I've got rigid steel forks and currently don't have a mudguard fitted. I've never really thought much about it over the years but today was particularly wet and spray (and mud) from the wheel obviously goes up the steerer tube.
Clearly water just runs out and doesn't pool but should I be bunging the end (I was warned again this as apparently, it's best to let it air). Will a squirt of GT85 or some sort of framesaver every now and then do the job or should I be paying more attention to this (no sign of rust from looking up the tube with a torch)?
The bikes stored in a dry shed so airs well.
Back in the day frame builders would weld a penny into the bottom of the steerer to prevent water ingress, just spray some sticky oil in and forget
Wasn't there a Crud plug to do that back in the day?
Someone posted on here a while ago about canoe plugs or something, for plugging steerer tubes. I bought some off ebay and never used any of them....
I made one from a drain test plug
I’d take open over closed any day
I'd keep it open. Else if anything does get in it will stay there till it rots it's way out
It would take years of unfavourable conditions to rust through a steerer tube, but I’d much rather leave it open and allow any water ingress to escape than try and seal it up.
3 vintage steel bikes here, all from new (30 years old or more now) - oil/grease/waxoyl up the steerer. No rust at all.
Wasn’t there a Crud plug to do that back in the day?
Yeah, it was great for keeping the rain that filtered in from above as a small reservoir..
Thanks all. Probably over-worrying. I'll squirt some Dinitrol up there and perhaps look at a small mudguard.
It's just a non issue.
Think of all the bikes ever, real bikes used for transport year in year out for decades all have open steerers. Left outside etc.
While they may have mudguards they are exposed to everything all year round and are fine. I wouldn't even spray oily stuff up there as it's only going to leave over time and deposit itself in the environment.
Would it not be a better idea to treat the inside with something to prevent rust rather than bing up the hole as any water entering the top wouldn’t be able to drain out
Mudguard to stop the water spraying up the tube?
Nothing to worry about at all. By all means give it a wipe as part of your routine cleaning but there's no need for bungs, gizmo's, or rust treatment.
I've never seen a steel steerer become rusty to the point of structural concern in over 15 years of servicing.
Happy trails 🙂
