Black anodize color durability

2639 Views 14 Replies 0 Participants Last post by Guest, Jan 28, 2005

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Discussion Starter · Jan 7, 2005

I am thinking of getting a pair of black Cycle Cat rear-sets, but I'm worried about the color fading or turning weird like I have seen so much black anodize do. Has anyone one had this happen to their black Cycle Cat parts? What about their other colors? I'm guessing silver is the safest from fading, but it's pretty boring, imo.

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Discussion Starter · #2 · Jan 7, 2005

Re: Black anodize color durability (sforce)

it will fade just as any black-anodized parts will fade. i got black c'cat parts anyways and am still happy with how they look.
preventative measure? umm... park in shaded areas whenever possible i guess to minimize UV exposure.
ultimately, when the parts start looking like kakka from fading, i'm figuring on either getting them reanodized (not ALL that expensive) or i'll strip 'em and polish them up.

G

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jan 7, 2005

Re: Black anodize color durability (sforce)

I would think that grit on the sole of your shoes would wear away any anodized finish. At least with silver the damage would be less obvious.

G

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jan 7, 2005

my cycle cat clutch cover is now a plum-ish color.

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G

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jan 7, 2005

Re: (froggert)

Same with mine. Looks reddish-brown-black. Not a big deal but I'll just eventually powder coat it.

G

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jan 8, 2005

Re: (sm0kimOn)

I recently ordered a CC upper triple in silver anodize because of the same concerns.

Hard anodize might be an interesting finish. I know it sounds tougher, but does anyone know if it would hold up any better than a "regular" anodize finish? I've seen different "colors" that were called hard anodize. Are there different colors, or processes, that give different hard anodize results?

G

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jan 8, 2005

Re: Black anodize color durability (sforce)

I have a pair of Black C-cat's and they look better then any other color. I to had the same concerns with the foot peg's, but once mine start to show some wear, I'm switching the pegs out to the silver ones. I'll leave the black brackets, just have silver peg's. It looks good, I've seen it on other bikes.

Understand, these things will not fad or discolor in a year! It'll be several years before discoloring set's in and by then you'll have sold the bike!!! If that was the case, no one would offer them.

G

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jan 8, 2005

Re: (infoage1)

I have a had large batch of stuff hard anodized for my 1036cs it was all done the same and it came out all different colors. My understanding is they use no die the color is solely do to the metal alloy and the process. Since all my stuff was done as a batch to save money it came out different colors. I asked if they could match the colors if they did the pieces individually and they told me "no but they could get them closer". The stuff is all dull no gloss but has the functional look I wanted.

G

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jan 8, 2005

Re: Black anodize color durability (viper1)

i've only had this bike and clutch cover for 13 months and it's been faded/discolored since last spring. maybe i got a bum one, as the cycle cat rearsets on my old monster are still blacker and a year and a half old.

G

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jan 8, 2005

Re: Black anodize color durability (froggert)

Is it possible you got some strong cleaner on it maybe something with bleach? Anodizing isn't perfect it is WAY better then nothing and better in some respects on some things then powder coat. It is a much harder and more wear resistant finish then powder. It can be redone so if you have enough to do a batch take it to your local anodizer and have it all redone.

G

Discussion Starter · #11 · Jan 9, 2005

Re: Black anodize color durability (908SSP)

nope, i don't really wash the bike.

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G

Discussion Starter · #12 · Jan 27, 2005

Re: (infoage1)

The colour is added after the anodising and before it is sealed. Hard anodising gives a dark grey colouring to the aluminium and is used in a lot of marine applications because it stops corrosion. Anodising is oxidising of the aluminium. The dye is a powder that is added to hot water and after anodising the item is submerged into it. The darkness of colour depends how long you leave it in the dye. The stuff you see generally dyed is not hard anodised, it is soft and is cosmetic in the main. After the item is removed,(hard or soft anodised) from the dye the surface is dipped in a hot seal , left to cool, and the bungs protecting threaded holes are removed. Depending on the purity of the aluminium decides on how fast and how thick the anodising can be. If it has impurities such as copper, there is a chance that it can burn, slight burning can result in the dye looking slightly uneven in colour. The burnt areas will look lighter and have a slight sheen to them. If you have an item anodised and the colour looks uneven it can be stripped in caustic and re-anodised. hope this expains ithttp://speedzilla.zeroforum.com/zeropost?cmd=reply&id=315910#
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Discussion Starter · #13 · Jan 27, 2005

Re: (rodders)

Does heat cycling have anything to do with the anodised color changing? Just wondering if things like clutch covers that are closer to the engine would change faster than say, pegs and shifters.

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Discussion Starter · #14 · Jan 28, 2005

I had a CycleCat clutch cover turn red/purplish in less a year. I contacted them and they had it re-anodized. Only cost me the shipping.

G

Discussion Starter · #15 · Jan 28, 2005

Hard ano. or Type 3 is a couple thousanths thicker than Type 2 which is what you normally see i.e. red,blue, gold etc...
By virtue of the thicker layer 0.003" vs. 0.001", "Hard Ano." is more durable but it still needs to be sealed and there are some new sealers available that have UV protection.
Surface prep prior to ano. determines final finish, also the alu. alloy being ano. plays a part in the finish. Cast alu. has a lot of modifiers i.e. silica, copper etc... close to the surface and these interfer with the ano. process leaving a dark grey/charcoal finish
I belive Type 3 is either left a natural color or can be dyed black.

Modified by dtylergs at 8:23 AM 1/31/2005

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