You may already know that anti-corrosion protective coatings extend component service life. The bicycle, which spends most of its life outdoors in all conditions, often gets neglected which leads to corrosion.  Bicycle manufacturers who are aware of this are seeking better, "greener" and more innovative ways of protecting their wares against corrosion.

New processes and developments in corrosion protection coatings must be commercially viable while at the same time being environmentally-friendly. In accordance with new legislation, most of the world's major industrial manufacturers have announced their intention to limit or prohibit the use of hexavalent chromium in surface coatings.  

GST - Greener Surface Treatment, is a unique range of corrosion protection coatings developed by TAYA to meet the demand for the corrosion resistant specifications of the bicycle industry.  As environmental issues continue to be a catalyst for change, TAYA has consistently and continually engineered solutions that completely avoid or minimize pollution risks. To that end, TAYA boasts a GST that is 100 percent free of hexavalent chrome compounds while still ensuring 2-10 times better corrosion protection than most existing coatings.

Light metals such as aluminum and magnesium are used in the bicycle industry for reducing bicycle weight but light metals are easily damaged by contact corrosion:  a reaction caused by the high differential of potentials between these light metals and denser metals such as steel, e.g. aluminum and stainless steel. For this reason, the compatibility of any coating material to aluminum as well as magnesium has to be taken into account. When it comes into contact with light metals, GST coating exhibits a low differential of potentials and this slows down the galvanic corrosion of assembled components, resulting in less corrosive loss of the light metals.

GST is also excellent for coating Cr-Mo (chrome molybdenum) steel components and greatly enhances its ant-corrosion performance. Unlike electro plating methods, with GST, there is no fear of embrittlement or loss of torque integrity.

GST500 is another unique, hexavalent chromium-free coating that exceeds today’s bicycle industry anti-corrosion performance surface treatment demands but also represents the Best Available Technology in response to increasing environmental pressures, resisting 500 hours Salt Spray Test as per ASTM B-117 & ISO 9227. GST is particularly recommended for application on fasteners which, are going to attach light metal?aluminum, as well as magnesium products because of the low differential of potentials which reduced contact corrosion.  

GST200 is another unique, hexavalent chromium-free coating that exceeds today’s bicycle industry anti-corrosion performance surface treatment demands but also represents the best available technology in response to increasing environmental pressures, resisting 200 hours Salt Spray Test as per ASTM B-117 & ISO 9227