi lock on grips

If they have done a decent job of powder coating. Get meybo stickers and then get it clear lacquered.
We done it to a couple of bikes. As long as its decent spray job and stickered nicely it should help with resale. Esp since you will have proof of purchase and history.
Handlebars should be fine powder coated as we do ours as they get the most scrapes. You just need decent lock on grips

https://www.meybobikes.com/frame-parts/124-meybo-universal-frame-decals-black.html

He’s 8 and I’m sure he’s very happy each time he gets the next size - part funded by the prior, which his mother presumably chose also because of the good resale value. Obviously.

He's probably not got a clue about the bike's value, just seen an opportunity to get one up on you by getting the bike painted to match his best pal's.
Either that or he's googled, realised how much it's worth and decided to wreck it to get at you.
Whichever, it's a deliberate act to control and abuse you some more. I'd start with the garage that painted it. You want them to restore the bike to original condition or provide a new one. If they refuse, take them and your ex to small claims jointly. Don't take any messing about.

Given his character, it's highly likely he's done that on purpose out of spite.

Yes, or complete ignorance and stupidity, the man sounds like a complete half brained looser

I very much doubt the place who powder coated it would restore it or replace it. They were given a job to do, and got paid to do it.

I don't see how they could be held accountable for the work they were paid to do devalueing the bike.

And thinking about it, places who do powder coat might not even be a garage they maybe more in the habit of doing things like shop doors, gates and fences, rather than bikes or cars.

Edit double post

I 100% agree with the previous poster Daaaarling. This is a power play. You have to see it for what it is. You have to stand firm & no matter what make it clear to the ex. You can't be manipulated anymore. If he uses this to stop seeing his son again. Get your son counselling to deal with it. I'm furious for you!!!

Spite.

This!

Having left an abusive man, I’ve learned to never react. Reacting is basically telling him what bothers you enough to lash out, and what he will do with this knowledge is to ramp up that exact behaviour.

He isn’t going to pay to fix the bike whatever you do. Well, you could perhaps take him to small claims but get legal advice first. If you do, he’ll tell your son and everyone who will listen how unreasonable you are when ALL he was doing was to paint the bike the colour your DS said he liked and you’ve overreacted to the point of taking him to small claims. He will fine out on this until the day he dies. Because, you see, he is kind and thoughtful and you’re a maniac and here is the proof.

I think that might be a good idea, get the bike usable for the boy.

When you get ready to sell, clean it, put new stickers on it and sell as Mybow with paint job. You might not get what you would have got unpainted but you should still get something for it, esp if you sell within the club.

Not read FT yet. iPad v slow atm. Does anyone else think this is just more abuse? Doing something destructive under the guise of being helpful? Judging by some of OPs replies he still sounds threatening.

FFS.

Exactly. Misses the whole bloody point of OPs original post.