Shiny aluminium seems pretty popular with some MTB riders. I wonder how they coat those frames.

Or perhaps that's only a think for show pieces or people living in deserts?

that's the clearcoat.

Didn't we have this conversation already ?

I'm more informed now.

Clear coat doesn't adhere to aluminium without primer.

Is there a clear primer?

Or is it a textured surface to provide a mechanical interface for the clearcoat to adhere to ?

Etching primer without filler, but it isn't entirely transparent, and somewhat matte finish.

It's a nice topic, learned something new about corrosion protection.

Those 1960 raw aluminium jets had duralumin sheets plated with pure aluminium as corrosion protection.

I suppose they could do it because of riveting rather than welding.

If you bought a bike in a box (rear wheel on the bike, front wheel off) that had sealed bearing hubs - would you trust that they are adjusted correctly and just assemble and ride the bike?

You might try asking that as a proper question - ISTM there are some people there with actual professional experience who might be able to give you an authoritative answer.

(No offence to the regular denizens here, just there's more scope for expertise where there are more than a scant half dozen folk paying attention. If indeed everyone here is actually paying attention.)

@DavidD "no" I would give the bike a decent M check during assembly.

@Criggie what is an "M check"?

Google "bicycle M check" for details, but it's basically a pattern for checking the bike: start at the front hub -> head tube/handlebars -> bottom bracket/crankset -> seat -> rear hub/cassette/derailleur.

If you have rim brakes this pattern leads across their mounts, so you don't forget them.

@DavidW based on the answers to bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/66487/… I can see that there are many people who are comfortable with factory assembly. My read is that asking as a proper question would only start controversy.

@Criggie thanks. That's a pattern I use but I never put a letter to it.

Umm, yeah, I can see that. Something went a bit wrong there somehow... :-/

Call me compulsive but trusting the factory is beyond me. Trusting a bike shop is hard.

Sealed bearings means industrial bearings.

Sorry, question mark missing.

I know that Newmen changed the hub design on their hubs for retail bikes. The retail hubs require to set an axial preload at assembly. Hubs for retail bikes (Rose & Cube afaik) axial preload cannot be set.

Reason was high return rates as customers didn't expect saying preload on a new bike. Customers are, according to Newmen, used to ready to ride bikes.