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BKRacer

Hi guys, I have a nice 72 TdF built with mostly Nuovo Record parts that I have a great time riding. It is a great looking bike except for someone along the way put a bicycle license sticker on the bike which I have not had good luck getting off. Anyone have any ideas. I have not tried a heat gun yet because I do not have one. Maybe I will need to find one to get it off. We will see. Also ideas for a more age specific saddle? I like the 3ttt TIPO O" Cinelli Unicanitor style saddle. It was the only thing missing when I got the bike.

Sorry Pics added asap- my camera is not working right. Sad

verktyg

Welcome to the forum.

Those aluminum foil California Bike License stickers are a bear to get off, especially after they've been on a bike for 25+ years.

I have a pair of them on my 67 PX-10. I've tried everything even a hair dryer and it's still down to picking them off a tiny bit at a time with an X-acto knife. Mad

As purchased...

If you find a better solution, please let me know!

The sad thing about these were they were supposed to deter bike theft! Ya, sure! Rolling Eyes

sandranian · Site Admin

They deterred bike theft by making the bike traceable. Otherwise, it was just your word...

good luck getting those off. Pain in the arse!

BKRacer

Here are the pics as promised. I guess I will set aside an hour and start chipping away!

sandranian · Site Admin

Really nice bike! Good luck getting that off. A lot of elbow grease. WD-40 should remove the residue left behind.

You may want to check the chain length on that bike. It appears a bit short....

tjchad

BKRacer- I used a product called "Goo Gone" that I found at Home Depot. It is a citrus based solvent made for removing adhesive residue. It took the stickers off of my 4Runner pretty well. It is a solvent so try not to leave it on the paint too long- it will thin the paint if left on too long.

m000ns

I have removed this kind of sticker before and did it the way Chas said, tediously with fingernails, xacto etc. Those stickers apparently were made to be brittle so they would be hard for a thief to remove. You could try the following, as I have recently found a way to remove other kinds of stickers successfully: try to get enough loose by picking that you can grab with a pair of tweezers, then get a small soldering iron (mine is a 40 watt) and move the hot tip (mine is a pointed one) at a medium speed back and forth at the tear away line tugging gently with the tweezers on the bit you have started until you have enough to grab with your fingers then continue moving the tip of the soldering iron back and forth at the tear away line (even lightly touching the work) and gently tugging until it's off. Now you will be left with a lot of stickum on the bike tube. This is best removed using a product called Bestine which you can get at an art supply store. It is a rubber cement solvent which will not hurt paint unless you way overdo it. I am sorry I have not tested this method with one of the theft stickers but it works very well on the various stickers I have removed for instance old scotch or masking tape from cardboard boxes of collectible items like 50 year old model airplane kits. Heat helps you get the sticker up and Bestine lets you remove the leftover stickum without harm to original paint or art. Good luck and if you try it give us a report.