Will Your Next Bike Look Like THIS?!

[@gcntech]

Would you consider an anodized frame over a painted one for your next bike? 🚲

[@biggertree7063]

I actually googled the nearest anodizing shop/centre within my area after watching the video. Didn't know I had this option. My gravel bike's aluminium frame has some bubbles(corrosion) already.

[@charlesblithfield6182]

If I had a Ti frame maybe a bit here and there.

[@simonwalker2460]

Not a prayer

[@wotexpat9367]

Nope as all mine are Carbon. Like the Cassette though.

[@gavinm717gkm]

It would be cool to get an anodized bike progressively “turned up” over its life. It would be like getting a new paint job once a year.

[@jani724]

My goodness, that tt bike is something from a art gallery. Absolutely gorgeous

[@gcntech]

Love at first site for us 👀

[@Yuzushuu]

As a fellow 90s kid - totally into it! 🤩That bike at the end was incredible!

[@Jayneflakes]

The pure joy on Alex's face during that was utterly adorable. Thanks for a lovely video to all involved.

[@shanegreen2583]

How does it stand up to cleaning and bike degreasers over time. Seemed it brushed off pretty easy on that straw

[@tudorelacatrinei143]

One of the top videos on this channel. Good questions, great answers, overall really good explanation on how this process works. Always wanted to understand it better. Now I know. Thank you guys!

[@gcntech]

Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed it! For something similar, why not check our our 'Makers' series of documentaries on GCN+ 👉 gcn.eu/mep1

[@neilsmyth1812]

What I love is the fact that GCN don't talk to a marketing Guro or a PR person. . They go straight to the heart of the topic and talk to the person doing the job. . This makes it easier to understand for everyone. . Great stuff. .

[@gcntech]

Glad you enjoyed the video Neil! Tom really knows his stuff, we love hanging out with him - Did you catch him in the tech clinic? 👉kzbin.info/www/bejne/oXvVe5xjZrScrpo

[@darrenhitchcox6345]

Love the explanation of how to get the different colours. That cassette.......wow

[@JSC131]

Absolutely beautiful bike great content really enjoyed this episode.

[@stefancameron]

Perfect timing with this video as I'm looking into an anodized design for a titanium frame! 🎉 The finish nicely compliments the titanium, and there's no weight penalty from the paint and lacquer layers.

[@gcntech]

Wow we want to see your bike when it's done 👀 The bike vault it calling 👉 gcn.eu/app

[@Desmond17]

Sturdy bikes are so mind-bending gorgeous 🤯🤤😍

[@gcntech]

The Christopher Nolan of hand built bikes 😂

[@farrier53]

Woah...!! Just absolutely beautiful parts & bike. Stunning !!😳 I have forged Titanium horshoes over the years but never anodized them...

[@leighdickinson8299]

WOW what a lovely way of finish a bike & I love the TT bike at the end. I would love my Ti frame done that way

[@cwwcww7465]

Yes. I have had many Chis King items through the years.

[@cb6866]

Thanks Arndt , and Tom ...that was very cool ! Your stuff is now unique , dude !!!

[@Livlifetaistdeth]

I would rather have that titanium bike than anything on the market. That is rad!

[@gcntech]

This bike is amazing 🙌

[@aarondcmedia9585]

Ti blue is my favourite colour of all. The rainbow effect is next. If I wasn't such a carbon tragic I would do Ti in a heartbeat.

[@gcntech]

No room for another bike then? 😉

[@aarondcmedia9585]

@@gcntech STAHP! But seriously, I have no room for a new bike - going to sell some asap. I have... 13 bikes. Good grief.

[@alainpfammatter8224]

great video. Thank you, Amazing TT Bike. Love it

[@deannasolomon656]

Wow...this is so amazing. Thanks for the great video. I love your energy and enthusiasm. You are like a kid in a candy shop. Your eyes don't lie, Enjoy!

[@kestralrider313]

Super cool ALex, I'm envious of your new bike bling:)

[@robinburt5735]

You guys have done a video with these peeps before i think, circa just before lockdown. I remember the guy he's quite chilled and obviously knows his stuff :)

[@brannmacfinnchad9056]

Absolute gorgeous. I had no idea you could pass the current through a wetted rag (or whatever) and "brush" the anodizing on. Shiny.

