I bought a 2009 Santa Cruz Nomad frame just before xmas and built it up about a month ago, so far it has been to Afan once and also my local country park.

I have noticed that on the top tube the anodizing seems to be wearing away leaving a kind of white finish, its the black anodized frame

I am in no way knocking Santa Cruz as the bike is amazing but just wondered if this is normal? or this something to do with warranty?

Either way, even if they would warranty it, they stopped anodising their frames now for a while.

🙁

The anodising will wear just like paint does. Aluminium is white(ish).

Either live with it or get it re-anodised (but it’ll wear again unless you put cable rub patches everywhere).

I expected a bit of wear but after one serious ride it seems a little excessive?

Bike tape was used for all the cables

Has the frame been new and unused for all that time? The ano is still on my Heckler and it is used regular and is about 2009 vintage.

Yep, bought new just before Xmas

did you clean it using muc-off or similar? that stuff has a habit of eating through anodising if left on too long or used too liberally.

Good call on the Muc off, it does have a bit of a rep with anodising.

No, not used muc off, just soapy water, might contact the shop

Is it cable rub or in a non-wear situation? Some people assume anodising is resistant to abrasion but it’s not

Dot brake fluid leak? That shit’s meant to be corrosive to frames, never managed to spill any on mine but perhaps your brake lines or levers have gone? Anyway bikes get scratches from anything it seems, I don’t know whether it was a good thing I got my Mega in yellow (you can repaint powder-coated frames more easily), scratches show up real easily. I can lean my bike against benches and BOOM fat scratch. But I don’t care, she’ll just get a lovely tough as nails powdercoat every year or so. A silver anodized, polished or brush alumium frame might have worn better though but Nukeproof only do the silver ano.

Not in cable rub place and i have put tape on the problem areas and i have shimano brakes so mineral fluid.

Contacted the importers who seem really cool

Gonna get back to me on Monday

Can you powdercoat ano frames? That’s why I wont go near one, I know if I scrape a tree and put a 6 inch gash down the side of my bike I can just have it painted. I don’t think you can do that with anodized bikes.

Get your money back and buy a Mega. My old mans got a Nomad and a Mega and we would both get the Mega even if we had enough cash new Nomad frames.

To be honest Santa Cruz paint isn’t up to much either.

Both my Heckler and Chameleon have rubbed through to the undercoat in various places.