Carbon Conundrum

Cupotea
Cupotea Posts: 42
edited June 2015 in Road buying advice
I'm looking at buying a Rose CDX, but some of my carbon straddling chums are putting me off the matt carbon finish saying its hard to clean and looks shoddy before long. Whats the general consensus? Is it a pain? Should I go with the matt finish (which I prefer as long as its not a swine to clean) or the easy to care for shiny/gloss?

Cheers.

Comments

  • foggymike
    foggymike Posts: 862
    They're right. It looks great new but shows every mark and looks 5 years old after a year. It's a shame, but true :(
  • jewbs
    jewbs Posts: 139
    was in a bike shop last week and looked at some specialised venue and tarmac frames, the matt black "stealth" ones were definitely my least favourite. I didn't like them at all but the more glossy colour schemes just looked so much better and i think a lot of bike manufacturers are producing some great colour schemes at the moment.
    If i was buying a new bike matt black would be a no no for me but beauty is in the eye of the beholder , its your bike go with what you like most.
  • diamonddog
    diamonddog Posts: 3,426
    One of my bikes is matt carbon the other is clear coated, no problem whatsoever keeping them looking good.
    The matt frame gets a clean with baby wipes then a wipe with a micro fibre cloth job done.
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    I have a matt finish CR1-SL. I don't find it any harder to keep clean than the shiny painted alloy frame. If anything it hides the dirt better!

    It's not a looker though; I bought the frameset for the ride quality, geometry and the fact it was being sold cheaply.

    If I was buying an off the peg bike I'd want one with a shiny painted finish I liked the look of...
  • mm1
    mm1 Posts: 1,063
    Have applied Collinite wax polish once to my matt black frame and since it has only needed an occasional wipe with a damp cloth. Easier to keep clean than my gloss painted steel frame bikes.

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