Really daft question about anodizing

RichMTB
RichMTB Posts: 599
edited July 2008 in MTB workshop & tech
Why aren't bike frames anodized with the same material that is used on fork stanchions?

It seems much tougher than standard aon finishes found on frames,

Aside from the fact it would look pretty daft is there any other reasons, would it be hideously expensive?
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Comments

  • dave_hill
    dave_hill Posts: 3,877
    RichMTB wrote:
    Why aren't bike frames anodized with the same material that is used on fork stanchions?

    It seems much tougher than standard aon finishes found on frames,

    Aside from the fact it would look pretty daft is there any other reasons, would it be hideously expensive?

    I may be way off the mark here, but the gold-coloured anodizing that you get on forks could well be titanium nitride coating - very hard wearing and low friction, used on performance/race motorcycle forks to reduce stiction.

    Not many companies offer anodised frames - I can think of Pace and Santa Cruz off hand - because it is pretty darned expensive in itself. Paint is a lot cheaper, if heavier and more easily damaged. A proper hard anodized surface is pretty indestructible.
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  • Milkie
    Milkie Posts: 377
    I may be way off the mark here, but the gold-coloured anodizing that you get on forks could well be titanium nitride coating

    Yup, thats right... I think it might be Titanium Aluminium Nitride, but I could be wrong.. It is harder wearing and smoother than most metals, so friction is reduced and wear is decreased.

    It can be damn expensive, dependent on the material to be coated, and the amount of surface area.

    I'm getting my cassette coated when I need to replace it. :D
  • will3
    will3 Posts: 2,173
    I've never found anodising a particularly expensive process. You won't get a very good finish on a welded frame though as the welds will take the anodising and dye differently to the tubes so it'll look blotchy. It's also not great for corrosion resistance compared to paint.

    Gold color coating could be hexavalent chrome passivation.
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    Titanium aluminium carbo nitride, the black stuff that poshbike do!


    That would look awsome
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  • Splasher
    Splasher Posts: 1,528
    I think some forks are Ti Nitride coated, but others are just gold anodized to make them look like factory Ohlins.
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