Gocycle GX and Gxi Hinge Paint Wear

Most all folding bikes will have wear and tear within and around the folding hinges which includes paint coming off and wear at different points in and around the hinge joint. During riding, acceleration and braking, the hinge joint will flex and move which will cause the contact and interface points to move and fret dynamically and high surface pressure can occur. In the first 500 miles or 800 kms bedding in period, wear and tear may be accelerated, for example where paint is worn or eroded away. Marking could occur immediately on folding and un-folding the product. This is considered normal and cosmetic on a subprime surface and does not affect the structural integrity of the GX and GXi.

Whilst not essential, the folding hinge interface areas and contact points should be maintained in order to prevent accelerated wear of the joint contact points and excessive loss of paint or noise. Where the joint is not maintained, paint debris can build up and create more wear than normal.

We recommend that you clean and wipe down the wear areas every 80-160 kms or 50-100 miles and up until 500 miles. Check the joint from time to time when folding to determine if more frequent maintenance is required. Use a light foam backed emery board such as a common hand nail file to smooth out and blend the wear area especially smoothing any areas where the edge of the paint is sharp, such as if the paint has cracked. This will ensure that there is minimal or no further progression of paint erosion and will improve the interface of the folding hinge as it beds in. If there are any areas of exposed metal there may be a minor amount of surface oxidation that will occur, but this will not affect the structural integrity of the hinge.

With regular maintenance, wear and tear should stabilize after 500 miles or 800 kms. At this point, and only if you feel it cosmetically necessary, a light application of touch up paint could be applied. We do not recommend using touch up paint before the 500 mile bedding in process and not without regular cleaning and buffing of the wear areas has been performed. It is essential to allow your GX and GXi frame hinge time to bed in before considering any cosmetic application of touch up paint.