I have an old Fat Chance mountain bike, which is OT only because it's not a road bike. It still has its original powder coat finish. Its use has been almost exclusively off-road in mud, brambles and stones, with some screaming descents and a few tumbles that I couldn't take these days and survive. Hugh is right, powder coat is the only finish for a bike that is going to have hard use. It's as bombproof as paint gets and it has no problems whatsoever with rust travelling underneath the paint. However, I agree with Hugh about surface prep and would go as far as to estimate that paint adhesion has 99 44/100% to do with proper surface prep and compatible materials, with the balance attributable to other factors.
Steve Barner, who hasn't painted a bike in about 15 years, but has sprayed a few antique trucks and tractors in Bolton, Vermont
> Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2004 14:38:44 -0800
> From: "henox" <henox@icycle.net>
> To: <jeremylieberman@earthlink.net>, <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Subject: Re: [CR]Rust
>
> Subject: [CR]Rust
>
> Jeremy asked:
>
>
> Wondering if anyone feels that powder-coating solves or greatly improves
> the rust situation?
>
> Yes, PROVIDING you have the proper surface preparation (clean surface,
> increased profile from fine abrasive plasting, pre-treatment with iron
> phosphate, proper application thickness, and proper cure). Powder
provides
> a monolithic film of ground up plastic fused together (to put it in simple
> terms).
>
> I have often suggested powder coating to customers that I know are going
to
> really beat on the finish (MTB frames for example).
>
> Hugh Enox