105 (5700) Black. Should have opted for silver.

migrantwing

Wished I'd gone for the silver finish with this groupset. The black scratches so easily, showing silver underneath. What the hell do they use for the black finish? Could have done a better job myself with a tin of Hammerite :shock:

That is all!

centimani

Exactly what spurred me to get silver Veloce on mine...FSA black cranks, first the graphics gently got rubbed away, then the paint as well leaving silver shining through. Bloody mess.
I assumed FSA was..cheaper quality dare i say..perhaps the problem's not so unusual.

mitchgixer6

Maybe a wee bit late with this, but I swear by helicopter tape (search eBay) on the crank arms. Prevents scratches full stop. If it gets a bit worn just replace the tape.

Maybe you could touch up the scratches then apply the tape? Or just apply the tape to prevent more damage.

Bozman

I think that they're getting the same problem with the Grey Ultegra. I've seen a couple of bikes with rub and scatches on the crank arms and it looks chatty, the Ultegra SL chainset had this issue a few years ago and it surprised me to see them doing the same again after the remarks about the scrathing etc.
I wanted black and went for FSA, i've had one chainset on a bike for 3 yrs and there isn't a mark on it, i thought that neoprene overshoes would leave rub marks but they don't.

Yossie

I haven't had any issues in 18 months of everyday use with my black 105 levers - the only scratches are from where I rode it into a wall because I was lookinga at girl and was distracted (cool, eh?).

If its the cranks and its bugging you that much, just take them off and send them to Triple S - they will match the colour exactly and powder coat them: if you manage to wear through that then you're doing pretty well.

New "105" stickers can be sourced from the Bay

You went for black because its far, far cooler than the silver and it adds 2 mph top end to your speed.

migrantwing

mitchgixer6 wrote:

Maybe a wee bit late with this, but I swear by helicopter tape (search eBay) on the crank arms. Prevents scratches full stop. If it gets a bit worn just replace the tape.

Maybe you could touch up the scratches then apply the tape? Or just apply the tape to prevent more damage.

I think you have the answer. The scratches are only minimal at the moment, but the way the black is coming off, helicopter tape is a must.

Bozman wrote:

I think that they're getting the same problem with the Grey Ultegra. I've seen a couple of bikes with rub and scatches on the crank arms and it looks chatty, the Ultegra SL chainset had this issue a few years ago and it surprised me to see them doing the same again after the remarks about the scrathing etc.
I wanted black and went for FSA, i've had one chainset on a bike for 3 yrs and there isn't a mark on it, i thought that neoprene overshoes would leave rub marks but they don't.

Shitmano!

Yossie wrote:

I haven't had any issues in 18 months of everyday use with my black 105 levers - the only scratches are from where I rode it into a wall because I was lookinga at girl and was distracted (cool, eh?).

If its the cranks and its bugging you that much, just take them off and send them to Triple S - they will match the colour exactly and powder coat them: if you manage to wear through that then you're doing pretty well.

New "105" stickers can be sourced from the Bay

You went for black because its far, far cooler than the silver and it adds 2 mph top end to your speed.

At least the scratches were worth it, Yossie

I have definitely noticed a few mph increase since having the 5700

wakou

Yossie wrote:

I haven't had any issues in 18 months of everyday use with my black 105 levers - the only scratches are from where I rode it into a wall because I was lookinga at girl and was distracted (cool, eh?).

If its the cranks and its bugging you that much, just take them off and send them to Triple S - they will match the colour exactly and powder coat them: if you manage to wear through that then you're doing pretty well.

New "105" stickers can be sourced from the Bay

You went for black because its far, far cooler than the silver and it adds 2 mph top end to your speed.

Tell us more about triple S pls (loving the crash excuse BTW) I am sorta considering having some SPD pedals 'painted' = stove enamelled or powder coated... Is this possible? Can 'Triple S' colour-match Bianchi celeste blue? Would it be durable enough?

Yossie

These guys are Triple S http://www.triple-s.co.uk/

I've used them for lots of motorbike bits (from brackets to frames to engine cases) - the bits always come back perfectly coated, perfectly wrapped in a good turnaround time (its generally around a week).

Very, very good reputation amongst motorbike people.

I understand that they can match basically any colour (including some metallics) so Bianchi celeste may not be too much of a problem: they may need something already celeste to match off against but this is something that you could probably sort with them.

The only down side with them is that they don't take credit cards (so its cash there, cash on delivery or cheque by post) and there are cheaper guys around (but as the service is so good I don't mind the extra couple of pounds here or there).

Powder coating will be durable enough - as tough as 2 pac, stronger than acrylic etc. Its an electrostatic process that gives you a perfectly smooth finish with no runs - all layers of the powder coat are exactly the same depth as well, so the finish is generally spot on.

Best bet is to give them a call and see what they say (very friendly in that northern powder coating man kinda way) re the pedals but as they are essentially an ali body I can't see a problem with the body itself, it may just be tricky with the springs, internakls etc. But I'm not a powder coater, so don't take my word for anything

Only other advice I would give is if you don't get a recommendation form someone about somewhere is to go and see them - if you see a load of garden furniture being coated at the same time as some bicycle parts and a domestic radiator (as opposed to a commercial radiator) then they may not be the specialists they say that they are…..

HTH

Y

wakou

Thanks, I was considering getting a pair of these:




Or these:


Not the springs or any of the moving parts, just the 'platform' bit..
I will get in touch with 'http://www.triple-s.co.uk/' and mention your recommendation...