[@chrisridesbicycles]

That was super interesting. I never thought it is such a quick process. That cassette looks really ace. ❤

[@gcntech]

It's super cool isn't it! Would you have this effect on your bike.

[@chrisridesbicycles]

@@gcntech Absolutely!

[@JonCannings]

bright anodising is such a love/hate thing. I've seen people do it at home, slightly concerning, but the results are interesting

[@zeref783]

Titanium Anodizing != Aluminium Anodizing

[@etherealicer]

I have done a fair bit of titanium anodizing... all you need is distilled water, baking soda and an energy source (and of course cleaning materials. Usually, I use acetone).

[@gcntech]

Do you love or hate it Jon? 👀

[@bikemike1118]

This is not paint … this is PAIN

[@sarahday2292]

OMG. Totally ❤ it!!

[@danielhertercasagrande1686]

Great video for some instances I was tempted to let anodized my Lemond TI bike - but brushed metal has its charme too

[@gcntech]

Brushed metal can be super cool... but that anodizing 🤤

[@ReX-xt2q]

My bike from the 90s looked like this. Bike to this day still look amazing.

[@gcntech]

It all goes full circle in the end 😂

[@wspmjw]

I ride a VA Moots and would love to explore anodizing the frame of my ride. Looks fascinating and not overly time consuming....

[@_Inferis]

The pedal axles come out really good!

[@savagepro9060]

pedals have spindles, bottom brackets and wheels have . . . axles

[@_Inferis]

@@savagepro9060 Not according to shimano, so unless you know more than the manufactuer about wheels, pedals and bottom brackets, I don't believe you.

[@savagepro9060]

@@_Inferis famous scientists still believe the Earth is flat

[@_Inferis]

@@savagepro9060 Okay Mr Spindle, sucks to be wrong.

[@savagepro9060]

@@_Inferis Nice hearing you talk to the mirror, at least you must start somewhere. Cheers!

[@TimR123]

Beautiful and educational. Makes me want to do it too. And Alex was clearly having too much fun

[@etherealicer]

It is really easy. All you need is distilled water, baking soda and an energy source (nice blue colors are around 27-34V). Hardest part is the cleaning. Pretty cool video here (and less than 7 minutes long): kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5CkZmaGjNJ1gtE&ab_channel=BladeHQ

[@gcntech]

We'll have words with Alex about having all that fun! 👀

[@Abbonent1]

I think that's where I would straw the line... Looks amazing!!!!

[@MBdrummer3288]

Wow! That is the coolest thing like in the world! Absolutely incredible how it works and how quickly it changes color. Just amazing. I absolutely love how it looks. Again, just the coolest thing!

[@gcntech]

It really is super cool isn't it 🙌

[@runcycleskixc]

I wonder if adding ultrasound would make it faster/more uniform. I do surface chemistry for work, and it's ultrasound everywhere. BTW the sponge trick is sick! WRT Ti on Carbon -- one could wrap Ti foil on top of Carb. Might protect the carb from cracking on impact.

[@justwhenithought]

Now I know where the oil slick look comes from. Very cool.

[@benoosthuizen4961]

Great video! Have seen titanium strands woven with carbon fibres to make car body parts… think that would look sick anodized and as a bike !!

[@karlburningham3604]

Sturdy bike are absolutely stunning and this just makes them more special. Absolutely fascinating content

[@gcntech]

These bikes are dreamy!! 🙌

[@glm1977]

great video - and great to see more content with Sturdy cycles. You did miss a great opportunity to anodise a name plate..... two birds and one stone sort of thing.

[@fabianmolyneux2308]

Love it. Creates some exciting looks

[@davefave4351]

I would presume there would be a weight saving bonus, a layer on bare metal or several layers of undercoat, base and top colours and varnish? Get Ollie on the case? And would have loved a weight on the TT bike - that looked quality!

[@ChromeLuxx]

For the vast majority of cyclists it would make more sense to lose some weight than the paint from their bike.

[@GarysDIY70]

my main concern there was if it comes off so easy with a quick rub, how durable is it? mainly on parts like the cassette, guess the rest could be lacquered, but defeating the object of weight and the protected coat in the first place,

[@bigwave_dave8468]

Cool video! Those head-tube, cockpit and forks look amazing.

