hello bike wise slowtwitchers
I took my bike to a race on Sunday, and after the car ride I noticed that a couple drops of rusty water came out of my frame. I rode it in the rain for about an hour maybe two weeks ago, and not since, so it must have been in there for a while, if not longer.
It’s a cromoly steel frame from 98. Is the rusty water a little bad, or a lot bad?
What do I do about it?
thanks,
Ziva
generally speaking rust is quite bad and means the object in question is dying. Might not be the frame rusting, might be something else. I would look over everything very carefully.
M~
water in the frame can be a lot bad. As a rule of thumb, after every ride in the rain on one of my decent bikes (the commuter is riden hard and put away wet) take the seatpost out and turn the frame upside down and back and forth - you’ll see water pour out of the seat tube and the holes in the chainstays. Store the bike upside down overnight with the seatpost out to dry it out.
It’s also a good idea to take the wheels off, pop the tires and tubes off, and let your rims drain out overnight as well. you’ll get a decent amount of water inside of the rim that comes in by the spoke nipples.
On a few occasions I’ve also been able to hear water sloshing around in the downtube that is trapped between the headset and the bottom bracket - in this case, it’s a good idea to pop one of those out as well to let it drain. you can do a half-assed job by taking off the bottle cage on the down tube and trying to drain the water out of those holes, but it doesn’t work as well.
regardless, if you’re riding a steel frame, every year or two the frame should be stripped of all components and have multiple coatings of frame-saver anti rust compound sprayed into the all of the tubes.
you also want to lube your chain and all non-sealed moving parts after riding in the rain (or driving with it on the roof rack in the rain).
the above steps are a good idea if you have an expensive bike and you care about keeping your equipment in good condition. if you’re the type of person that doesn’t want to worry about maintenance and taking care of your bike, then ignore all the above and take it into a shop every 6-12 months and let them worry about replacing the things that have rusted out. Bikes can take a tremendous amount of abuse before they actually stop running totally.
J
The insides of a steel tubed frame need to be protected,there is a spray called frame saver just for this,you will need to spray some in every tube and turn your frame over and around so it coats the entire inside surfaces,you might need to remove your bottom bracket and fork to gain access to the tubes,it depends on how the frame was made.
take out the seat post and dry the frame.
swab it out with a rag and a coat hanger and some wd40.
Spray the inside with some frame saver, LPS3, or some other rust preventitive.
JP Weigles…get some.
There should be a 2 or 3 drain holes in your frame–in the bottom bracket and in the chainstays. After riding in the rain, you should store your bike in a manner so that the water will drain out of these drain holes. Try to find them and check to make sure they are not plugged.
To help with any rust issues you may be having inside your frame–Plug the drain holes, take your seat post out, and squirt some light oil inside your frame. Take your wheels off and stuff a rag into the seat tube. Then, turn your bike upside down and all around to let the oil thoroughly coat the insides of the tubes. Then, hang the bike on a rack (but do it in an area where you can catch the dripping oil) and remove the drain hole plugs and let the oil drip out. You may have oil coming out for a long time, so be careful. You should also get your bottom bracket repacked after this.
Also, after a wet ride (or really anytime), be sure to store your bike in a warm, dry place to avoid condensation buildup.
Thanks to all for replying.
I live in a 60m2 apartment, I really have zero space to do any ‘dirty’ bike work, so I suppose I should just take it to the shop.
Is there a frame material that needs less after-rain maintainence? Carbon? Ti? I’m looking into getting a new bike, needs to be apartment friendly.
Ziva
\Is there a frame material that needs less after-rain maintainence? Carbon? Ti? I’m looking into getting a new bike, needs to be apartment friendly.\
Carbon, TI, and aluminum all will be decent inthe rain, i.e. no rust. Of the three, a bare Ti frame will have the most longevity, simply because there is no paint or clear coat to get messed up, and no fatigue issues for the frame itself.
I’ve worked on some bikes where they’ve been so neglected I had to stand on the handlebars and use a 2x4 and hammer to get the fork unstuck from the quill stem, but after I pull all the ruined components off of it, the Ti frame is as good as new. A very impressive frame material for longevity.
However, even with a rust-proof frame, if you don’t get the water out after a rain ride it will ruin the components. Not to mention slowly leak out onto your carpets over a period of months.
J
What amazes me is how many frames are made these days without any form of drain holes. The installation instructions that come with a Campy BB tell you to dill a hole in the bottom bracket shell if there isn’t one already.