Manufacturers paint durability - a rant!!!!

The Big Cheese

I am a bit pissed off at the fragility of paint jobs on top-end bikes and components.

I (obviously) expect to lose paint, in and around the rear dropouts on a frame, due to skewers etc. I have loads of small areas that have lost paint around (and in the dropouts) I mean it's THAT fragile. I know it's not the end of the world, and to be honest you can't really see it when wheels are on (but I know it's there) - it's soooo fragile its unreal.

Also, took delivery of brand new, boxed Elixir carbons today and on the front right hand lever there is a chip (and they were packaged within an inch of their lives) so what gives here, why spend top dollar on something only to have such fragility?

The manufacturers really need to sort this out, can't be that hard to rectify surely????

I hase just ordered a touch up kit for the lever and the frame but that's not the point, battle scasrs are one thing but just by removing the wheel is someting else :twisted:

Anyone else had similar problems?

tlw1

yep got an Orange P7 with chips all over it

The Big Cheese

matthew h wrote:

yep got an Orange P7 with chips all over it

Why can't they just use a tougher paint/clearcoat? I know on racebikes it's to save weight, but it's still not on is it?

The Northern Monkey

surprisingly... the NS has had the best paint on out of the bikes i've owned... because its a freeride HT maybe?

can imagine that anything remotely xc style will be thin paint. a lot of people buy into "its lighter so i'll have that one".

I think it was Nick that said paint can weight upto 1lb or something!

The Big Cheese

bigbenj_08 wrote:

surprisingly... the NS has had the best paint on out of the bikes i've owned... because its a freeride HT maybe?

can imagine that anything remotely xc style will be thin paint. a lot of people buy into "its lighter so i'll have that one".

I think it was Nick that said paint can weight upto 1lb or something!

True (not sure about the nick comment) as the paint on my Sanction is thick as fook.

The paint on the Marin is very thin (as its a racebike) - I chipped a bit today just by flicking it with an allen key (doh) mind you it was only the cable guide and its not too visible.

The rear dropout area is ridiculous though, not what I would expect from a £3k plus hardtail, my £400 TREK had more durable paint :shock:

blister pus

yes, shite is the word. had the same sinking feeling the day I got the Giant and put a scratch on using an allen key, I barely touched the fooking thing. I thought: "this is shite"

anyway. new frame is powder coat. should be a bit more durable.......if it ever gets here

The Northern Monkey

blister pus wrote:

....if it ever gets here

lol +1... I want my P7!

tlw1

bigbenj_08 wrote:

blister pus wrote:

....if it ever gets here

lol +1... I want my P7!

waiting is always hard. My new road bike was an insurance claim & I sent off the pre sales invoice & waited & waited - in the end I bought the bike & thankfully the cheque arrived in my name!

supersonic

You P7 came with chips? I got some Haribos with my zaskar, but would have preferred chips.

The Big Cheese

supersonic wrote:

You P7 came with chips? I got some Haribos with my zaskar, but would have preferred chips.

Torres

Know what you mean cheesey, got small orange flakes all over the floor when i fitted the rear wheel to my commencal it's not even desined to be light weight, why skimp on the paint?

Oh and Ben, you're right. The NS paint jobs are awesome. However the focus ones are even better, i'm not quite sure what they do, as the finish isn't smooth, it's kinda rough, but it never chips. Briliant!

supersonic

Stip paint off, buff her up.

Nice n shiney, light, and no paint to worry about!

The Big Cheese

Torres wrote:

Know what you mean cheesey, got small orange flakes all over the floor when i fitted the rear wheel to my commencal it's not even desined to be light weight, why skimp on the paint?

Oh and Ben, you're right. The NS paint jobs are awesome. However the focus ones are even better, i'm not quite sure what they do, as the finish isn't smooth, it's kinda rough, but it never chips. Briliant!

Probably Amodized, its tougher than a normal paint finish

BenChaffer

My boardman has a great paintjob. So nur.

fletch8928

Hammerite should get into bike painting.

My Cube has paint that just comes out in a rash at the thought of a bit of mud. I have a bike that is well ridden, and looks it even though I try to look after it. 1st ride out and after washing it down I knew then that i didnt have a new bike anymore

The Big Cheese

Don't get me wrong, the Marin has one of the best looking paintjobs I've seen, truly beautiful in the flesh, but so damn fragile, hence why it's helitaped in all the right places.

glen4

my Cove Hummer in raw Ti don't have these problems.....Ti is the way forward

RichMTB

Anodising is the way ahead.

