How to Care for a Powder Coated Frame (and Make It Last 10+ Years)

Mild car soap and a soft sponge is all you need. Avoid degreasers, brake cleaner, acetone, and anything labeled 'wheel cleaner' — many wheel cleaners are acidic and will dull or etch a powder finish over time.

Pressure washers are fine at a normal distance (2+ feet) but don't blast directly into masked threads or bearing surfaces.

Modern polyester-based powders are highly UV stable, but no finish is fully sun-proof. Reds, oranges, and translucent candies are the most vulnerable to long-term fade. If you're storing the bike outside, a breathable cover doubles the life of the color.

A chip down to bare metal needs to be sealed quickly to prevent corrosion creeping under the coating. For Sur-Ron aluminum, a dab of clear nail polish works for months as a stop-gap. For steel Talarias, use a tiny dot of color-matched touch-up enamel.

We sell touch-up bottles in every color we coat — $12 with your order, $18 standalone.

Most riders recoat for a color change long before they need to for a durability reason. If you do see widespread chipping, fade, or a section that delaminated due to substrate issues, we can recoat over a properly stripped frame indefinitely — there's no limit on the number of recoat cycles. Browse the 10 Sur-Ron color ideas for your next direction.