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Anodized paint??

3K views 22 replies 14 participants last post by  Octane 
#1 ·
Anyone had any problems w/ Spesh's anodized paint jobs? I just got a 2005 SX Trail, black and copper, and after one weekend of riding the paint is scratched, chipped, & cable rubbed to hell. I could understand if this started happening down the road a bit, but the first weekend, you got to be kiddin'. Is this happening to anyone else?
 
#2 ·
anodization is not a paint job. it is a process by which a protective oxide is applied to the outside of the metal (in this case, aluminum). the SX trail is painted.

anyhow, my bike ('03 epic) has several rub marks / scratches / chips. paintjobs on bikes are not indestructible. scratching and chipping is, unfortunately, to be expected. it is a mountain bike after all; you cannot keep it looking pretty forever. you can protect the paint from cable rub by applying some clear packing tape where it rubs. there are also small carbon patches you can buy (from lizard skins, for example) which will also do the job. chainstay protectors (standard issue on '04 bikes and newer) will protect the driveside chainstay from chain-slap chipping.

also note that the paint job is not covered under warranty.
 
#3 ·
wow

Cyco-Dude said:
anodization is not a paint job. it is a process by which a protective oxide is applied to the outside of the metal (in this case, aluminum). the SX trail is painted.

anyhow, my bike ('03 epic) has several rub marks / scratches / chips. paintjobs on bikes are not indestructible. scratching and chipping is, unfortunately, to be expected. it is a mountain bike after all; you cannot keep it looking pretty forever. you can protect the paint from cable rub by applying some clear packing tape where it rubs. there are also small carbon patches you can buy (from lizard skins, for example) which will also do the job. chainstay protectors (standard issue on '04 bikes and newer) will protect the driveside chainstay from chain-slap chipping.

also note that the paint job is not covered under warranty.
Thx for letting me know that mtn bikes are not indestructable. Man, you are wise. If your paint was falling off after one weekend of riding, you might be a little pissed too. Spesh is charging $3300 for the SX Trail, this paint job is not worthy of that price tag. I have never had this problem on any bike I have ever owned & that is a lot of bikes, including several Specialized bikes. At this point, taking your advice, I would have to wrap the entire bike in clear packing tape and put it in the corner - that is how bad this paint job is. Any paint job that has metal showing in many, many places after 3 days of hard riding is sub-standard. The rest of the bike is tough is nails, why would Spesh put a ridiculously light paint job on a bike that was designed to be ridden hard?

Anyone else having any problems with the new Spesh paint jobs?
 
#4 ·
logs said:
Thx for letting me know that mtn bikes are not indestructable. Man, you are wise. If your paint was falling off after one weekend of riding, you might be a little pissed too. Spesh is charging $3300 for the SX Trail, this paint job is not worthy of that price tag. I have never had this problem on any bike I have ever owned & that is a lot of bikes, including several Specialized bikes. At this point, taking your advice, I would have to wrap the entire bike in clear packing tape and put it in the corner - that is how bad this paint job is. Any paint job that has metal showing in many, many places after 3 days of hard riding is sub-standard. The rest of the bike is tough is nails, why would Spesh put a ridiculously light paint job on a bike that was designed to be ridden hard?

Anyone else having any problems with the new Spesh paint jobs?
I have a 2004 stumpy (bought last october) and has several scratches... I think that's normal, but well, I don't know how you ride and how big are the scratches... maybe some pics help...
 
#5 ·
Are you sure it is anodized?

I haven't seen an SX in person, but from your post it sounds like your bike is painted and not anodized. Only the top models of specialized are anodized. I have two specialized bikes, an anodized stumpy and a painted Allez. The anodized finish on specialized bikes is tough as nails and is very hard to scratch. Because it is an oxidization and not paint, I doubt it would ever chip. You'd have to work pretty hard to mess it up. On the other hand, my Allez will chip if you look at it funny. It is disappointing that you spend that much money on a bike and the paint doesn't stay on.

