HazeT

They can't ignore, but I'm debating whatever I would be an ass or if having it clear coated should be a reasonable expectation from the beginning... I bought from their amazon store and they are "A through Z" certified seller which means that if they can't resolve I can escalate to amazon for a full refund.
Plus whatever they can do about it would involve me to not having a bike for weeks.

BoSoxYacht

this is your only bike?

redlude97

The gelcoat should have uv inhibitors mixed in already

HazeT

did I just fail the (n+1) rule?

Maelochs

I'd ask them for a refund on the paint, and take the refund plus some extra cash and get the thing painted properly.

Up to you if you would want to wait the six weeks or whatever for them to paint it again, should they even choose to, and then, suppose they did no better a job the second time?

My thinking is, if you ask for too much they might do the math (one p-o'd customer worth less than double freight charges plus labor) and tell you it's your own fault. If you ask for a check that might seem like a less painful way out for both parties.

Definitely call them though ... it's not like they can send someone Stateside to take the bike back if they don't like your complaint.

Oh ... and definitely hit Craigslist or Something and get yourself a second bike. Don't let us down like that any longer please.

BoSoxYacht

try again

rpenmanparker 

Yep.

rpenmanparker 

I would think the epoxy would contain UV stabilizer or other antioxidant. Most polymers do. Do you know differently?

rpenmanparker 

Someone on the WW forum just replied that Workswell has stated matte clearcoat. Good news I guess.

redlude97

gelcoat or clearcoat will have uv inhibitors. No frame comes out of the mold finished, all receive a topcoat of some sort even if they are referred to as bare or unfinished.

BoSoxYacht

Refer back to post #41 + #44 .

Your faith in the manufacturer is greater than mine.

redlude97

Just because he didn't know the answer doesn't mean it doesn't have one. Matte carbon frames are finished with a matte clear or gelcoat. A frame that comes out of a mold is rough and needs sanding and finishing.

BoSoxYacht

Just because a frame requires sanding before painting/clearcoating, doesn't mean that frame was clearcoated before rpenmanparker received it.

I asked the question because he said his frame was unpainted, and I wanted to be sure that it wasn't bare carbon.

redlude97

Unpainted in the context of carbon frames just means gloss or matte clear paint or gelcoat. Bare/raw/unpainted is a misnomer

BoSoxYacht

true, but that is why I asked rpenmanparker to clarify.

I am well aware of the difference.

Maelochs

So what ever happened here? Was the OP satisfied? Did the Chinese company send ninja assassins to eliminate him so he wouldn't write a bad Amazon review? Did he ever buy a second bike?

A small part of the Worlds Wants to Know.

HazeT

I'm still alive, I crashed the bike the other day and it is still as good as new, except for the cheap paint job.
I contacted workswell but I didn't care to follow up, I got bored of the viagra color already so I didn't really care about going after it since I may be repainting it again soon...
Regarding the quality of the painting:
I got that first chip pictured in the thread Not sure where.
Got another one from dropping the chain in the BB while adjusting the front derailleur, I was turning the crank by hand so it is not that it was done under load.
One more big chip from over stearing until the front brake touched the down tube.
And a few others that I don't know where came from.

I would still buy another frame, just not custom painted. I would buy it raw and have it painted in US if I want a custom paint. Or try to be specific while placing the order that that I want them to clear coat after painting.

Regarding the amazon review, I thought that such a bad paint quality deserves some remarks, It could honestly be a one in a million quality issue where they would be willing to somehow fix it. Since I didn't care about following up I think it would be unfair to leave the remarks without giving them the chance to fix it.
I love the frame and if I crashed again and the frame got compromised, I would order a new one from them without thinking twice.

Let me know if you want pictures of the chips to have an idea.

Bunyanderman

Looking back on this, does this still apply to modern epoxies used in high end carbon? I knew it used to have quite the effect before the 21st century. Although I thought I read that it would be pretty hard to get UV damage with modern frames and other carbon components. Something like leaving those components out side over quite the period of time.

rpenmanparker 

Can you see any evidence of primer, usually white or gray? I honestly believe the chipping problem is more due to poor prep than to no clear coat.

HazeT

Yes, it is white underneath the blue paint.

vasuvius

What is the maximum effective tire clearance on the frame ? It's hard to go by the tire width printed by the manufacturer as I find that the effective tire width varies based on the rim internal and external width.
e.g. Conti 4000s 25mm tires on a couple of my wheelsets with 23mm rims have a effective width of 28-29mm.