I have a clear powder coated Quickbeam and have no visible rust at all. The corrosion seen on many clear powder coated frames is, I believe, a function of the frame's preparation prior to the clear coating. The previous owner of my bike had the original orange paint removed, then took the frame home and spent hours filing lugs and sanding the frame prior to the powder coating. The frame went to the coaters without any rust at all. Thus the steel on my bike looks, well, like steel. Other clear coated bikes I've seen in person and on the internets look just a tiny bit rusty; there's a faint brownish cast to the steel which is not necessarily a bad thing. My frame has no such cast. Oh, and I live in Portland, Oregon - not exactly the driest place to ride a bike in.
On Nov 15, 6:13 am, rperks <perks....@gmail.com> wrote: > I live a block from the beach and more than half of my rides are along > the coast here in Ca. Every time I clean the roadeo I get paranoid > and go look at the pictures I took when I recieved the frame ot figure > out of the rust is spreading. It is not, just my paranioa. The other > unfortunate aspect of this is that I have two Ocean Engineering > Degrees with a specialty in corrosion. While no coating is imune to > failure, application is usually the key. The raw factor is what > likely compromises these the most, not the clear. If the bike were > detailed with a scotchbrite pad or blasted and then solvent wiped the > clear coat would likely outlive us, and you sure would know if any > visual rust were new. In the case of most pigment coatings, the same > surface rust likely lies iunder the coating as well, you just never > see it, and if you go in fo ra recoat, they blast it off anyway. > > Have you ever seen pictures of a brazed bike coming out of the bath to > remove the flux? it is not pretty is you have any kind of rust > phobia. > > Rob > > On Nov 14, 9:29 pm, doug peterson <dougpn...@cox.net> wrote: > > > > > We probably over-react to rust, especially here in So Cal. Rust means > > deterioration but there are lots of ancient, rusty beach cruisers > > still in use. Granted, they are probably made from heavier gauge > > tubing but it's also likely to be a lower grade of steel than a > > Rivendell. My guess is a bit of surface rust is more an aesthetic > > concern than a structural one. > > > dougP > > > On Nov 14, 12:52 pm, cyclotourist <cyclotour...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > James, clear powdercoat is quickly becoming one of my favorites. They are > > > just great to look at. I love the raw finish where you can see the > > > manufacture's markings, and builders file marks and even thumb prints! > > > The > > > verdict is still out on whether they are susceptible to rust though. > > > > On Sun, Nov 14, 2010 at 11:58 AM, james black <chocot...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > On Sun, Nov 14, 2010 at 07:50, rperks <perks....@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > James, thanks for the complement on the bike, the RCP is fun, but much > > > > > like Esteban has said in the past, I spend too much time thinking > > > > > about what color I would like it to be next. In a way it is like > > > > > having an unpainted frame that you feel compelled to add color, but > > > > > with no real threat of rust you have way too much time to sort it out. > > > > > I was thinking about this idea this morning. I like the Roadeo clear > > > > powdercoat look because it has a nice warm brown-grey tone and an > > > > inherent richness and texture to it, and it shows off the details very > > > > nicely - the contrasting color of the brazing is like lug pinstriping, > > > > but integral rather than cosmetic; the forged dropouts and their > > > > connection to the stays stand out. It has a kind of Lou Kahn-style > > > > integrity. > > > > > The iconic Modern architect Lou Kahn is perhaps best remembered by the > > > > cliche that he asked the brick what it wanted to be, and the brick > > > > told him, it wanted to be an arch. His architecture stressed the > > > > ethical imperative of expressing the inherent truth of the materials > > > > from which it was built - if an element looked like a column, it > > > > definitely was supporting something structurally. Something fake or > > > > meant to imitate something else would be a deep ethical failure. A > > > > concrete guardrail would be separated from a concrete column, rather > > > > than poured integrally and seamlessly, because it performed a > > > > different function. Materials such as brick, stone, concrete, and wood > > > > were favored rather than painted surfaces, because with these > > > > materials, the material itself could be exposed unpainted and allowed > > > > to express itself, and these materials weather well and were allowed > > > > to do so. > > > > > I see an analogy between the Lou Kahn mindset and the Rivendell > > > > mindset that favors natural materials like canvas, leather, wood, > > > > cork, and unpainted silver metal finishes. These materials are also > > > > favored for their integrity and attribute of weathering naturally and > > > > gracefully. > > > > > The clear powdercoat allows the steel bicycle frame to join the family > > > > of materials that aesthetically express their own materiality without > > > > relying on pigmented paint. Lou Kahn would prefer an unfinished > > > > titanium frame perhaps, but the clear powdercoat fits the Rivendell > > > > ethic-or-aesthetic quite appropriately. > > > > > James Black > > > > Los Angeles, CA > > > > > -- > > > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > > > > Groups > > > > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > > > > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. > > > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > > > rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com<rbw-owners-bunch%2Bunsubscrib > > > > ...@googlegroups.com> > > > > . > > > > For more options, visit this group at > > > >http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. > > > > -- > > > Cheers, > > > David > > > Redlands, CA > > > > *...in terms of recreational cycling there are many riders who would > > > probably benefit more from > > > improving their taste than from improving their performance.* - RTMS- > > > Hide quoted text - > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > - Show quoted text - -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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