Specialized really puts on a thick layer of primer and paint to give their bikes a luster finish. Chipping paint is usually an indication that it has been applied to thick. I wouldn't doubt if they have some problem with their primer bonding to the Aluminum alloys that they use. Just a theory. First day I rode my Allez, I got it chipped. It's a road bike, so I don't expect that much abuse, but I can certainly see where a painted mountain bike would be a wreck it you hit a lot of loose stuff and branches. I guess if it gets bad enough, you could always strip it down to the bare metal for that military look.

I feel your pain.
 
#6 ·
logs said:
Anyone else having any problems with the new Spesh paint jobs?
I bought a new Rockhopper in 2003 which was finished in metallic black. It looked great in the shop, but the paint rapidly succumbed to scratches along the cable routing, around the seat stays and seat tube area despite the fact that it was regularly cleaned and waxed. It looked like someone had taken a wire wool pan scrubber to it!

The 2004 Enduro that replaced it was finished in solid black and has proved much more durable. Scratches polish out easily and I've bought some touch up paint from my local Halfords to repair chips and the habitual paint damage resulting from chain suck.

It's a tad shortsighted of Specialized that a respray will invalidate your frame warranty and that you don't have much choice when it comes to the finish of your new bike. Trek/Fisher have a wide choice in custom paintjobs, while Santa Cruz will anodise a new frame for you at the factory (at an additional cost).... I really feel for those who are stuck with the less aesthetically successful paintjobs (mustard yellow and the rare bright orange Enduros spring to mind).
 
#7 ·
Looks to me like its paint not anodizing. The spesh site says ano after the colour of its anodized. My 05 sworks fsr is very tough and is blue ano. only a minor scuff apearing after many hours riding from where my heel clips the stay (strange that i don't feel it happen lol).

Don't know if spesh customer services are worth a shot, they seem pretty good by all accounts. But if paint gets hit by stuff, odds are its gonna chip. One reason why I could never own a Klein.

Stu
 
#9 ·
logs said:
Thx for letting me know that mtn bikes are not indestructable. Man, you are wise. If your paint was falling off after one weekend of riding, you might be a little pissed too. Spesh is charging $3300 for the SX Trail, this paint job is not worthy of that price tag. I have never had this problem on any bike I have ever owned & that is a lot of bikes, including several Specialized bikes. At this point, taking your advice, I would have to wrap the entire bike in clear packing tape and put it in the corner - that is how bad this paint job is. Any paint job that has metal showing in many, many places after 3 days of hard riding is sub-standard. The rest of the bike is tough is nails, why would Spesh put a ridiculously light paint job on a bike that was designed to be ridden hard?

Anyone else having any problems with the new Spesh paint jobs?
without pictures or knowing how you ride, it's hard to say. if the paint is just flaking off for no apparent reason, then yes, you have a problem with your paint. you might try going to the dealer and see if they could swap the frame, but i wouldn't hold my breath.
 
#11 ·
Specialized Paint

freerider167 said:
next time i buy spesh i'm going to take the bike and slear coat it or if possible clear coat with powerder coat, but when powercoating they blast the frame clean for the paint sticks better.
If the original paintwork is still intact, but is topcoated with a clear coat or something then how would the warranty stand?

There is a poster here who put up a pic of his Enduro which had been topcoated with a US flag motiff and who suggested that his warranty was still intact because the original paint was still in place.
 
#12 ·
PJMatthes said:
If the original paintwork is still intact, but is topcoated with a clear coat or something then how would the warranty stand?

There is a poster here who put up a pic of his Enduro which had been topcoated with a US flag motiff and who suggested that his warranty was still intact because the original paint was still in place.
if you paint it right i guess that the warrenty should have no effect, cause how can a clear coat effect the frame(damage wise)? anodizing i think is different cause it accually is dying the metal.
 
