Turbo Creo 2 Paint

[Ruckusdog]

I recently bought a Creo 2 in Harvest Gold matte finish. It's a terrific bike but the matte finish is a dirt magnet and I read that I shouldn't use wax or some types of cleaners on this paint. Anyone have experience in this area? I've talked to two other local owners, but they haven't cleaned their bikes in the year since the bought them. No help there.

 

[Creo2Smudges]

I recently bought a Creo 2 in Harvest Gold matte finish. It's a terrific bike but the matte finish is a dirt magnet and I read that I shouldn't use wax or some types of cleaners on this paint. Anyone have experience in this area? I've talked to two other local owners, but they haven't cleaned their bikes in the year since the bought them. No help there.

Hi,
All kinds of trouble here. I have the forest green S-Works Creo 2. The finish was ‘smudged’ when I bought it. That is what Specialized calls ‘carbon look’. But I call it an ugly smudged frame. I don’t mind a carbon look but only when it looks consistent and even. These are just plain ugly smudges. In direct sunlight it becomes too ugly to even look at.
And the problem is that it is getting worse and worse. I use a mild Muc-off bike shampoo. Such an expensive bike should be able to handle a mild shampoo, I would guess.
None of Specialized marketing materials mention these smudges by the way. There reaction was rather baffling; “You call it ugly. But that’s just your opinion.” As if my opinion as a customer who just bought a 13.000€ bike doesn’t mean anything. In other words; buy and shut up !
My theory is that the finish is porous and that this is the reason why the look and finish has changed over time. Look at the seat post. It was completely drenched when I took it out. I would like to ask you to do the same. Take out the seat post and see it it is wet. It will probably be dry if it hasn’t been in contact with water or rain but if you regularly rinse the bike, it would be interesting to take a look at.

Specialized wants to examine the finish now. But I don’t expect them to do anything about it. But if the frame is porous, water and damp is not only coming through the seat post. And that’s asking for trouble down the road, especially with an ebike !

Cheers,
Michiel

 

[Annieolnie]

Are these carbon or aluminum frames? There are a lot of ceramic coatings you can use on carbon.

 

[Creo2Smudges]

Are these carbon or aluminum frames? There are a lot of ceramic coatings you can use on carbon.

Carbon Fact 11r by Specialized.

 

[Annieolnie]

Carbon Fact 11r by Specialized.

I went to the Amazon Netherlands site and there are a number of ceramic products you could try. I would suggest taping off an area, creating a band around one of the tubes and testing on that, as small banded areas are easy to change or refinish. I've mostly dealt with carbon fiber on sailing equipment but the graphene based coatings are also recommended for carbon fiber bikes. It would help create a more waterproof finish, which it sounds like you need.

 

[Creo2Smudges]

I went to the Amazon Netherlands site and there are a number of ceramic products you could try. I would suggest taping off an area, creating a band around one of the tubes and testing on that, as small banded areas are easy to change or refinish. I've mostly dealt with carbon fiber on sailing equipment but the graphene based coatings are also recommended for carbon fiber bikes. It would help create a more waterproof finish, which it sounds like you need. View attachment 17549

Thx for your reply.
I will certainly mention it to the Specialized representative that will ‘inspect’ my frame. I have cleaned the seatpost and I let the frame dry at room temperature for several days. Now the post and seat tube are damp again. So, what you are saying is acknowledging my fear ? That the finish is porous and that the finish isn’t water repellent enough ? Is it an option to get a new paint job for this kind of carbon ? With a lacquer finish instead of matte ?

Cheers,
Michiel

 

[Annieolnie]

From what I have read, Specialized has a lifetime warranty on their frames. I would go over the frame with a magnifying glass and look for cracks or porous areas. It's my personal opinion that carbon fiber really isn't cut out for ebikes, there are too many stresses involved, especially over time. I don't think a lacquer finish is what they would use. It's a resin based frame. It is closer to a boat than a car. It would be some sort of 2 part epoxy coating. Honestly, if it were me and they offered a new frame, I would opt for the aluminum alloy, that is just my opinion.

 

[Creo2Smudges]

From what I have read, Specialized has a lifetime warranty on their frames. I would go over the frame with a magnifying glass and look for cracks or porous areas. It's my personal opinion that carbon fiber really isn't cut out for ebikes, there are too many stresses involved, especially over time. I don't think a lacquer finish is what they would use. It's a resin based frame. It is closer to a boat than a car. It would be some sort of 2 part epoxy coating. Honestly, if it were me and they offered a new frame, I would opt for the aluminum alloy, that is just my opinion.

Unfortunately, from what i read in many reviews, Specialized's 'life time warranty' isn't to be taken literally. Because I am rather quick with this complaint I rather tackle the problem sooner than later.
I have added two pictures, one zoom and one super zoom, which I took with a macro lens. The 'milky' de-coloration is visible all over the bike. If I had to guess it might be a very thin and random applied layer of glue ? Or lacquer ?
The super zoom shows the sandpaper like surface with a very open structure.
When the bike is wet, the water is not absorbed evenly which adds more contrast to the smudges.
I have not seen any cracks yet but could it be that the whole surface is porous ? Only here and there less due to more applied glue or lacquer ?

Thanks again !
Michiel

 

[Annieolnie]

Epoxy and fiberglass resins can become milky when they have absorbed water. See if you can mask off some of the milky area with tape and tin foil then try and dry out the adjacent patch of milkiness with a hairdryer on medium. If the color changes on the part you have dried, then the resin was wet. I don't find Specialized talking about this, but are they still making this bike in carbon? All I can find on their website is the alloy. Maybe they can offer you a trade in, there are things they are not saying here.

 

[Creo2Smudges]

Epoxy and fiberglass resins can become milky when they have absorbed water. See if you can mask off some of the milky area with tape and tin foil then try and dry out the adjacent patch of milkiness with a hairdryer on medium. If the color changes on the part you have dried, then the resin was wet. I don't find Specialized talking about this, but are they still making this bike in carbon? All I can find on their website is the alloy. Maybe they can offer you a trade in, there are things they are not saying here.View attachment 17561

That is a different bike. This is the correct one:
https://www.specialized.com/nl/nl/s-works-turbo-creo-2/p/221798?color=367421-221798
In the US a new model was introduced recently. Not exactly my taste, to be honest…
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/s-works-turbo-creo-2/p/4277465?color=5442680-4277465
I’ll do the experiment and I’ll let you know how it went