[NHpug]

Hello
I have a 1996 Klein Pulse II which I've used as a winter beater and as my Xtracycle. Now I have a Big Dummy so the Xtracycle has come off and I'm setting it back up. The paint, as noted in other threads, bubbles and chips off these bikes. My question is, does this matter in terms of longevity? Is it a risk to have the bare aluminum? It seems that it oxidizes. The Judy fork also has a lot of missing paint, especially on the fork brace cross piece. Is this a problem?

I'd consider getting the frame bead blasted and powdercoated but it's both $ and also I don't have the tools to pull and re-install the BB.

Thanks for any insights you might share.

Marc

 

[sandmangts]

It is just oxidation getting under the paint. Aluminum will oxidize like any other bare metal however the layer of oxidation creates a barrier against further corrosion so it is not really a risk to the strength of the frame unlike rust on steel. It will look crappy but I would not worry about it.

 

[s4gobabygo]

kleins of the era are notorious for having brittle paint. i've had 96 and 97 pulses, and both shed embarassing amounts of paint. functionally it's fine.

 

[jcrew94123]

I don't agree with the comment about Klein's paint quality/longevity. I have a few Kleins (early 90's to '97) and the paint doesn't just flake off by itself - at least it doesn't if it's an original paint job from the factory. They also don't regularly suffer from oxidation of the aluminum frame underneath the paint which leads to bubbling that the original poster is suffering from.

RockShox on the other hand.... I myself have a '93 Gator Attitude on its way to me this week. The frame is a "garage queen" says the original owner who I bought it from. It has a Mag 21 painted in Gator when it was originally built and guess what? Lotsa lotsa bubbling on the stanchion tubes. I suspect that there must be something on the RockShox fork legs that didn't get along with the paint materials that Klein was using.

NHpug, since your bike is suffering paint chips & bubbling on both the original paint of the Pulse and the original finish of the fork (Klein didn't paint Pulse forks), I'm guessing your bike has led an active life on the trails. If it were my decision, I'd seek out another Pulse (if that's the model you want) in better condition and swap your existing components onto it vs. refinishing or repainting. You can regularly find Pulses for a lot less than a quality bike paint job.

 

[NHpug]

Thank you, Jeff (and others!), for your help here. My bike has definitely led an active life in both trail and road environments (it's been a winter ride in NH). The question is, is there anything to worry about structurally with this condition of losing paint in a few spots? Is corrosion going to make the frame fail? If not, I don't care about the looks, it's going to be a loaner bike when people come visit, and won't get much use.

I don't agree with the comment about Klein's paint quality/longevity. I have a few Kleins (early 90's to '97) and the paint doesn't just flake off by itself - at least it doesn't if it's an original paint job from the factory. They also don't regularly suffer from oxidation of the aluminum frame underneath the paint which leads to bubbling that the original poster is suffering from.

RockShox on the other hand.... I myself have a '93 Gator Attitude on its way to me this week. The frame is a "garage queen" says the original owner who I bought it from. It has a Mag 21 painted in Gator when it was originally built and guess what? Lotsa lotsa bubbling on the stanchion tubes. I suspect that there must be something on the RockShox fork legs that didn't get along with the paint materials that Klein was using.

NHpug, since your bike is suffering paint chips & bubbling on both the original paint of the Pulse and the original finish of the fork (Klein didn't paint Pulse forks), I'm guessing your bike has led an active life on the trails. If it were my decision, I'd seek out another Pulse (if that's the model you want) in better condition and swap your existing components onto it vs. refinishing or repainting. You can regularly find Pulses for a lot less than a quality bike paint job.

 

[jcrew94123]

The bike should be fine. As someone else posted, aluminum protects itself by forming a thin oxidation layer when exposed to the elements and that layer doesn't affect the aluminum underneath.