[@gcntech]

Dream bike material this is 👀

[@user-cx2bk6pm2f]

Very cool topic, Alex! Well done.

[@scottperine8027]

That was dope!

[@savagepro9060]

0:07 Albert the Dog be like: "da fak wrong with this dude, let me go ask my boss" 0:35 Albert the Dog be like: "ah well, it's one of those thingies from GCN"

[@mitchpaliga4851]

Black nickel is used on some saxophones (I have one), it's anodized nickel that turns black.

[@waynebond5771]

Great video. Is Alex going to show us how those parts look on his bike? Would love to see that.

[@triathlonsteve9675]

Great vid Dave always wondered how they did this, some cool colours 😁

[@gcntech]

Glad we could help Steve 🙌

[@cwwcww7465]

Also, I have a quick question. Since I have been introduced to your KZbin Channel, I have been getting these incredible short bike build videos on my feed. Some of them are brilliant. A builder with awesome music building bikes. My question is, where did the first one originate or who did the first one of these? They are brilliant.

[@KaushikNSanji]

Amazing process! So, is the "oil slick" effect obtained in the same way?

[@edjack1993]

Very cool!

[@reinholdachleitner2069]

Super interesting and good video,Tom is so creative.💯👌🏻

[@gcntech]

Tom bikes are mind blowing 🤯

[@paulworth70]

If only my chemistry lessons at school had been this good! Could have been an A* student :) Beautiful frame to that bike...

[@user-cx2bk6pm2f]

Those Nike high tops are looking sharp!

[@benjaminstevens4468]

The rainbow anodized stuff has been insanely popular for the last couple of years or so, in my experience… I think it looks rad but I shy away from things that are that trendy because it dates them, however solid color or even gradients are more to my liking… and if you have black aluminum parts on your bike, you have anodized parts, (almost) certainly. If I ever get a titanium frame, I will definitely have it partially custom anodized.

[@billeterk]

My glasses frame is rainbow ti from 1999 :-)

[@MichaelSnasdell]

Incredible !

[@davidshardlow4369]

Great video Cuthbert, really learned some stuff! Also, you will have the blingiest bike in Bath…

[@ChrisBeard]

This makes me happy that I'm saving up for a custom ti frame.

[@gcntech]

Awesome! That is going to be one sweet bike👌 Will you be getting it anodized?

[@thierrym6168]

What a job and what a nice bike ! Please could you tell me the brand and model of the aero cockpit ?

[@paulgordon7526]

Hi Alex, Really good stuff about the anodizing. I have a favour to ask of you and Olly ! Could you please do a review of some of the more affordable British brands Boardman, Ribble, Dolan, Planet X, Genesis, Forme, Isen, Mason, Enigma Bikes to name a few. in this day in age with Leaving the EU we need to be promoting home grown British companies.(I have seen some stuff in the past about Ribble which was good!!)

[@dparrigo]

Curious what the weight difference is (if any) comparing anodizing vs paint.....

[@glennoc8585]

I like anodised aluminium but I've removed it too to polish up alloy.

[@X2yt]

Anodising is definitely cool as hell, and anodised finish is considerably more resistant to flaking, cracking and such, like regular paint, but it's pretty succeptible to scraches. I've tried anodising few parts in the past, and while its definitely uber cool proccess for small parts, there's pretty much no way it becomes mainstream for frames or such, mosly because its much more time consuming and requires quite a bit more specialised effort than simply spray painting a frame. It's awesome option for custom bikes, but as a mainstream for mass-produced bikes, unless it's done on industrial scale in acid wats, similar to auto production, it's unlikely to happen.

[@neilsmyth1812]

Is there not a weight saving issue as well for anodized frames over a painted one?

[@jameslee-pevenhull5087]

Mafac and Simplex anodised their componentry for the 1977 Peugeot Team bikes and Thevenet won the Tour. Gold.

[@Mavrik-60]

That's been around a long time mate. I had a bmx bike years ago that was anadized. But that's ok keepemcoming anyway

[@8rk]

11:20 : Norcal Cycling entered the chat

[@leeadamson2516]

Thought I had my bike the way I liked it, Now I need an anodised cassette!

