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I recently received a new Soma Fab steel fork in the mail and opened the packaging to discover oxidation on a variety of areas of the paint. I contacted Soma about the issue and the following is their response:
In manufacturing there are tiny particles of metal nearly everywhere. In the painting process most of these particles are cleaned off or blown out with compressed air, but like my shoes after going to the beach, no matter how much they are cleaned some remain. On the bottom of the fork you'll see little vent holes that aid in the capillary action of the brazing process. The small particles come out of the vent holes and over time in shipping (it's pretty wet on the boat, and for that matter here in San Francisco
) the small particles oxidize causing a small amount of cosmetic surface rust. The rust you see is purely cosmetic and comes right off with a little cleaner wax. Bike mechanics, as part of the prepping process for building a bike, will wipe the bike down with a little wax and spray a little light oil into the fork (or better yet JP Weigle frame saver) I understand it looks a bit unseemly. If you'd like we will definitely send you a new fork with a call tag. The protocol for sending a new fork is such that we must insist on a small deposit (40 bucks) upon sending the new fork (so that we can assure we will receive the old one). It's very important to us that you are happy with your product. Please advise as to what you'd like to do.
To their credit Soma has offered to replace the fork, albeit with a $40 deposit, but I would think the proper customer service would be to not send out the fork in the first place with the expectation of the customer to clean it up.
Can anyone verify that it is really that simple to just wipe it off with a cleaner wax? If so, what product and brand would work best? I was able to remove some with a damp cloth and from what I can tell the remaining rust has worked its way into the paint. I've consulted with a mechanic at an LBS and he said they've not encountered this issue before with prepping new bikes. I'm inclined to just send it back.
In manufacturing there are tiny particles of metal nearly everywhere. In the painting process most of these particles are cleaned off or blown out with compressed air, but like my shoes after going to the beach, no matter how much they are cleaned some remain. On the bottom of the fork you'll see little vent holes that aid in the capillary action of the brazing process. The small particles come out of the vent holes and over time in shipping (it's pretty wet on the boat, and for that matter here in San Francisco
To their credit Soma has offered to replace the fork, albeit with a $40 deposit, but I would think the proper customer service would be to not send out the fork in the first place with the expectation of the customer to clean it up.
Can anyone verify that it is really that simple to just wipe it off with a cleaner wax? If so, what product and brand would work best? I was able to remove some with a damp cloth and from what I can tell the remaining rust has worked its way into the paint. I've consulted with a mechanic at an LBS and he said they've not encountered this issue before with prepping new bikes. I'm inclined to just send it back.

