Should you Wax a Carbon Fiber Frame

> I have a TreK 5200 and was wondering if the frame should be waxed. Or should I just ride the dam
> thing ? If it should be waxed can you recommend a product.

i worried about that myself. wrote to kestrel about (1) should i do it and (2) what kind of wax.
they told me (1) yes and (2) pretty much any auto wax (though i shy away from waxes with too much
polishing compound).

"Spot T. Rex" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<Fbbpa.568671$F1.79123@sccrnsc04>...
> I have a TreK 5200 and was wondering if the frame should be waxed. Or should I just ride the dam
> thing ? If it should be waxed can you recommend a product.

It may be a carbon frame, but it does have a coat of paint over it. So if you want the paint to
always look good, then you will want to clean and wax it. Not only will this keep the paint shiny,
the act of cleaning and polishing will make inspecting your frame for damage easier. It'll
undoubtedly make the bike faster, too.

I do quite a bit of automotive detailing. Just like your car, before you attempt to apply wax,
you'll need to wash the paint first, to remove any loose dirt which could scratch the finish. Then
use an "all in one" automotive cleaner-wax. This combines a paint cleaner, polish, and wax in one
product...these are what you find on store shelves everywhere anyway (only automotive stores carry
the separate cleaners, polishes and waxes that car detailers use) I prefer Meguiars, but most any
will do. According to Consumer Reports last test, I believe Zymol was top-rated for shine and
durability.

Russell

> I have a TreK 5200 and was wondering if the frame should be waxed. Or
should
> I just ride the dam thing ? If it should be waxed can you recommend a product.

No problem at all using standard car wax on a 5200. Aside from the fact that a carbon-fiber
tube is relatively inert to just about anything but a strong solvent, it's also "painted" with
either a tinted clear coat (for the smoke color) or standard paint. You're not even touching
the carbon itself.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles http://www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

I use lemon Pledge on my OCLV and it works great for both the frame and components(smells nice too).

"Spot T. Rex" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<Fbbpa.568671$F1.79123@sccrnsc04>...
> I have a TreK 5200 and was wondering if the frame should be waxed. Or should I just ride the dam
> thing ? If it should be waxed can you recommend a product.