#15 ·
The late 90's and up Specd paint jobs have seriously degraded in quailty. I had 2 pre 98 sj's that had bullet proof paint, my last 3 Specd bike (>98') the paint is cheese.

Ive emailed specd about this. Having your bike repainted by any company other than the one they contract w/ will VOID YOU WARRENTY. I cant rember the name of the co, but if you call them they should be able to give the #.

wayne
 
G
#16 ·
paint vs ano

paint sucks. it chips, adds weight, and doesn't provide anything more than pretty colors and a smooth finish.

anodizing is better. in the anodization process aluminum oxide is deposited electrochemically on the surface of the aluminum along with a certain amount of specific coloring agents. aluminum oxide is one of the hardest substances known to man (close behind diamond) and can actually help a part deal with stresses and cyclical loading.

basically if you can make a choice between paint or ano, go for ano.
 
#17 ·
mechmann_mtb said:
paint sucks. it chips, adds weight, and doesn't provide anything more than pretty colors and a smooth finish.

anodizing is better. in the anodization process aluminum oxide is deposited electrochemically on the surface of the aluminum along with a certain amount of specific coloring agents. aluminum oxide is one of the hardest substances known to man (close behind diamond) and can actually help a part deal with stresses and cyclical loading.

basically if you can make a choice between paint or ano, go for ano.
Are you talking about "hard-anodizing"? If memory serves me right, hard-anodizing adds about 0.002"-0.003" to the material thickness (or something like it), but is only available in black. However, regular anodizing is much thinner (< 0.001") and wouldn't provide those same benefits (of the hard-anodizing); although, it's available in a variety of pretty colours!

If I'm way out to lunch, I appologize, but I don't have my Materials' handbook at work and that's what I remember off the top of my head from a previous job several years ago.
 
G
#18 ·
i think "hard anodizing" is not limited to only black. i think it is a process where more aluminum oxide is deposited as you stated, in the range of 4x as thick. i have seen very durable anodizing done in brown, it may not have been as durable as the black "hard anodizing" though.

either way, anodizing will provide a lighter, more durable coating than a thick chip prone painting process.
 
#19 ·
Anodizing does not deposit aluminum oxide on the surface of the material being anodized. Anodizing oxidizes the material being anodized. It starts at the surface just like rust and propogates deeper into the material. Since the oxidized material is harder than the original the further into the material the oxidation propogates the "harder" the anodization. Dyes or metals are added to the acid oxididation solution to be deposited in the pores of the oxidized material to produce color. :D
 
G
#20 ·
ok.

good point.

anodizing does build on the surface though and it must be accounted for in tolerancing anodized parts. it is also an electrochemical process as the electric current accelerates the oxidation process.

i believe that .004" is the accepted dimensional change when dealing with Mil Std black anodizing.
 
#21 · (Edited)
Sealing the anodized surface will reduce the dimensional change significantly. Sealing is accomplished by submersing the anodized material in a hot DI water bath(ultrasonic speeds the process). If you get a frame with sealed anodization you're getting a very beautiful frame. My Enduro was bead-blasted before ano. What a waste. You can't seal anodization on a surface that rough.
 
#22 ·
scratched paint

any paint coating or anodizing is only a few mils. thick if you drop it or bash it or throw a rock up at it it will chip or scratch. We are talking about a working mtn. bike right? unless the paint is flaking off without being abraided I doubt it is defective. You also need to remember the base metal is aluminum SOFT and if you hit or scratch something soft it will deflect. Paint will be somewhat flexible but if you hit the frame hard enough the paint wont stick.
Bottom line: if your bike isnt scratched you're not riding it hard enough
 
#23 ·
According to the Specialized web site, your 05 SX Trail is NOT ano, just painted. Only a few models were actually anno. I'm simply going by the title of the color of the frame. Some are "Brown Ano", and yours is "Copper/Black". I'm assuming that the "Ano" ones are actually anodized.

However, I have an anodized frame on my Epic, and it is wearing very poorly.

-B
 
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