Delicate finishes should be kept out of cycling
Matt paintjobs have become incredibly popular on bikes of all types, from road to mountain, via gravel.
The textured-paint finish has replaced glossy lustres on many high-end bikes and is commonly seen on budget machines, too.
The trend of matt-paint bikes has mirrored the automotive industry, where vinyl wrapping enables wannabe mafiosos to cheaply turn German sedans into mobile chalkboards in an attempt to hide their nefarious nighttime activities.
While the appeal of colour and finish is, of course, entirely subjective, matt paintjobs have several drawbacks that, in my opinion, make them a poor choice for a bike.
Here’s why I’ll always steer clear of a matt paintjob.
1. They’re hard to clean
For those geographically cursed by boggy trails and muddy roads in the winter months, cleaning your bike after a ride becomes a large part of your cycling experience – especially if it lives inside.
There are a whole load of cycling cleaning products out there designed to make this task easier, but it can make little difference if your own bike frame is conspiring against you.
Whereas gloss finishes usually release grime when sprayed with a high-powered hose pipe, matt-finish frames grip onto that dirt tenaciously.
While ample scrubbing and the use of cleaning products can remove this muck, the frame is often left with patches that can’t be removed, especially around suspension linkages and the bottom bracket.
Plastic cleaning brushes can also damage your paint, with even a light touch leaving a forever mark in the textured surface of your expensive frame.
This is more noticeable on black or carbon matt finishes, where compounded mud and brush marks can give your bike permanent whitening.
If you get hyper-focused on bike cleaning, matt finishes are not for you – because you’ll never return the frame to its box-fresh state even with the best care.
2. They’re dull
Harking back to the peloton of old, it was uncommon to see anything but gloss frames with chrome embellishments.
Now it seems everything that was once chrome is matt carbon fibre, much like the current F1 grid.
These murdered-out bikes with high-contrast sponsor logos all look the same to me and don’t inspire like the colourways of old.
Matt finishes have certainly added to these monochrome aesthetics, being easier to apply to a single colour, thus making it a no-brainer for cost-conscious manufacturers.
Sure, glare from the seatstays of the rider in front might be reduced, but the demise of chrome and gloss paintjobs is a loss for the sofa-dwelling voyeur.
3. They end up glossy anyway
The matt paintjob’s greatest enemy is friction, with even the tiniest continual rub from a thigh, duck-like feet or careless cleaning resulting in glossy patches over time.
The most susceptible area is the top tube on a mountain bike, with padded-up knees quickly removing the texture from your paint and leaving you with a glossy top tube.
Chainstays experience this same friction, with the tacky soles of cycling shoes adding to the polishing effect.
Eventually, this happens to all bikes, but it appears faster on those with a matt finish.
While I’m not suggesting a manufacturing conspiracy, it ultimately leads to your bike looking older than its years.
Gloss-finished bikes are far less susceptible to noticeable damage in these areas.
That’s not to say gloss frames are without issues – many end up with hairline scratches in the lacquer over time.
4. You can’t touch them up
If you scratch your gloss-framed bike, you’ll likely be able to buy touch-up paint to hide the mistake.
This is more complicated on matt-finished frames because, due to their dull nature, the repainted area looks inconsistent with the rest of the frame.
You can’t even put a sticker over the area to hide the imperfections, because most stickers won’t adhere to matt surfaces.
Just keep it glossy
Matt bikes not only look worse, especially after a season of riding, but they’re harder to look after.
Having had many matt-paint bikes, including my current road bike, I’m tired of the trend and yearn for easy-cleaning, sunlight-catching glossy paint.
My warning to you all – just say no to matt bikes.