Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Steel bike in the winter

Hey guys,

Part of my intended use for my fixed gear is to use it as a all weather bike. It's a steel univega arrow pace, would I be damaging it severly if I ride it in the northern Ohio winters and rain storms?

Thanks,

-Mike

yes, it will rusty and crumble to bits

Most of us ride steel in the winter. I say, whatever. As long as the coating is in good shape and the frame's been frame-savered, I doubt you'll see any corrosion at all.

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/31jm-yYW9NL._AA280_.jpg

Frame saver is the key. If you can't get frame saver, motor oil can work in a pinch. Truth be told, road salt fscked up my Al frame more than my steel ones.

Frame saver is the key. If you can't get frame saver, motor oil can work in a pinch. Truth be told, road salt fscked up my Al frame more than my steel ones.

Oh Oh good to know - I'll have to check with mec if they have any of this stuff. Guess you spray inside the frame and hope for the best in spring?

Another cheap solution is boiled linseed oil, which I understand is basically what's inside the can of Frame Saver (sure smells the same). It's harder to get into the small holes of your frame, but it can be done with a funnel. I also use boiled linseed oil ask my spoke prep when I build wheels, and when I resashed the windows in my house, so it's fairly useful to have around.

More important that frame saver is to drill a couple of big holes in the bottom of the bottom bracket so that water and condensation will drain out. As long as the bike lives inside, you won't have a problem.

get another ****ty frame and ride the **** out of it.

wipe it down when there's **** on it and it will be fine...

Wow, I've never done a dang thing to my steel frame in 25 years and ride it in whatever weather happens to be available.

It still works. I guess selling my soul to the devil wasn't a waste of time after all.

Az

Oh Oh good to know - I'll have to check with mec if they have any of this stuff. Guess you spray inside the frame and hope for the best in spring?

I run the cycling dept at MEC in Ottawa. We don't carry framesaver. It is, in fact, extremely hard to find at all in Canada.

Thankfully, any general automotive store (I went to a really tiny Canadian Tire) should have about 5 other brands of the same thing (but 'for cars', for probably a lot less than what you'll pay for 'framesaver' ('for bikes'). Seems to work well. The stuff i bought even smells pretty good.

By the time the winter hurts your frame you will be ready for a new one.

...just don't stick your tongue on it.