Powdercoating Bike Parts

[jen0910]

I have been a member of this forum for a little while now and mostly just read threads. I thought it was time to post something, I don't know enough about oil yet so I thought I would post about something I know more about: bikes.

I have a 2008 Giant Trance X2 and I have been slowly upgrading it piece by piece. My latest customization was powdercoating the suspension linkages. The bike was all black when I bought it and I have been trying to add some color and style to it and I now have a a black and white theme.

Here are some before and after pictures.

Completely stock just after I got it:

_MG_9934 by jen0910, on Flickr

The linkages before, during and after:

IMG_5148r


IMG_5193r


IMG_5205r

And finally, back on the bike:

_MG_3915


_MG_3904

We powdercoated the parts ourselves using an inexpensive setup including a second hand electric oven in the basement but I think it came out really nice and I am really happy with how my bike is looking these days.

 

[oldhp]

Looks nice! And its even better when someone asks who built that and you can say "I did!!!".
Good Job!!!

 

[Cujet]

That is nice. I like the black and white theme.

 

[Tempest]

Did you replace the bearings?

 

[George Bynum]

I don't know what temperatures you needed for your coatings, but some aluminum alloys begin weakening if heated to the mid-200F range ... be cautious. MOST are ok to 350F for less than a few hours.

I always remember the guy who powder coated his scuba tank and had it explode while being filled. Big news in the 70's and changed dive shop practices.

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: George Bynum
I don't know what temperatures you needed for your coatings, but some aluminum alloys begin weakening if heated to the mid-200F range ... be cautious. MOST are ok to 350F for less than a few hours.


THIS^^^

But it DOES look wicked cool though!

 

[jen0910]

Thanks for all of the compliments, I just got new grips and rebuilt the fork the other day and it has been killing me that it is too snowy to ride.

Originally Posted By: Tempest
Did you replace the bearings?


Haha, yes, after the soak in degreaser to strip the anodizing and the baking those bearing were toast. They were 4 years old anyway so it was worth it to replace them. One of the trickiest parts of this project was figuring out what to do with the bearings (whether to leave them in as spacers to protect the surface or not).


IMG_5153r
You can see that I powdercoated the left piece with the bearing in it and it leaked during the baking, I was glad it didn't hurt the finish.

Originally Posted By: George Bynum
I don't know what temperatures you needed for your coatings, but some aluminum alloys begin weakening if heated to the mid-200F range ... be cautious. MOST are ok to 350F for less than a few hours.
I always remember the guy who powder coated his scuba tank and had it explode while being filled. Big news in the 70's and changed dive shop practices.


Thats a good thing to think about. These pieces were in a ~350*-400* oven for about 20 minutes, I assume they would be able to handle that. I guess its a good thing that I am a lightweight when it comes to mountain bikers.

 

[SLCraig]

Looks great!
The Trance X is one of my favorite bikes out there. I almost bought one actually.

(I love Giant)

 

[George Bynum]

Originally Posted By: jen0910
That's a good thing to think about. These pieces were in a ~350*-400* oven for about 20 minutes, I assume they would be able to handle that. I guess its a good thing that I am a lightweight when it comes to mountain bikers.
With common alloys OTHER THAN 7000 series, 350 is probably ok ... 400 less so. With 7000 series, 250 is as high as I'd go.

Aluminum heat treatment is unusual to those used to traditional steel. You heat it hot and quench quickly for soft material, then reheat for time and temperature for "precipitation hardening" ... too hot OR too long weakens, too cold or too short doesn't reach maximum strength ... which with many can be completed later ... years later.

You want to really blow your mind ... look at aircraft rivets which harden at room temperature ... and are kept cold until driven/headed.

 

[cchase]

Originally Posted By: George Bynum
Originally Posted By: jen0910
That's a good thing to think about. These pieces were in a ~350*-400* oven for about 20 minutes, I assume they would be able to handle that. I guess its a good thing that I am a lightweight when it comes to mountain bikers.
With common alloys OTHER THAN 7000 series, 350 is probably ok ... 400 less so. With 7000 series, 250 is as high as I'd go.


Powder coating aluminum bikes (and bike parts) is nothing new - lots of manufacturers powder coat from the factory.