[Note from publisher: Before Will shares a post from the Portland Bike Forums, I need to address a few things: Our server expert and I are currently working on issues with the forums related to spam user accounts. None of these accounts are visible, but hundreds of thousands of them have been created and they are taxing our servers. Because of that, I sometimes disable new user sign-ups. If you’ve signed up or would like to sign up, please be patient while we correct these spam/server issues. Thanks — Jonathan Maus]
(Photo © J. Maus)
It’s been a while since we mentioned the Portland Bike Forums (We’ve got forums? Yes!); but a thread popped up which I think is relevant for a lot of people this time of year.
Bikes with steel frames will rust when they’re left out in the rain and snow. One small area of exposed steel can be a starting point for oxidation and once rust starts it can be tough to stop. Thankfully, our very smart and helpful forum members have discussed this issue and have some tips you might be interested in…
Forum user “zpl” (Scott) posted a thread last week asking:
I ride a steel bike that’s about four years old. I’m starting to see spots of rust on the head tube, right where the paint has been worn away by the shift cable housing.
1. Does this matter?
2. If it does matter, where can I take it to be fixed? I figure it would involve sanding off a bit of the surrounding paint, removing the rust, then repainting it, and putting a clearcoat sticker on top of it to prevent the issue from happening again.
Other forum users had some good advice for how to handle Scott’s issue:
- It’s probably just cosmetic
- If the rust is causing bubbling under the paint, take good look at the rest of the frame for more rust spots
- Surface rust can be removed with a fine abrasive, cleaned thoroughly, then touched up with paint and a clear coat
- If you keep your bike outside year round, you may wat to look into anti-rust coatings for the inside of the frame
- Naval Jelly can be used to remove rust that’s stubborn or hard to reach
Check the entire thread for yourself for more tips and info; and remember, rust can spread quickly and sometimes it can get into areas you can’t see just by looking at your bike. If you suspect rust (or anything else) might have compromised the strength of your bike, you can always take it into a shop and have a pro take a look at it.
Do you have questions about your bike? Want to talk with other people who ride in Portland and surrounding areas? Head on over see what people are talking about on the Portland Bike Forums.