Hi, and welcome to Carbon Steed! I have over 30yrs experience in the paint industry. I got involved in the bicycle repair industry 10 years ago and I grew the largest bicycle repair business in Australia, Paint My Bike which I sold in 2017.
Have a look at some of our shop pics in the rotator above and there are plenty more at the bottom of our gallery. We are passionate about giving you the best job possible and that only comes by having a clean well-equipped shop. We aim to once again become Australia’s leading bicycle repair shop, employing only the best and most passionate people and having the right equipment and the best facility.
My background started in running a prestige smash repair paint shop in Brisbane. I then worked for several paint companies over the next few years and in 2002 I started a business doing Smart paint repairs in automotive dealerships. I had up to 10 of these running at any one time. This experience means we are the best around at small touch-ups and I think no one can claim to be more experienced than us. The bicycle business grew from this. If I damaged my bike on a ride, the scratch was gone on the next ride. People then asked me to start doing their repairs for them and it really got going when I did a full touch up and reclear on my S-WORKS Tarmac; it looked brand new again. I then had people lining up to get their bikes repainted.
After 6 years I decided I needed a change and decided to sell Paint My Bike. I then became the Australian distributor of a US company, Dr ColorChip Unfortunately the poor exchange rate, high freight costs and high royalty payments made it impossible to be viable. So, I started thinking about what I should do next.
I travelled with the Axalta Coating Company on an industry tour to Germany. On this tour I was lucky enough to see some of the leading automotive manufacturers, BMW, Mercedes and Porsche. Seeing the amount of carbon used in manufacturing really bought it home, it restirred my passion. I have a great skill set in both bicycle painting and carbon fibre repair that was not being utilized; so it was an obvious fit; I would start another bicycle repair and paint business and so Carbon Steed was born.
I promise to keep doing my best to innovate and deliver the best service and quality around. Very exciting times ahead and one thing is for sure, I cannot see myself getting bored anytime soon! We look forward to working with you very soon.
Gary McDonald