My bike was a steel bike. I think I stopped riding for several years (Maybe 5-6 rides a year) so was not paying attention to maintenance. So the rust could have been caused by condensation or seatpost. But the rusted steel was where the coupling was installed. I did not put frame saver in that bike. I did put it in my Trek 520 touring bike.

I did not have any problem taking the bike apart and putting it together. I am a female who usually strips anything I work on. My husband and brother helped me with breaker bars and all kinds of stuff when I stripped the 520 down to bare frame. I wanted to be able to repair anything that broke if I was on a bike tour by myself.

I cycled Ride the Rockies in 2004, coming down mountain passes at 35-45 mph. I used to weigh 225 pounds. The bike did not wobble or have any flex in the frame with the couplers.