Color Monkey, the artist who customizes your bike

In less than five years, Color Monkey has carved out a reputation that has largely surpassed Belgian and European borders. Even the biggest brands trust the Flemish company to paint custom models, while continuing to ensure the warranty after a visit to its workshops. The story of a meteoric rise in the land of cycling.

By Guillaume Judas – Photos: @3bikes.fr / @colormonkeypaints / DR

Geraardsbergen, a few hectometers from the foot of the famous Muur and its cobbled slopes with sections close to 20% that have made the reputation of the great Belgian classics and especially the Tour of Flanders: this is where you find the storefront of one of the largest bike shops in the Benelux. Rather, pronounce it Geraardsbergen, because the municipality is located just after the « border » between Wallonia and the Flemish region, and the linguistic shock can be brutal. S-Bike spans 1000 m2 and employs 15 full-time staff. Before Covid, the store systematically stocked 400 bikes. « But it’s a bit less at the moment, there are supply problems », begins Sven Van Weyenberg, the master of the premises, in hesitant French. S-Bike is a Specialized Concept Store, covering the needs of all categories of riders. To go upstairs, a ramp with a reproduction of small cobblestones and the same incline as the Muur sets the tone. We are here in a world of enthusiasts who live and breathe cycling, and who are also proud of their roots. 

But it’s not only for its sales or repair activity that the brand’s reputation has crossed Belgium’s borders. Here, people come from all over Europe. Or they communicate via Facetime with Sven Van Weyenberg from all corners of the world. Because the premises also house another activity. Sven is an artist. He and his team (five dedicated people) repaint frames, forks, and make it their duty to customize bikes.

Color Monkey was born from this passion, but also from the expectations of a certain clientele. « Very few brands offer this type of customization, and in any case, it’s rarely this extensive, Sven continues. We offer to repaint frames that have already been ridden, but it also happens that when purchasing a new bike, customers immediately want a custom paint job. For those who come in person, we spend the necessary time with them to refine the project, agree on the millions of possible combinations with all the existing color variations, while adding or not adding graphic details within the paint. My principle is never to do the same paint job twice on a bike. That’s what customization is all about. »

Color Monkey sometimes receives very original requests from the Arab Emirates, Canada, Asia, or Southern Europe. « In this case, we discuss the project via video conference, then we send the client paint samples on a plastic support, to be sure of the final result. » 

On the Wall of Fame set up behind the coffee machine and small tables for refreshments, you can see the signatures of many personalities, mostly former pros who came to keep a unique bike after their career. Recently, two of the greatest French champions of the last twenty years made the trip.

During winter, lead times can extend up to three months. « Right now, we receive 15 to 20 frames per week, Sven continues. Our work is purely manual labor. First, the varnish and paint already applied to the frame must be carefully removed. Everything is done by hand. It’s precision work to avoid damaging the carbon. » A job so well done that Color Monkey is one of only four painters in the world validated by Specialized to maintain the frame warranty. « When I repaint a frame, I send the serial number to the brand. We see a lot of counterfeits pass through. We know how to recognize them quickly. And obviously, we refuse to take them. » Here, there’s no question of repainting a Tarmac Pro as an S-Works, or a BTwin as a Colnago. All brands are carefully respected, and the bike’s identity preserved. Prices start at 495 € for a plain frame with logos in another color. But they can exceed 1500 € depending on the complexity of the paint job.

Work that lives up to its ambitions

A man of average build and stocky appearance, Sven Van Weyenberg doesn’t look his age. Yet he was born in 1974, like Specialized. A sign. A mountain biker and trail runner, he has also participated several times in the Tour of Flanders cyclo-sportive, with all modesty. His inspiration comes from elsewhere. « I was the eldest of six children, he specifies. I was hyperactive. My father nicknamed me “the monkey” (Monkey in English) because I spent my time climbing trees. My mother tried to calm me down, and to compensate, I started drawing. It became like my second nature. » To earn a living, he joined the Belgian railways. He saw further. In 2006, he simultaneously created his small company S-Bike, with the support of his wife. He started in a 10 m2 workshop, working evenings, nights, doing repairs and maintenance. He was efficient, and his reputation soon spread beyond his circle of mountain biking friends. He saved penny after penny and grew rapidly. He settled in Idegem, a district of Geraardsbergen. Among other brands, he sold Specialized. In 2015, the brand selected him to allow him to open a Concept Store. But he needed a larger space, the one where S-Bike is located today, on the road to Ghent, north of the city. Above the sales floor, Sven Van Weyenberg set up a repair workshop for carbon frames, and very quickly a paint shop. Color Monkey was born in 2017, offering a customization service. The success was immediate. 

Sven Van Weyenberg’s dream: “I would like to be considered the best painter in the world; that’s my ambition for the coming years.”

Although the period is difficult for supplies, the store is well-stocked, and paint orders are pouring in. Business is booming, but Sven sees even further. « My satisfaction is first and foremost that of the customers, he concludes. I don’t need to do much advertising. When a beautiful bike circulates in a group of cyclists, questions are bound to arise. I trust word-of-mouth. I am passionate and I always want to do better. I would like to be considered the best painter in the world; that’s my ambition for the coming years. »

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