I'm looking at purchasing a steel frame that's already built up so the shop wants $50 to treat it. Is framesaver really needed?
Thanks for your input.

Depends on you riding, if you ride in very wet or salty environments like winter salt etc... them it might make a difference, and if you ride a lot. Vast majority of steel bikes never get any frame saver, and they do fine. If the tubes are tinfoil thin, and the environment sucks, it might be an idea.

Basically you can reach all the tubes pretty much through the BB holes or the top of the seat tube, or head tube, and through little vents in the forks and the stays. So you can do it yourself if you will have access to the frame before it is built out and you can do all but the downtube of the frame without removing anything other than the seatpost, if it is relatively normal in venting. And you can probably get the downtube if it has bottle mounts, etc...

from the way I read the OP, the $50 is primarily dis-assembly and reassembly.

Does anyone know how often framesaver treatment is supposed to be repeated?

And putting up with the nasty stuff.

I think it is a one time deal, though you could keep at it, It would be a bit like reapeatedly varnishing your bike. It really isn't necesarry, but if one buys a 2000+ frame it may contribute to peace of mind.

If you're going to ride it in the rain you should treat it. The inside will get wet and this stuff helps seal out the water so your frame doesn't rust. If you don't want to spend $50 you can always go buy a can for $15 and do it yourself. If they're charging you $50 then unterhausen is right, it's probably to disassemble the frame. I do it to all my steel frames.

I've ridden steel Trek for 25 years and just treated it the first time a couple of years ago. It's a good idea but probably not absolutely necessary. I use LPS 3 and sprayed it in myself a few years ago when I serviced the bike during the winter. I repeated it again last year when I painted the frame. $50 is too much, if you plan to service the bike yourself in the next few years just plan to do it yourself.

If your Trek was like my olde Trek 400, then it was phosphated prior to paint. Helps keep the rust away on steel.

OP: I'd do it if you're paying a fair amount on the bike itself and predict you'll be riding it for 10 years+ into the future and you do plenty of rain rides.

I've yet to use framesaver... But I've used two others things, which work and are easier to purchase, if you can't get it shipped to you. Option 1, is linseed oil. You can use a gun barrel cleaning kit + syringe to get it all over the place inside the frame. I've also picked up Royal Purple chain lube, which you can shoot into your frame. The Royal Purple stuff leaves a thin film after it dries, and will take on salt water with no problems (it's used on marine applications too). I reapply every year though, just in case (I'm phasing out linseed oil, and going with the Royal Purple this year)... All of those products cost about $5, and are easy to find at Home Depot or an Autoparts store. $50 is a lot of money though. But I would still pay it, if I didn't want to do it myself.

can you use the royal purple with the bb and headset installed? cheers Wonder if I'm ever going to get 50 posts so I can pm? Maybe if I got a smartphone and posted while riding. I know when I pass all the young guys on their carbon fiber bikes I'll shout back and ask if they could use there iphones to send in a post for me-lol. You should see the looks on their faces when I pass them on my old steel bikes-lol

Does anyone know what the active ingredient in framesaver is?
I have never been able to find an MSDS for it.

It is interestingly close to LPS3.

For the Original Poster, as you hail from Southern California... Unless you aim for puddles, sweat profusely and or ride in the rain every day you can, (Not much opportunity for that) I do not think it is necessary. Now, I do not keep my bikes outside either.

I do ride every day, any weather. I have never found a problem here in Southern California.

It is much more likely that a stem or seatpost can get stuck. Once a year remove those clean them off and give them a film of grease.

It is interesting the different experiences, from one region to another, that are had WRT exposure and corrosion. When i lived in Cleveland the road departments would use so much salt (there is a major road salt mine just off shore under Lake Erie, so no transportation costs to speak of) that we saw lots of frozen stems, posts and BBs. The same in Raleigh, NC with the Gulf and Atlantic air masses passing by. Yet here in Upstate NY I see a lot less frozen parts.

The other factor, of course, is the rider's diligence and sweat's make up. I've known some riders whose bike just rust out under them.

I'm not surprised that FrameSaver has no MSDS info in the consumer world. Not being a chemical or regulator expert, it seems that FS is pretty stable and without harmful ingredients.
Andy.