A Color Question

At Kolotrail, we are committed to both performance and style.  And we strive to offer colors that match your individual style.

There are several methods to color parts, including both PVD and Anodizing.  We feel each has its place.  As we use more methods, we will add them here.

1. Anodizing.  Anodizing is the deliberate electrolytic oxidation of the surface of metal (titanium or aluminum) components to produce surface properties suited to the application for which the part is being made.  It builds a thin film coating on the surface of the part.  You can get colors in the gold to green spectrum.  Some of the benefits associated with titanium anodizing as the following - 

• Reduced risk of galling by providing reduced friction and increased hardness, where the parts are abraded.
• Improved corrosion resistance from anodized (passivated) surfaces.
• Biocompatibility, making low-corrosion and zero-contaminant surfaces.
• Low cost, durable color.
• High cosmetic quality and a wide spectrum of colors.
• Electrically passive and low-corrosion surface.
• Biocompatible component identification, as there are no dyes or colorants used.

2. PVD.  PVD or Physical Vapor Deposition is where a metal (a different metal depending on the color you want) is vaporized in a vacuum environment and deposited on part you are coating.  It leaves a thin film that can be as thin as 1 atom.  The coating is very durable.  You can get colors in the black - gold spectrum, and blue, which makes a good oil slick color.  Improvements in deposition materials are giving more and more color options.  The biggest downside to PVD is the cost (and the machinery needed!)

3. Painting.  Painting is the lowest cost, yields the most color options and has the least durability of the options we have described here.  It definitely has its place, and we plan on using it for some of our more complex parts.  Remember that most bike frames are painted!