[Asafus]

Hey there,

I search and understood that people here have been anodizing
parts of their bike.

I wanted to know if I can anodize my whole IronHorse Sunday 2005 frame?
Does someone know about damage to weldings or something?

another question:
Should I strip everything? such as BB and Headset? and all of the bearings?

Thank's guys,
Asaf, Israel.

 

[S.n.a.k.e.]

Hey Asaf,

I'm not an expert, but anodizing is an electro-chemical process so your welds should be ok.

Keep in mind that anodizing will add thickness to every part. Which means you would have to block out the BB threads, the inside of the headtube and seattube as well as any threaded hole in the frame (derailleur).

Yes, you would have to strip everything. It's a full suspension bike, so you would have to separate the front triangle from the rear and remove any bearings or bushings.

Not to mention that you would have to remove all the original powder coat because anodizing only works on bare metal.

Sounds like a lot of work.

 

[bogusbill]

Most standard aluminum welds do not anodize well. The frames that are anodized by bike manufacturers most likely are welded using a proprietary welding rod or wire. I have seen standard welded aluminum (6061) anodized and it has not looked good. You need to know which aluminum alloy your frame is made from and what welding method was used before considering it. It will also be damn expensive.

 

[zebrahum]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think frames are usually anodized then the surfaces that are needed to be flat, flush, and threaded are machined leaving a better surface for headsets and BBs. I don't think you can just dunk a frame and have everything work great. But then again, I've never done it.

 

[Al-F]

One more consideration: If there are any steel inserts of anykind you cannot annodize the frame without removing them, i.e steel inserts used to mount waterbottle cages, tire pumps or any other type of peripheral items to the frame, or mounts for brakes, lines, cables that are steel or have steel threaded inserts. If removing them ruins yor frame it jst isn't worth it to do.

Bottom line, annodizing only works on aluminum if there's any steel on the frame at all the process will go badly.