[@gmadruga]

Anodising is cool, but someone's face like in 10:14 is PRICELESS

[@davidf2281]

I like the purple

[@Shellewell]

11:20 I got whiplash from hearing the NorCal Cycling channel's music kicking in.

[@MTBScotland]

did this in school - you can do it at home pretty easely (basic anodising)

[@gcntech]

Do you think it could become a new trend within cycling? 👀

[@MTBScotland]

@@gcntech parts yes frames no. You can buy a lot of Ti stuff already. my MTB is covered in Ti bolts. Would be expensive to get stuff custom coloured though.

[@joelintl2226]

Nice topic, but one question remained unanswered: how do you etch the entire frame, if you can't dip it into that small container with etching solution?

[@Deepak19944]

Dog at 0:01 be like, "oh here he comes again. Gonna get the fck outta here"

[@lefthorse1]

I would anodize the whole frame at violet-indigo blue with golden logos , it would look so sick ..

[@colinfisher2463]

Might be being thick, but with anodising how much depth to the material do you get the colour change, does anodising give better scratch resistance rather than custom painting a frame / component?

[@gcntech]

Great question! We'll have to get Tom back in the show to answer more question 🙌

[@chrisvandergoes2787]

Cool video- "Better living through chemistry".

[@smokeduv]

Just to notice that anodising aluminium is quite different and the oxide layer does not produce any color at al, so you need some dye that will get trapped within the oxide, which is what gives the color, unlike titanium where the voltage and the time will vary the thickness and the thickness is what gives the color because some wild light diffraction with the oxide

[@jlchua]

My dream bike ❤❤❤

[@biggertree7063]

This was legit cool.

[@gcntech]

Cheers! For more cool, you could check out our 'Makers' series on GCN+ 👉 gcn.eu/mep3

[@Najshot]

So if you anodize a frame - do you clearcoat it then? or is it just the anodized layer there?

[@chrisridesbicycles]

Normally you just leave it like that. It is an oxidised layer so it protects the material below from corrosion.

[@_Inferis]

@@chrisridesbicycles Could you remove the anodizing and redo the part in a whole different scheme over and over again?

[@chrisridesbicycles]

@@_Inferis Not indefinitely. You have to grind off the anodised layer each time.

[@user-mh1er9pb8i]

How did the spindles turn out?

[@SMidberg]

Bikes of my Dreams.

[@rule3036]

Oh this has given me too many ideas!

[@rule3036]

Unicorn vomit is I think the name someone used for rainbow colour.🤣

[@DavidVidaurri]

❤❤❤❤luv it

[@zero64]

Can anyone link me the backpack he was wearing in the intro? Looks good for commuting

[@itshighertobeabayer6598]

When i got this right, anodizing is a purely cosmetic finish to the material - no protection, yes? Following up to this i'd only do it to titanium parts because i'd surely want my - lesser durable - aluminium to be protected by some sort of paint-layers ...🤔

[@dirtroadie4642]

I think a anodized specialized Allez would be incredible

[@gcntech]

Ooooo are you going to give it a go? 👀

[@LukasHridesbikes]

Since there is n paint, could you make an aluminium bike with the weight of a carbon bike?

[@gordonlevine2143]

A art gallery? AN art gallery!!!!

[@peterhurley4194]

wait, what?! i didn’t know titanium can be anodized!! i’m going to anodize my 2000 litespeed!

[@jascollinscork]

Sick TT bike..... Looks even better than Ollie's 😜

[@gcntech]

Don't tell him that! 😳

[@10ktube]

How was this process discovered? Was it an accident or did someone know this was possible and rolled with it?

[@brannmacfinnchad9056]

Alex Running into GCN Headquarters:"Guys, guys! Give me anything you have in Titanium!!"

[@mehurar]

DAMN!

[@DoniusBelgius]

May 21, 1023

[@jugaloo5873]

Backpack?

[@theantichrome9842]

I don't like the fruity oil slick colors, but the process is neat. I prefer raw Ti.

[@papamuerte5752]

Sun is a killer on anodized parts, otherwise it looks great

[@vitzemanek8058]

Now imagine the fight among the presenters over who gets to visit Tom 😂

[@gcntech]

😂😅

[@stevemawer848]

Obviously Alex got the long straws!