All of my bikes are anodised its much tougher than a normal painted finish.

My old stumjumper frame is a bit tatty but I've ridden it for five years. My Pace is pretty much spotless apart from the decals.

Not all finishes have to be shite yet some manufacturers are notorious for it but get away with it.

The Big Cheese

I agree, its a way tougher finish, the GT has a nice, strong finish, I think painted frames can look nicer but that comes at a price apparently

tlw1

supersonic wrote:

You P7 came with chips? I got some Haribos with my zaskar, but would have preferred chips.

Northwind

Anodising is great, but does have its drawbacks, it can fade and it's generally hard to stick things (ie, copter tape, logos) to so it does complicate things. And it's expensive to do, and not all alloys take to it well, depending on how they've been treated. Still for high end bikes it really is the best option IMO.

The finish on my Soul is absolutely rock solid, it does have marks in it of course but that's because it's been thrown in the backs of cars, bounced down rocky slopes, ridden into trees... But, it's been very durable, without looking thick and plasticky. All frames over about £250 should be like that IMO.

The finish on my road-mtb project is better than average new bike paint, and it cost £6 for a can of hammerite But, that was a fairly inexpensive bike in 1991, 18 years later it had less marks in the paint than my Kraken, which cost exactly the same in 2008. Getting the paint off was a nightmare, incredibly tough, Nitromors, wire wheels, brute force... Whereas with so many modern bikes, you can make the paint fall off by looking at it squinty.

joshtp

this is a funny one, the paint on my GT never chips, its rock solid (something to do with it being a hard hitting bike?) but the clear laquer coad has started peeling, the bike looks l ike its got exmas on the top tube......! my cousions carrera fury on the other hand has a great looking paint job, but is covered in small but very noticeble chips, even the slightest knock gets it.... and my spare bike which has a spash Hardrock frame never chips of peels, the finish is less glossy, more matte, but its still paint, not ano, and it never, never chips or peels, or looks taty in any way, its great, the only ting is, i hate the paint scheem! lol, murphys law.... although it is growing on me....

Northwind

joshtp/mbukman wrote:

this is a funny one, the paint on my GT never chips, its rock solid (something to do with it being a hard hitting bike?)

Ah, I forgot to say, the finish on my Idrive 5 is absolutely incredibly phenomenally s**t Poster paint I think.

trekhead

the trouble with paint is that it`s very hard, there for very brittle. I used to paint a lot of motorcycle frames and to limit the amount of stonechips, I always used a plasticiser addative. Makes it very slightly `rubbery` less prone to chipping. Add to much though and you start to lose gloss.

scale20

Totaly agree, paint jobs on frames are sh!te.

I remember my '95 Rockhopper, that thing got smashed all over the place and bearly lost a flake of paint, my Klein attitude was the same.

bought a Trek EX9 in '08 and that was terrible. After a handfull of rides the cables had taken the paint down to the bare metal in places.

The frame I have now is Anodised and its like new considering the hammering it takes. After my first ride the decals came off under the garden hose proving that decals dont stick to Anodising too well.

My other half has just had her new Pace Rc 405. built it last week and after a couple of rides, about 30k's the cable has ground the paint down to the bare metal on the seat tube.

You put frame protectors on the frame but the cable seems to rub either just below or just above it!

andy46

same as another poster said, the paint on my expensive bike (scott spark) is very fragile, i have to be very careful when cleaning, but, the paint on my £300 spesh hardrock is well hard and still looks good even after loads of abuse :?

Rockhopper

I think bike manufacturers are having to use environmentally friendly water based paints instead of the old celulose based ones which are far tougher.

The Big Cheese

Rockhopper wrote:

I think bike manufacturers are having to use environmentally friendly water based paints instead of the old celulose based ones which are far tougher.

Barstewards - sod the planet, I want a durable finish...

I orderd some Humbrol Enamal paint (Sea Blue is pretty much the exact same colour as my frame, and a tin of black gloss for my brakes) they are only £1.49 each, oh and I bought a pro brush for £2.... so for a fiver got all the touch up paint I need.......

After researching around on retouching bike frames, apparently this is the best stuff to use. Longlasting and easy to apply.

They are now called 'Tinlets'

Andy

God's way of telling you to buy carbon bike parts

Northwind

I don't think many bikes were ever painted with cellulose, maybe back in the 60s or something.

tlw1

Andy wrote:

God's way of telling you to buy carbon bike parts

thats what I did with my road bike