Sounds pretty good. If you don't want to go that route, I would go Eezox. Since switching to that a few years ago never had rust problems again, and still have the original small cans - (I don't use aerosol spray) you just don't need very much.

Here's some informal but very visual test results that convince me: Corrosion Protection Products for *****s, Shooting, Benchrest Competition, Varminting and Firearms Storage

What is the consistency of Eezox after it settles? Is it a paste, film, does it dry like paint or varnish? Does it or would it last on a chain? I googled out that they market a version specifically for bikes/motorcyles, but I could not find any reports of practical experience with the use on chains.

Ya, Eezox really isn't on most peoples radar, especially in our bike community. They really need to step up the marketing. Eezox dries with little or no smell and no noticeable film. When I first put it on our firearms it does have quite a smell but not harsh and the only way I know it's on there after it dries is to take a really good sniff of the metal it's on. I haven't used it as a lubricant on bike chains, just as a rust inhibitor or dry lube where there isn't much need for a cushioning wet lubricant. We have a small can each of the firearm and bicycle formulas, and don't really notice that much difference between the two. Maybe the bike one is a little thicker, but both are very very thin and a drop goes a long way. The fishing reel lube might be thicker yet, but still a very thin wet lube.

Come to think of it, I did use Eezox on my 1990 Rapid Fire shifters. They were gummed up and so I completely flushed them with various solvents, then used Eezox Reel lube, but even though they were very snappy, I didn't like the rough feel so put some chain lube to smooth them out.

So Eezox seems to be somewhat similar to ACF-50. After ACF-50 dries, which takes a while, you might not notice that it is there. Again, as with Eezox, it has some popularity outside of the bicycle community but not within. In particular, it is quite commonly used on motorcycles as it does not interfere with the finish, if you apply it by wiping, while remaining effective.

2_i - I went back and actually skimmed over the research results of ACF-50 that you linked to and that is specifically for aluminum alloys, which is of interest to me. I hate corrosion on alloy parts as much as rust on steel products. I have not seen any comparison of Eezox on aluminum allows, but have seen comparisons of ACF-50 to Eezox and yes they seem to be similarly effective, and one test noted they both had strong hydrocarbon smell.

The research results don't seem to put ACF-50 as the best though, so I'm not sure I understand the significant data. But you use a mixture of ACF-50, LPS-3 and T9. Can you elaborate on the mix, how you got there, and more about how it dries, lubricates, and reacts to paint, plastic, aluminum?

My rationale is as follows. Of the 3 components, T-9 and LPS 3 provide mechanical protection. T-9 penetrates, but covers with a thin layer. LPS 3 does not penetrate, but provides a thick coating layer. The two together provide a thick protective coat that from the inner side penetrated any cracks in the surface. On a chain, LPS 3 causes the dried-out mixture to behave as a paste. Now ACF-50 penetrates, but its most important role is to provide a chemical protection. For me it works just as well on steel as alu. Without ACF-50, the chain will remain rust-free in a rainy weather for several weeks. With ACF-50, I can pull it to the level of months. Of course it depends on mechanical impacts. Say in winter I may be rubbing the chain against snow and then the rust may appear after 6 weeks rather than 3-6 months. Well, 6 weeks is very good. With any commercial chain lube I never went beyond 2 weeks in persistent wet conditions. One negative of ACF-50 is that the mixture takes a longer time to dry out than without ACF-50.

The reasoning above may sound naive, but the combination of components works like a dream and I have reasons to believe the above is a roughly correct explanation. The latter is from observing what happened if I used just one or a combination of two components. I use the mixture on anything on the bike, including inside of the frame, and I apply it to cars that can experience even harder beating than a bike and that mixture holds there too, preventing rust for months+ on quite exposed elements.

As I mentioned before, I clean no nothing before application of the mixture. I put it right on top of any salt, mud, etc. on the bike, with what seems a complete impunity.

Since I arrived at the mixture through experimentation, combined with some reading, I cannot exclude that one could arrive at a still better mixture of this type, e.g. replacing ACF-50 by Eezox.

I should pull the MSDS for these 4 products and see what the common components are, and what's different.

Sorry to revive an old thread, but I joined this site after reading this thread. Based on the posts by user 2_i, I have purchased some Boeshield T-9, some LPS-3 and some ACF 50. I am going to attempt to duplicate 2_i's success at preventing rust on bicycle parts stored outside. Thank you!

