Finished frame being sprayed up. Can you guess what the lettering says?

Spray booth, ventilation panels, frame hanging ready. This is where finishing transforms a frame into something personal.

The lettering on the down tube is Japanese: 竹自転車 — 'bamboo bicycle.' An international build with international acknowledgment. The characters will catch attention wherever this bike goes.

'Kim Symmons' personalises further. 'HANDMADE' states what should be obvious but often gets forgotten in a world of factory production. Every detail on this frame was chosen, applied, made real by human hands.

The spray booth environment tells its own story. Industrial extraction. Grey overspray on surfaces. The utilitarian setting where aesthetic decisions become permanent. There's no undo button in a paint booth.

That exposed bamboo section — a window of natural material visible through the black paint — is the reveal that makes bamboo builds distinctive. Stealth aesthetic with organic proof.

Guessing the lettering was the challenge. Now you know. 竹自転車. Bamboo bicycle. Some things sound better in other languages. 🎨