Rusting and General Damage

[haye13]

1. How to stop rusting on a bike?

2. How to prevent damage to a new bike?

 

[Andy_R]

Never take it outside, keep it warm and dry in the spare room, don't ride it, just look at it

 

[fossyant]

This. /\

Clean it when it's filthy, oil it regularly, but not too much, and that's it. Don't leave it outside in the rain 24/7. Scratches, well, not a lot you can do. Helicopter tape is good to stop cable rub in key areas. Road bikes usually get lots less scratches than MTB's.

 

[Donger]

I consider it a patina. A battle scar. A sign that it has been places with you. Every knock, every scrape and every scratch has its own story of journeys done and roads ridden. I shall probably eventually attempt a re-paint in places if rusty patches start, but I won't worry too much if it isn't perfect. Every mark tells a story.

 

[Cp40Carl]

1. Buy a carbon

2. Don't buy a carbon

 

[steve50]

Rust remover, https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=r...firefox-b&gws_rd=cr&ei=KhGEV9r8NojLgAbtuYqgCg
to prevent damage, you have a choice,
1) Leave the bike at home, walk, bus or car or borrow someone else bike.
2) Use a road bike, less chance of picking up stone chips, grit etc.
3) Buy a nice lightweight bike then add layers and layers of helicopter tape or similar to protect the paintwork which will add weight to your lightweight bike
4) Buy a carbon bike in matt black, you won't notice the chips and it won't rust......................it might melt in the rain though.
5) Aluminium bikes don't rust, they still get stone chips and if left untreated they will develop corrosion which will eventually eat your aluminium frame away but regular maintenance and protective waxing will help minimise any corrosion.

 

[PhilDawson8270]

1) ACF-50
2) Don't crash

 

[MichaelW2]

When I left a steel roadbike outside 24/7 for 3 years in a coastal town, I put WD40 inside the frame, car wax on the outside of the frame, and the spokes, grease on all metal-metal contacts. I was never troubled by rust, even though I used to ride the seafront in storms with salt spray.
WD40 can dissolve grease so take care in the bottom bracket. One piece BB units like the old Shimano UN52 are proof against WD40 from inside the BB shell. Replaceable press-fit cartridge bearings may be exposed within the BB. Old fashioned cup and cone BBs are exposed .
You can get framesaver wax sprays
Drill a small drainage hole in the BB shell.

I have some loaner bikes which live outside. I turned the nice Specialized rockhopper upside down and a cup worth of brown water came out of the small vent holes in the chainstay.

 

[Globalti]

Just be aware of the day the gritters start spreading salt on the roads; it lingers for a long time even on dry roads and the bike needs to be washed with hot water after a salty ride. On dry roads you'll be riding along in a cloud of salt dust thrown up by other bikes and vehicles and that salt will settle on the bike, sucking in atmospheric moisture and causing oxidation.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I consider it a patina. A battle scar. A sign that it has been places with you. Every knock, every scrape and every scratch has its own story of journeys done and roads ridden. I shall probably eventually attempt a re-paint in places if rusty patches start, but I won't worry too much if it isn't perfect. Every mark tells a story.

+1 on this. Theres nothing more sad than a pristine bike that looks like its never been ridden. A bike is for riding, if you ride it its going to pick up chips and scratches, they're a testament to your rides together, good or bad, and a way of remembering good, or bad, times together.

 

[Drago]

Just look after it. I've had one of my MTBs over 20 years. Its been commuted on, ridden hard off road, towed a trailer, and theres hardly a mark on it.

It plays hard, so I take caring for it seriously too. A well maintained, well used bike is a joy. Patina is all well and good, but if it can be avoided then why not? No knew wants a ferrous pile when a shiny old nail can be had instead.

 

[fossyant]

My new MTB had a coupleasant of scratches on it already, hence the additional discount. Don't need to worry about that first scratch now.

 

[Gravity Aided]

Every now and again, if scratches get too worrisome, I just use a little T-Cut on the problem areas, clean, and re-wax. I sometimes use Meguairs wax for scratched surfaces as well. I have a 531 frame with some paint problems because it is painted with DuPont Imron, which is a great paint, resists scratches and fading, but has the tendency to pop off in spots as well. Most older Treks are like this. The idea is to look through nail polish or model paint varieties until you find a match. In my case, Tamiya model paints had just what was needed.

 

[Tom B]

Just be aware of the day the gritters start spreading salt on the roads; it lingers for a long time even on dry roads and the bike needs to be washed with hot water after a salty ride. On dry roads you'll be riding along in a cloud of salt dust thrown up by other bikes and vehicles and that salt will settle on the bike, sucking in atmospheric moisture and causing oxidation.

One of the best things I ever did was put in a hot outside tape. Combined with a short hose and shower head type noble it makes bike (and car) cleaning much better.