Ok, I love the look of raw frames clearcoated, however I heard that clearcoat still allows oxygen to reach the steel. I'd like to raw my daily beater, which sees rain and snow. How can I make sure that the raw won't rust, and that the clearcoat won't flake off? I'm not looking at spending large sums of money, so if I'm asking for too much, I'll leave the frame as it is.

Thanks!

Welcome!

I know Rivendell sells frames with raw clear powdercoat, and they're pretty dedicated to reliability and durability from what business I've done with them. (I own a Rivendell bike.)

Powdercoating is cheaper than wet paint as far as pro jobs go, so this would be a good way to go. From all I've seen and heard, finishes that won't flake off are more or less out of the reach of casual hobbyists, so I couldn't recommend removing a more-or-less decent factory paint job and replacing it with rattle-can clear coat.

bike frames don't look that great under the paint. This comes periodically in the framebuilding section. There are reports of clear powdercoat that works without primer. Talk to a powdercoater. All the people I've seen that DIY have had rust eventually. Last year's Speedvagen "surprise me" finish had clear coat over raw, but the frames were blasted and then the joints were torched to get heat discoloration. The clearcoated Rivendell on their site looks horrible to me, but that's just my inner framebuilder coming out I guess.

Clear coat over raw steel is pretty much only acceptable for garage queens and café riders. You'll want something with a surface-sealing primer on a daily rider.

Alright, i'll see how the prices are here locally. TBH the frame's in good condition, but pretty old and flexy (lugged 63cm), so it probably wont be worth it. Anyhow, sounds like a plan for my next frame.

Thanks for all the help!

Philip