electrizer

Hi!

Im planning on getting the Surly LHT but I just wanted to know how does it do with the rust problem, is it very susceptible to it, and so on. I've ridden an alu Spec Sirrus for 3 yrs now and luckily nothing so far (I ride in London, we get wet here).

Thanks!
Przemek

alpacalypse

I can't speak directly for the LHT, but I've ridden various steel bikes for years in rainy Pittsburgh (PA, US) and have never had a problem with rust. Especially if you have fenders, relatively little water sits on the frame and at most you get some surface rust near the venting holes. If you're by the seashore there's more of an issue due to salt, but remember that Raleigh's famously all-steel bicycles were developed, ridden, and granted their reputation for reliability in rainy England.

If you're really worried about it, apply some Framesaver to the frame before you build it up. Then stop worrying about it.

electrizer

Thanks! Not particularly worried but I never really rode a steel frame and just wanted to know its behavior in that respect.

Barrettscv 

A steel frame will need a little more T.L.C. than the alternatives. Deeper scratched will start to rust, especially if you use the bike year around and salt is applied to the streets in winter. The rust will be superficial, but if left unattended it will begin to harm the appearance. If the bike is kept clean, if scratches are retouched with paint and if salt is not a factor, the bike should stay rust-free.

BigAura

I'm sure an LHT would be just as fine with the same kind of care, over the same period of time.

LeeG

Bicycle chains can rust horribly after many cycles of rain/sun but if you keep them lubed they're fine. I hear old fashioned leather saddles require a little extra care compared to modern saddless. I ride a LHT over salted winter roads and rain throughout the year. Worry not.

SlimRider

Have your LBS or where ever you pick up your new LHT, to apply framesaver to your bike. After that, wipe it off whenever you drag it out of the rain or whenever it gets wet. Store your bike in the warmest or driest place in your home. Otherwise, throw a plastic canvas over it, to keep it dry. Never, keep it outside overnight.

BigBlueToe

I bought my LHT as a frame and built it up myself. The first thing I did was spray Framesaver inside all the tubes. I haven't noticed any rust anywhere after 4 tours in 4 years.

My two previous bikes were also steel frames. They both got a little rust on the scratches. I think the rust would have to be there a long time before you would have to worry about any structural issues; it's more just a cosmetic thing. Rust spots don't look good.

On my last bike I decided to remove the rust. I sanded it off with extra fine grit sandpaper, then washed the rust powder off with alcohol (so it would evaporate without causing more rust), then painted over with enamel paint. I used the little squarish bottles of enamel that model builders use. I got it from the hardware store. Okay, I probably should have gone to an auto parts store for paint, but the enamel from the hardware store worked fine.

Incidentally, the old bike was pink (okay, maybe Nashbar called it salmon, but it was pink!) I couldn't find any pink paint, so I used fire engine red. It looked pretty bad, like there were little bloody spots all over, like it had crashed and had a bad case of road rash in many places. My thinking was this: I remembered when I was in high school and a skier, and theft of skis was a big problem. People leaving their skis in the snow outside the lodge would come back out and find them gone. I remember hearing how people with really nice, desirable skis, who didn't plan on ever selling them, would spray paint garish, graffiti like blotches of color on them. They might look ugly but no one would ever steal them!

My theory may have proven correct. I gave that bike to my nephew. He lived in an apartment building in southern California where everyone's bikes were chained in a rack in the parking area. One night thieves hit and stole all of the nice bikes. They left the pink, red-splotched bike alone.

goalieMN

A lot of people ride steel bikes in the winter here in Minnesota without any problems, myself included. Framesaver and a little TLC go a long ways.

electrizer

Where specifically?

LeeG

the tubes, inside. My $.02 is that if you leave the bike outside subjected to salt spray the frame will be fine in 10yrs but many of the chromed steel screws and running gear will be corroded together, just as would occur on your Sirrus.

fietsbob

You have to strip the frame down entirely , the Frame saver is an interior coating

from the BB shell you have access to 3 tubes, thru the vent holes
like inside the steerer tube and the top tube and the top half of the down tube
can be accessed thru holes inside the head tube,
the seat stay you have to use a wee hose to spray thru those brazing heat vent holes .

Have to have it down to just the frame alone because you have to rotate the frame
every which way to have the coating running down onto all inner surfaces.

then it dries, and you put the bike back together , certainly learning useful stuff
to have, for on the road repairs, you will, perhaps, need, between other people helping.

electrizer

Thank you very much! This is the kind of answer to my question I was looking for.