'Raw' alloy frames

Stevo_666

Not sure if this is a daft question but I'll ask anyway.

I'm looking at a couple of bikes that come with 'raw' aluminium frames with a protective coat of clear lacquer of some sort on top to protect the metal. Alu is pretty tough and the exposed metal forms an oxide coat quite quickly that bonds to the metal underneath (according to the interweb), so should these sorts of frames be any more or less durable than ones that have been 'painted'/anodised in the normal way?

Whether you think they look any good is a different question...

nicklouse

Makes no difference.

Stevo_666

nicklouse wrote:

Makes no difference.

Good - be interested to know why?

cooldad

You answered your own question in your initial post I think. Raw aluminium won't be any less durable than painted or anodised. Except it will look different. For a couple of million years anyway. After that who knows. Or cares.

rockmonkeysc

Un lacquered aluminium will quickly turn dull and it will corrode. Lacquered is fine.

Stevo_666

Guess it depends what the lacquer is and whether it's tougher than paint or anodising. Ta for the replies.

cooldad

Nope, the aluminium oxide prevents further corrosion. Once covered in a layer of oxide the aluminium will last basically for longer than you will. It just won't look great.

Stevo_666

cooldad wrote:

Nope, the aluminium oxide prevents further corrosion. Once covered in a layer of oxide the aluminium will last basically for longer than you will. It just won't look great.

I wasn't too far off the mark then. But how the bike looks is important because I'm a tart

supersonic

Road salt tends to eat raw frames. But my zaskar LE has been going now for 17 years in a raw state.

cooldad

supersonic wrote:

Road salt tends to eat raw frames. But my zaskar LE has been going now for 17 years in a raw state.

You should hit yourself with the banstick for using four letter words like road.

rockmonkeysc

cooldad wrote:

Nope, the aluminium oxide prevents further corrosion. Once covered in a layer of oxide the aluminium will last basically for longer than you will. It just won't look great.

Not quite true. The oxide does give some protection but is fragile and can be stripped away by a lot of chemicals including salt, some detergents and some degreasers.

Kowalski675

Bare ally's no problem, unless you're a roadie and get salt on it, in which case it'll be a furry corroded mess in the blink of an eye.

Stevo_666

Kowalski675 wrote:

Bare ally's no problem, unless you're a roadie and get salt on it, in which case it'll be a furry corroded mess in the blink of an eye.

Not a problem then

Kowalski675

No lycra hiding in your wardrobe then? Glad to hear it.

The Rookie

A friend runs a raw frame on his girlfriends bike (truly raw which lacquered clearly is not!) and just gives it a coat of a car wax every month or so, occasionally the odd dull patch appears, but it polishes out next time he does it.

Lacquer will protect the ally and keep it shiny, but without a primer underneath it won't be as tough/durable as a painted finish.

adamfo

Before some of you were born I went out in 1994 and bought this bike new ! A Marin Rocky Ridge in lacquered American alloy. It's what passed as a mountain bike at the time. Long relegated to general road use it's aged well.
No corrosion. Still a competitive weight at 10.4 Kg size large.

Stevo_666

adamfo wrote:

Before some of you were born I went out in 1994 and bought this bike new ! A Marin Rocky Ridge in lacquered American alloy. It's what passed as a mountain bike at the time. Long relegated to general road use it's aged well.
No corrosion. Still a competitive weight at 10.4 Kg size large.

The internet stasi blocked the photo site at work but good to know someone has real life experience of these things lasting well.

The Rookie

The front gear cable hasn't survived quite as well though!

cooldad

The Rookie wrote:

The front gear cable hasn't survived quite as well though!

But that's not aluminium, is it?

Seriously, the middle aged youth of today.

adamfo

The Rookie wrote:

The front gear cable hasn't survived quite as well though!

True, but the bike has received zero maintenance over the years. I took the frame stickers off and left the bike a bit rough around the edges to deter thieves when it's locked up out shopping. In it's day Marin was a sought after brand particularly the rarer alloy and titanium framed versions.
I think I was one of the first people to use a chunky Abus motorcycle u-lock which I picked up in Germany. It totally defeated London lowlifes for a decade before I moved to rural south Somerset.

Apart from adjusting cable tension and fitting new chains the Shimano LX groupset and hubs seem indestructible.

danchandler

I raw most of my frames, and finish them off with medium wire wool to give it a 'brushed' look, my trials bike has frame, forks and stem




My old jump bike had a rawed frame



My old Ashton edd tongue 24 street trials bike, built and just raw frame




I found it was quite easy to do, blather it with chemical paint stripper and use a wire brush on a drill. Then wire wool it, just needs going over now and again quickly and easily

adamfo

Came across this Canyon Nerve 29er on a German site.

Before


After with brushed finish

Kowalski675

Looks nice, but he's just voided his frame warranty.

passout

I had a raw alu frame back in the day - a Rocky Mountain Experience, with E-stays. I rode it for about 15 years (10 yrs off road off road on and off, then commuter) without any issues at all with the frame. Looked a bit like this: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=rocky ... B640%3B480


I can think of no reason why a frame could not be raw.

Recently you could get On One scandals which looked raw - not sure if they were truly raw though.

Stevo_666

This is what I've got my eye on - it's kinda growing on me.

Angus Young

danchandler wrote:

Are you sure you've got enough 'stand over' on that one?

BigAl

Angus Young wrote:

danchandler wrote:

Are you sure you've got enough 'stand over' on that one?

You gotta have a lot of skillzs to justify a bike like that.

I don't (and never have) own(ed) anything like it

danchandler

BigAl wrote:

Angus Young wrote:

danchandler wrote:

Are you sure you've got enough 'stand over' on that one?

You gotta have a lot of skillzs to justify a bike like that.

I don't (and never have) own(ed) anything like it

I do luckily, I ride trials in the British championship, and do the Yorkshire based tyke trials series, as well as riding for fun. It's not about showing off, it's about balance and agility. Think moto trials but pedal powered. It's very good fun, and has improved my mtb skills no end. This looks completely different now I've polished it. Autosol and microfibre cloths

Kowalski675

That's not polished, that's a satin finish

This is polished:







Ever done the trials round at Shipley Glen?

danchandler

Yeah I have mate, I finished 4th in class there last year, then got 3rd/bronze medal at the next round at burycliffe quarry near Matlock. I Was going ok until a practice crash shattered my heel. I'll be riding at Shipley in the comp on Sunday the 23rd of feb if you fancy a ride down, you aren't that far away are you?

cooldad

Kowalski675 wrote:

That's not polished, that's a satin finish

This is polished:

Polishing the pipe again?