Cannondale Frame Corrosion

Dottigirl,  johnnystorm suggested it earlier in the thread, then I did a bit of looking and it seems perfect for when I get my new nokons.  Motorbikers seem to swear by it.  Would be good for resisting winter road filth.  £20 to keep what would be getting on for £100 of cables tip top seems worth it.

I was going to cover every bit of the cables with wet lube, for the new ones, and in black.  If I had everything slippery when originally fitting would have made it much more difficult than it was, but to replace with some knowledge wouldn't be too much of an effort.  The silvers have rotted, but it did take a while.  Didn't care for them as I should.  Lesson learned.

http://www.cannondale.com/Europe/WarrantyInfo.aspx

this is your ticket to sort it, hopefully you registered it with Cannondale when you bought it.

This has been a great thread, apart from disappointment with Cannondale, and various Bad  Boys which had been my n+1s long before I knew there was a term for it.

Very informative, and now I know there are products to resist the many effects of road filth, I shall be getting some acf50 when I get my new set of Nokons.  If you don't know it exists you can't search for it on internet.

Is the Duralac similar to the coppery stuff in assembly compound?  And if it is very different, in which situation should I use each?

You're welcome, it's what is used on aircraft which are predominantly alloy. (From my days as an aircraft techician).

Edit.

Don't forget to use etch primer on bare alloy not just any old metal primer.

Doesn't the EU sale of goods directive give 2 years manufacturing warranty to all purchases within the EU. We're still in at the mo.

The treatment you've received from Cannondale has set alarm bells ringing for me, they could quite easily have taken your frame back and sent you a replacement instead of harping on about the paint finish not being covered. I have a carbon Synapse and an aluminium Quick Speed but I am not sure I want to stay with the brand if this is their attitude. If the corrosion is in several places this also suggests the frame was not properly prepared prior to painting (degreased, anodized, primed etc.) I would peruse this a bit more because regardless of the warranty it has corroded after 1 year of use, this isn't really acceptable. I expect there is something in the Sale of Goods Act that will help you resolve this to your satisfaction.

As prevoiusly commented, best to rub down all the white powder (aluminium alloy corrosion products) and repaint. When reassembling avoid galvanic corrosion by using a pigmented varnish jounting compound such as Duralac between dissimilar metals. It's a bit messy but it works.

http://www.mbfg.co.uk/bonding-structural-adhesives/duralac.html

Just a helpful FYI; carbon frames can corrode. The interface between the carbon fibres and the aluminium inserts (e.g. For bottom brackets, bottle cage screws) has potential for galvanic corrosion (of the aluminium) due to carbon being electrochemically noble and electrically conductive. Carbon wheels with ali spoke nipples are great examples of this.

I have to say, I have bought another cannondale.... a Supersix Hi Mod. Carbon doesn't corrode  I actually loved my Criterium 2.0 and won many races on it, even against guys on far newer bikes. The handling was aggressive to say the least Personally the cosmetics are far less of an issue, and I hanker after a CAAD10 or similar for an every day bike (Lifelong Cannondale fan)

I had a cannondale alloy frame for 20 years which developed corrosion around most of the frame openings. Over that 20 years it didn't compromise the frame integrity in any way at all. However, I can understand the OP's frustration at the early onset of this issue. Under the consumer guarantees act (fair trading act?) the item should be free of minor defects and should last for a reasonable time. It's arguable that this is a minor defect and that the paint coating and protection isn't lasting for a resaonable time.

Treat yourself to a can of acf50

Whenever I get a new bike, I cover the weld breather holes with teeny spots of helicopter tape - especially on the stays.

The small holes you see in frames are often there to allow gases to escape when they are welded. These would obviously be covered when painting the frame.
I wouldn't worry about it, it's a commuter bike and is probably going to receive much worse in time.

I agree with DrG that it's probably galvanic corrosion. Copper-slipping the bolts will slow the process down and prevent any of the fasteners getting stuck in the future.

I think you're being a bit ott about a little bit of corrosion.

You say that it's a a drilled point, would this hole have a stainless steel bolt in it? A bottle cage/rack mounting? If so it's probably galvanic corrosion due to the mixed metals in contact.

Rub down prime and repaint, should be quite easy to get near colour match, is it black model?