painting or powder coating crank arms?

Can it be done, to a reasonable level? or is it just a waste of time, with the paint coming off at the first sign of heel rub? I have some that need sorting, and would prefer black to shiny polished

Powder coat is very tough, it took me a lot of effort to sand it off some cheap cranks I bought that had been powder coated yellow, so it will likely last a lot longer than wet paint.

However, it probably comes down to your feet. How much do your heels rub?

If your feet line up with your legs, so, they're parallel when you stand and point straight forward when you walk your heels or ankles don't touch the cranks much. My feet essentially point straight forward and I don't mark my cranks much at all.

If you have feet that turn out, so there's a significant angle between them when you stand or walk, it maybe that your ankles or heels are far more likely to rub the cranks.

Friend of mine powder coated some truvativ cranks in white and they looked great - I ended up buying them off him and don't recall ever having them wear down and I commuted everyday for a solid 6 months with them. Would recommend it if looking to do an easy refurb. I know a few people on here have re anodised in black and that has looked amazing for a shiny, 'lighter' looking finish but prob a little harder to do with prep/finding someone to do it... a lot of polishing may be involved!

check out this thread:

viewtopic.php?t=237478&start=15

Or DIY...?

https://www.frost.co.uk/paints-coating- ... -kits.html

Just be aware that the higher temps achieved during powder coating are at the bottom end of heat treatment temps for aluminium. There is about 30-50 deg C of overlap.