Saracen Cycles specify Apticote 3000M

Citation

(2003), "Saracen Cycles specify Apticote 3000M", Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Vol. 50 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/acmm.2003.12850bad.009

Saracen Cycles specify Apticote 3000M

Saracen Cycles specify Apticote 3000M

Keywords: Coatings, Corrosion protection, Magnesium

Saracen Cycles has specified Apticote 3000M coating to provide corrosion protection on the magnesium frames of its latest range of competition mountain bikes.

The company, which was founded 15 years ago with just five models, now manufactures 74 models, including children's bikes, road racing bikes, cross-country mountain bikes and hard-core mountain bike models that are built for jumping, slalom and downhill racing.

Paul Hinton, Product Development Manager for Saracen, says the magnesium frames, which were developed jointly with Moscow frame-maker Litech and; 1,280 g are among the lightest in the world, are fitted to all competition mountain bikes and one road-racing model with prices ranging from GBP 600 to GBP 1500. Commenting on the choice of coating, he says "The use of salt on UK roads can affect magnesium frames if they are exposed to the elements, so we needed the best protection available."

We considered powder coating but it did not offer the level of protection, it limits the number of colours we can use and adds weight to the frame. "Poeton tested the magnesium – it is a Russian military grade – and recommended Apticote Keronite 3000M as the most appropriate coating because it provides excellent corrosion protection, which is extremely light and allows us to use a wet paint finish".

Commenting for Poeton, Trevor Amos says Apticote Keronite 3000M is ideal for this type of application as it provides excellent corrosion resistance and much improved surface hardness, where reduced weight is crucial. It can also be used to stiffen ultra thin sections and fabrications. An additional benefit for environmentally conscious companies is that the Apticote Keronite 3000 process uses a completely nontoxic and environmentally friendly wet chemistry, where traditionally the majority of anti-corrosion coatings have been based around toxic and/or environmentally unfriendly wet chemistry processes. The conversion is capable of processing high volume components manufactured from cast and injection moulded magnesium alloys.