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Had my (steel) bike outside for a couple of weeks on a trip recently. It rained last week quite a lot. Time came to pack bike into car and bright orange/yellow liquid pi**ed out of drain holes into the back of the car.
Took me about 5 mins of rotating the frame and shaking it to get all of the rusty water out. No idea how it collected in there in that amount as the seat post was in place. May be a bad fit?
Anyway what would stw do?
I thought of drying it out next to radiator for a few days then spraying in a couple of cans full of GT85 via every frame aperture, then having a sandwich and a cuppa and forget about it.
Right now I'm riddled with anxiety! 🙁
I think I've heard of people spraying waxoil into bike frames but wait till the real stw pros on here give a better informed opinion.
Of course, it would be good to find out where the water ingress is from just as importantly.
Of course, it would be good to find out where the water ingress is from just as importantly.
^. This. Have been wracking brain. How does one even go about determining that? The thing that made me think searpost was the rusty coloured water actually on the seatpost as I removed it. But of course I suppose that could have been condensated water from ingress elsewhere. Grrrrr. Argh. Never had this problem with steel bike before except for a Kona frame left in a damp cellar which was sort of expected as the bike wasn't built up. Something like a half a cup of rusty water came out of the Vagabond yesterday. Now it's in the car and I can feel it being eaten alive by rust monsters as I decide what to do!
What frame is it mate, only ask as there may well be someone else in here with the same/similar frame that has had the same problem?
Does the slot in the seat post face backwards out of curiosity?
Seatpost in place won't stop water running down the seat tube.
And if you've never had water inside your frame I can only assume you never ride in the rain. Any hole in the frame that has water running over it (or near it!) will allow water in. So the blow/drain holes on the chain stays/seat stays. Holes in the fork legs etc. It'll even get it through the headset and the drain hole in the bottom bracket.
Adding mudguards will minimise, but not prevent it.
Genesis Vagabond - slot fwd.
*Edit - yeah no doubt have had marginal ingress in the past (steel road bike and steel ATBs/MTBs) but never noticed so couldn't have been much. Never had rusty water piss out of frame before.
First aid recommendations gratefully received. I dont want to go stripping the whole bike and drilling holes if avoidable, yet I don't wish to risk this as was to be my last bike purchase for many years ahead.
The old trick was a couple of small holes in the bottom of the BB shell.
Stops the water that condenses inside the frame from pooling.
Next time you give it a full service, strip all the components off and spray ACF50 in the frame if it's worrying you.
Water can get in anywhere - not just obvious holes but also by capillary action around seatpost, stem, headset etc. You'll never stop it getting in.
Allowing water to get out again is more important! I brazed my own cx frame for this season and made deliberate efforts to put subtle drain holes in certain places (e.g. seat stay dropouts, good run from down tube into and out of bb shell etc).
I've used Boeshield inside frame tubes but not overly impressed. Framesaver (aerosol) and boiled linseed oil (liquid) are other favourites. Have also heard good reports of ACF50.
Phosphate dip pre-treatments before paint are the best solution - I think Brompton goes the furthest out of all steel bike manufacturers but not quite sure what exact processes they use (there was a BBC documentary on it a few months ago).
It'll be fine.
I have a 94 Univega that has been completely submerged on several occasions that isn't rotted through.
It's currently in retirement but may be cobbled together again one day.
Make sure drain holes at the bottom are clear if present.
Dry out completely
Spray in ACF50 (it's really good)
Use grease or carbon assembly paste on seat post to help act as a seal.
Dinitrol 3641 or 3215
Cheaper and more in a can than framesaver.
Take the frame to a stone circle, stand it in the middle at dawn before running around it 3 times anticlockwise naked holding a NDS Crank in your left hand. If you get any of that wrong then it will rust quicker...
Rusty water?
Picolax?
Spray in ACF50
Great stuff.
Standing it next to a heat source with all holes open wouldn't be a bad thing in the short term...
Thnks all - currently on top of the radiator with seatpost out, just need to take the BB cable guide screw out hopefully that will be enough to dry or should take forks out too? (They already have holes above dropouts and midships)
I changed the seatposts on my Vagabond to a USE carbon, and noticed quite a lot of water/condensation in the seat-tube. On closer inspection it turns out the stock seatpost has a bloody great hole at the top under the saddle, do water gets in very easily! Bit of bad design on Genesis's part IMO.
There is only one answer. J. P. Weigle Framesaver.
http://www.shop.18bikes.co.uk/m12b0s403p39/J-P-WEIGLE-(FRAMESAVER)-Framesaver
Made for this specific job and protects the inside of the frame for years. Just don't apply it inside the house, or over anything you want to keep looking nice. You can't help but spill some as you rotate the frame to distribute it inside the tubes.
I just rode mine, 23 years later I retired it for a newer sexier model, it was really getting pretty corroded in places but never missed a beat.
There is only one answer. J. P. Weigle Framesaver.
No. there are other products that are not packaged/marketed to the cycling world with a healthy mark-up.
ACF50 and Dinitrol (the waxed based cavity sprays) as mentioned above only they are cheaper and you get more in the can, they are not inferior products.
Have done 2 frames with dinitrol and there's at least enough left to do 1-2 more.
Edit: dinitrol 77B cavity wax. Was £12 for 500ml. Framesaver is 175ml
There is only one answer. J. P. Weigle Framesaver.http://www.shop.18bikes.co.uk/m12b0s403p39/J-P-WEIGLE-(FRAMESAVER)-Framesaver
Made for this specific job and protects the inside of the frame for years. Just don't apply it inside the house, or over anything you want to keep looking nice. You can't help but spill some as you rotate the frame to distribute it inside the tubes.
Use ACF 50 loads and have used Dinitrol but framesaver os the best and you don't need to use all of it for one frame.
But for gods sake don't do it indoors - I built my Rooster in the hotel room i was staying in and nearly killed myself with the fumes from it 🙂
Brunox IX 100 spray if you want something slightly overpriced, marketed towards bicycle owners ;).
Made for this specific job and protects the inside of the frame for years.
So what are the corrosion rates for bike frames? How many of the untreated steel frames are failing?
777777777
I have a 94 Univega that has been completely submerged on several occasions that isn't rotted through.
I bought a second hand univega of the same era this year. Looked immaculate. Started doing it up a couple months later and tapped the chainstay and half of it came away. The chainstays on those bend down then up (rather than being straight if that makes sense) and water can collect in them. Certainly must have in mine at some stage. Gutting!
I'll used Framesaver on a few frames and it's pretty easy to apply. Hammerite seem to have started doing a Waxoyl based spray to rustproof cars but I don't know whether it'd be the right consistency to apply to the inside of frames.
If my bike gets really wet I leave it upside down with the seatpost out for a while to drain and then store with the seatpost removed to allow airing. Water can also pool in the chainstays so bouncing the bike on its real wheel a few times than clear this.