Framebuilders - Stainless Steel frame?

204247Any idea what a stainless steel bike w/ cromoly forks is worth
Picked it up for $35 bucks thinking it was titanium later found out its stainless and pretty light weight too.
Don't know the brand either
Shimano Delore XT all around 700c rims
I think its from the early 90's??

The boys in the C&V forum might have a better idea (and might even be able to ID it). To to the appraisals thread.

If it's more than six years old and really is stainless steel, it's probably Columbus Metax.

its over six yrs old and is really stainless steel...are they any good?

did you try a magnet on it?

My 953 frame has enough iron (chemical composition of 953 is ~75% Fe) in it to attract a magnet. It's definitely a weaker attraction than plain carbon steel or chromoly, though.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d7/k4drd/Bicycles/Tubing/Reynolds953ChemicalComposition.jpg

post a closeup of the bottom bracket so you can see the spindle and left crank arm. Does it have a retaining ring with set screws on the spindle between the bearings and the crank arm? any numbers stamped on the frame or dropouts?

yes its magnetic

Yes the 204291204292204293204294204295

posted some new pics

its very magnetic

For sure, is NOT a Merlin...

I'm pretty sure I see peeling plating on the bb shell and elsewhere. I am going to support FTW's guess of electroless nickel

I think the stainless steels that attract magnets are only weakly magnetic. Strongly magnetic also supports the notion that it is not stainless.

What do you guys think about it being a Park Pre cromoly frame with titanium plating saw one w/ the same frame geometry and stain;less steel look and blackforks w/ xt shimano components all around they made them up to 97 0r 98?

did you try a magnet on it?


My 953 frame has enough iron (chemical composition of 953 is ~75% Fe) in it to attract a magnet. It's definitely a weaker attraction than plain carbon steel or chromoly, though.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d7/k4drd/Bicycles/Tubing/Reynolds953ChemicalComposition.jpg


yes its magnetic


I'm pretty sure I see peeling plating on the bb shell and elsewhere. I am going to support FTW's guess of electroless nickel

I think the stainless steels that attract magnets are only weakly magnetic. Strongly magnetic also supports the notion that it is not stainless.

Hell's teeth, what is it with you guys and magnets?

A magnet doesn't tell you squat. Nickel, cobalt,gadolinium, three quarters of their alloys, and all the steels are ferromagnetic. Some copper, chromium and vanadium alloys are paramagnetic as is liquid oxygen. They're all attracted ot a magnet.

Lets go back to basic ferrous metallurgy. There are three phases available in iron alloys. Alpha and delta iron, or ferrite, is strongly magnetic. Alpha prime iron or martensite and its tempers, is strongly magnetic. Gamma iron, or austenite is also magnetic, despite what brochures tell you, just very, very weakly. Its Curie temperature for a particular alloy may be very, very low, and its energy product tiny, but it's there.

The giveaway is the colour. It's electroless or electroplated nickel on steel. And the second giveaway is that it's rusting through the scratches and chips in the nickel, accelerated by the nickel's cathodic presence, rather than the discrete pitting corrosion that all chromium-rich alloys suffer.

And a quicker way to find the composition of Reynolds 953 is to look at Carpenter's website at www.cartech.com (http://www.cartech.com) and search for Custom 455.


What do you guys think about it being a Park Pre cromoly frame with titanium plating saw one w/ the same frame geometry and stain;less steel look and blackforks w/ xt shimano components all around they made them up to 97 0r 98?

Titanium is anodic to iron. It would corrode in preference. No rusting for a while.

Thanks alot, I actually tracking the serial number down and it seems to be a Marin 1993 has marin lite parts on it like handle bars etc
they came in a sort of stainless chromoly, aluminum and yes titanium but I'm leaning toward the cromoly

The model still escapes me though

In 1993 Marin had exactly one titanium frame. They didn't make it this big, each set of dropouts were stamped with a serial number and they definitely didn't have eyelets on a Race Team frame.

Didn't anybody else notice the "MADE IN TAIWAN" sticker on the bb?? That's a DEAD giveaway that it's not Ti or stainless... ParkPre sounds like a likely suspect.

SP
Bend, OR

Didn't anybody else notice the "MADE IN TAIWAN" sticker on the bb?? That's a DEAD giveaway that it's not Ti or stainless...
well, this isn't C&V, so I don't know bicycle history. When did the Taiwanese start making Ti?

might just be be nickel plated , since I think i see surface rust showing up
from dirt left on after riding in the wet mud.

blast it and powder coat it.

honestly, there is no need for any magnet crap or otherwise. Stainless, when it rusts, doesn't rust like that. take some sand paper, sand an area and spray with some acid. If it's cromo it needs paint anyways, if it's stainless, no foul as it wont rust and if it does it will give you more of a stain first and you will then know.

cool find in any case, looks like a potentially fun ride.

honestly, there is no need for any magnet crap or otherwise.

I think we did this bit already.



Stainless, when it rusts, doesn't rust like that. take some sand paper, sand an area and spray with some acid. If it's cromo it needs paint anyways, if it's stainless, no foul as it wont rust and if it does it will give you more of a stain first and you will then know.

cool find in any case, looks like a potentially fun ride.


And second, pick your acid. All stainless steels rust, there are no exceptions. And several in most available acids. Reducing acids eat low-alloy stainless steels because they destabilise the oxide film.

And if it's titanium? In an oxidising acid it will stain, and in a reducing acid it will stain.

Found out its a Marin Bike, Marin Lite parts like handle bars, ends etc. the serial # Matches Marin except the model J is a mystery still
It was never painted seems like the coating has rust but not the actual frame?

which acid would you suggest?

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If you can polish the surface rust away it May be stainless , I doubt it is.. as I said.
Kitchen Scotch Brite, or industrial Steel Wool, ... [0000] is finer than , [000, or 00]
or carborundum sandpaper..

or run a wire wheel over it then a rattle can spray job

If you can polish the surface rust away it May be stainless , I doubt it is.. as I said.
Kitchen Scotch Brite, or industrial Steel Wool, ... [0000] is finer than , [000, or 00]

I'm only going to say this once more. It's not stainless.

And do not use wirewool on steel. Plating will become perforated and simply soak up water and rust, and the presence of a high carbon steel particle embedded in a stainless steel will make it rust.

yea I know , like i said earlier. It's going to need painting, to cover the rust,

Powder coat is sand blasted first, for a clean surface

then just pick a color

I'm not sure many places without good LEV would be happy sandblasting nickel-plate. What with it being a Cat 2 carcinogen.

so, there ya go OP, its not stainless, best to just ride the bike as is.