My trusted bike for 15 years show significant aluminium oxidation. Seems structurally sound, but what do I know. Will it get worse even if covered? How would I go about painting over it? What are my options?
by RelaxedPhoton
My trusted bike for 15 years show significant aluminium oxidation. Seems structurally sound, but what do I know. Will it get worse even if covered? How would I go about painting over it? What are my options?
by RelaxedPhoton
9 Comments
15 year-old oxidizing aluminum. Seriously. ? You DEFINITELY need a new frame. Like really, a new frame. Aluminum doesn’t show any signs of when it’s going to say goodbye. Your structurally sound comment genuinely intrigues me. How do you know and I’m not being facetious I’m genuinely curious 🧐 what makes you think it’s structurally sound ?
That will snap in half when you’re riding it
Aluminium oxide should form a protective layer and prevent further oxidation. To be honest, I would just leave it, keep riding & check it for cracks occasionally.
> retire
**Do you see signs of metal fatigue? If not, no. Keep riding**
> paint over
**if you would like a different aesthetic, this is a great option**
> or…
**Do nothing/keep riding** (probably what id do)
I would strip the paint and examine the frame if I absolutely needed to keep that bike in use.
It’s not worth it to me though.
Aluminum rusts in an un-intuitive way kind of. So it is not similar to steel, where rust is the biggest horror, leading to frame failures.
I would just keep riding it without painting.
BUT, do check for any cracks!
I have seen bad paint prep take 15 years to show up. Funny that it is only those tubes, rather than the whole area. I would guess somebody didn’t get it quite right.
If I was keeping the bike, I would want to know if bad paint or something else is crazing the paint off. I would remove the paint and clear coat it for awhile and watch it.
My 2 cents?
It’s already looking like and eyesore, so why not sand it down to remove the oxide and get to the smooth, un corroded aluminum and then clear coat it.
By sanding it, you can better assess if there are any fractures (no matter how unlikely) and also remove the unsightly buckled paint.
But for the most part, the comments about the aluminum oxide stopping further, deeper corrosion are correct.
So either don’t do anything or do a lot.
Does salt water ever hit your bike (from living near the ocean or ice/snow treatments)?
I see dissimilar metals in direct contact and signs of corrosion in an area with close exposure to
the road. I’d want to rule out galvanic corrosion.
If it’s galvanic corrosion it is not self limiting and the metal will degrade until it fails.
At the very least, I’d remove the paint past the weld in order to inspect the area better.
This is a high stress area of a bike frame and a 15 year old aluminum frame could be forming fatigue cracks regardless of oxidation.