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Kinesis aithein corrosion
Has anyone had an issue with the lettering on the down tube corroding?
Mine has recently developed this problem despite using mudguards through winter and always keeping clean.
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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11 comments
It is a 'feature' of aluminium. Aluminium alloys form a protective oxide layer on their surface naturally - anodising thickens this layer.
However, chloride ions (from road salt) at strong enough concentrations can puncture this oxide layer and cause localised corrosion. A winter ride on gritted roads, covering the bike with saline solution, which then dries and concentrates is the worst case scenario. I presume that is why Kinesis have said that you need to wash the bike after winter rides.
It isn't a problem with painted frames, but the Kinesis is anodised to save weight.
Localised corrosion won't affect the structural integrity of the frame though.
Not cleaning the frame? What rubbish, I hardly clean my car but it doesn't rust or corrode. The frame should be protected against corrosion so that washing isn't necessary.
That said, I don't think I'd press the matter. I'd simply review the bike online, making sure that potential buyers are well aware of the manufacturer's attitude to customers, recommending that they shop elsewhere.
In that case you're not looking hard enough - a lot of areas on a car are painted, laquered or have some sort of surface treatment, eventually the non-painted areas succumb, laquer gets damaged and corrosion gets started.
After the first winter I rode my (shiny new) motorbike through a decade or more ago, I took the fairing panels off to find that the majority of the aluminium engine castings, either sandcast or smooth/machined showed significant signs of corrosion due to road salt. They wouldn't have been anodised, but there would have been an aluminium oxide layer.
Hard anodising (usually MTB forks legs, normal anodising is often just to add a colour) tends to resist damage reasonably well, but otherwise it's still vulnerable. Dunno what anodising was done, but the Hope calipers on one MTB are now a bit of a mess on the underside having ridden through several winters with belated cleaning.
There's a few surface treatments you can (re)apply for winter use to prevent corrosion and wash off after the winter - ACF50 in particular is used by motorcyclists. Tho' you'll need to reapply if washing over winter - the handy thing with ACF50 on a motorcycle is you can lob it on surfaces which get hot, unlike some other stuff.
It might *look* a bit like GT85 or WD40 but there's really no comparision..you can pretty much spray it everwhere except for rims/ brake pads and mebbe saddle/bar tape
I've had a response which basically blames myself for not cleaning the frame well enough.
This is road salt eating away at the frame, from not being cleaned up. I had it on my own one, I rode a long road ride, and didn’t clean the bike for a few days…then the blind killer that is road salt set in, and this was after my first ride. I have spoken to other companies who have anodised frames and they have the same, so it is not unique to Kinesis.
It is simply cosmetic, due to the way the frame top coat is anodised, so will not cause any structural damage but unfortunately isn’t a warranty issue.
Pretty poor, don't you think?
Fantastic frame but that's a bit poor.
If Id known I would have bought the green frame
I was told that the process used should harden the aluminium so it doesn't corrode quite so readily. Unfortunately it still does though.
It doesn't effect the way it rides but I would expect better for my £580
I've sent an email with pics and description of issue but no reply as of yet.
Before I sent the message I phoned in and was advised that it's due to salt corrosion. If this is the case then surely buyers should be advised of this before buying?
Aah I see....
isnt that what aluminium does though ? It's not a problem for the frame ? I'd not worry.
No, on the black anodised frame, the lettering is laser etched. i.e. its bare aluminium. If its a painted orange or green one then the letters are under the lacquer.
The lettering corroded on mine (black ano), like a mottled effect. They replaced it under warranty but that was when Dom Mason worked there. There's another thread on here that suggests they unfortunately might not be so good on this front since he's left.
How could letters corrode ? They're just stickers ?