One of the best rust preventatives for storing outside is just use a plastic cover. Not as good as keeping your bike inside but helps a lot. Many of the other coatings mentioned will also help of course. A good fresh water hosing every so often is helpful in salty air/road conditions.

Haven't thoroughly perused the string, but I haven't seen mention of Boeshield T9. It was made by Boeing to prtect aluminum airplane parts from weather and salt. I spray on and wipe off all exposed metal (and it's also my chain lube). It has worked exceedingly well for me.

It's going from warm, humid, inside, to cold, outside, where the water vapor,
condenses in side your frame tubes..

There are proper corrosion prevention sprays available if needed. Apparently its a thing in motorcycling. YT has many videos from ppl testing them. Here is one.

Racing Dan, those are some interesting chemicals that are shown in that video, They are mostly designed for lubrication, with rust prevention as a secondary characteristic. I'm interested in rust prevention as the primary concern, with lubrication as a secondary concern. That's why I'm going for the stuff that is meant to protect aircraft parts from corroding and rusting for years.

My plan is to be able to leave my cruddy bikes like the Huffys and beach cruisers outside and if friends want to come ride, they can just jump on a bike and ride it, no tune-up needed! My main problem with these bikes in the past has been: The chains and cables and shifters and brakes and steerer tubes and bottom brackets and wheels all rust up over the winter and then people come over to ride on a nice day---and the only thing not broken is the tires, still inflated :/

Call me crazy but, I'm a big fan of diesel fuel. (Since I've got a John Deere diesel tractor, I have to keep a few gallons on hand). So, I fill a small dropper dispenser bottle with it. Then, I carefully place drops of diesel on my bikes wherever needed. All I can say is that it's amazing. I've thrown away all my WD-40 and other stuff. Don't need it any more. Diesel fuel rocks.

You guys seen this test?

https://forums.mtbr.com/fat-bikes/an...t-1073581.html

Apparently Boeshield T-9 was the worst product tested.

Fluid Film won.

Depends on the application. For rust prevention on steel you can galvanize steel (dip the part into molten nickel), or pain it, or powder coat it, or other heavy finish on it. (copper plating, nickel plating, chrome plating, etc)
For unpainted parts next in line is high onctuosity greases and oils. that make a sheen of grease over the part that protects very well. here we can go with some coats of marine grease, or framesaver oils, or ballistol oil (firearm protection against rust), or boeshield oils, or any oil.

another barrier against rust is the condition of the part surface. if it's rough it has a large surface to start rusting and keeps moisture in the tiny crevasses of the rough surface. A high polish on part will make the surface very smooth and rust will me much harder to develop. (ie: satin finish rusts more easy than polished mirror finish)

out of all theoretical approaches, i use Ballistol oil in a can to oil all my tools to keep them from rusting in the unheated garage (chisels, spanners, etc) and on bikes in the frame, on cars side rails (inside them) etc. For deterring rust, where i can i sand and polish the parts.. that helps a lot for preventing rust on chisels, plane blades, knives, (also with the purpose of sharpening them and make them work better) and some balistol oil.
This kind of oil smells interesting, and has rust prevention as primary function in firearms and is very good for tools as well.

Results of my test:
5 cruddy bikes were stored outside in the rain and sun since November. All of these bikes had every metal wearable surface sprayed down or wiped down with the triple combination of Boeshield T-9, LPS-3, and ACF-50. This solution was also injected under pressure into all bowden cables for brakes and shifters. Pedal bearings, BB's, and hubs also received this solution injected under pressure. One of these bikes is such a piece of junk none of my friends wanted to ride it, so it has sat all winter. All 4 other bikes were occasionally ridden, including through small creeks and fields of mud with no washing them off. The cruddy Huffy 3" tire bike (Huffy's attempt at a fat tire bike) recieved the worst abuse. In February, it was carried on a car bike rack through mountain passes that had snowstorms and freezing temps all the way to the coast, it was then ridden through the surf on the beach after a dog, and then it was not washed. More lube was added. No freshwater wash occurred, except for alternating rain and snow on the drive back. . Once back, it has been ridden mercilessly, through mud, wet grass, and rain and snow. Not washed once. Beach sand is still visibly clinging to parts of the bike, along with great gobs of mud. No Rust on this bike.

No rust has developed on ANY bike, or chain. All shifters and brakes work as well as they did when new (these are all Walmart bikes, so very poorly). The bike that sat unused since November.needed the tires re-inflated, and water dumped out of the frame, but rides like new.