Kerry Werner and Black Magic
Black Magic Paint needs little introduction. The Portland-based ENVE Ride Center services the community through in-store and online retail sales, but what truly sets them apart from other premium retailers is their paintshop and the custom experience they offer once a customer decides on their new dream build. Black Magic has been painting ENVE components for years and more recently, taken the Custom Road, Melee, and MOG to new heights visually through their incredible designs. Their latest is with professional rider and Black Magic ambassador Kerry Werner, who is now riding one of the most eye-catching MOGs out there.
Werner and Black Magic co-owner Ben Corbalis have a long history, going back to their college years at Lees McRae. Werner told us, “We’ve chatted in the past about working together but could never really figure it out. I reached out to Ben last year and asked if he would help me paint some old frames so they weren’t logoed. He was like, ‘Well, I’ve got this cool collaboration project with ENVE in the works; why don’t we work together on it?!’ I’ve been a fan of the ENVE since riding their wheels back when I was on the BMC MTB Devo team and even won the U23 National Champs on them. So yeah, I am stoked. It’s cool to be a part of something fun and different. I’ve never had a bike that turns people's heads when you roll up to the group ride. That’s now changed, and my MOG is a conversation starter.”
Getting the MOG’s finish to be a conversation starter was anything but straightforward. Black Magic’s Rudi Jung walks us through the paint process. “After laying down a base of our favorite jet black epoxy sealer, we followed that with a black basecoat and chameleon colorshift pearl. This particular one is a shift of magenta, purple, teal, and blue. We then sprayed a smooth fade of darker metallic blue on the rear stays and the area surrounding the bottom bracket. Next, we did a hydro marble dip of solid black.
“Once dried, we locked everything down with a clear flowcoat. Followed that up by sanding everything again and masking off all the logos. The logos were then sprayed with a solid bright blue to go along with the Shimano logo, one of Kerry's other sponsors. Then, one more round of high gloss clear. After running it all through a curing cycle, we cut and buffed away any imperfections in the clear, leaving it with a glassy mirror finish. We love the contrast of the colorshift pearls and the black marble. This bike looks wild and has a lot more depth that reveals itself in the sun.”
You can see Werner’s Black Magic MOG in person at the ENVE booth at Sea Otter Classic in April, in addition to Grinduro Pennsylvania, Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder Stage Race, and ENVE GRODEO.
