Rust prevention?
 

Not truly mechanical, but I thought this would still be the best forum.

I have several bicycles and am looking for ways to prevent rust. Are there places that sell rust proof bolts, nuts, and such. Or can I apply something to them that would still look good and stop rust? Even the bicycle that I try to keep dry is starting to rust after only 5 months as I ride in all weather.

I occasionally blast problem boltheads with WD-40 after washing. Wipe off any over spray with a rag.

There are Stainless steel bolts if you want to look up bolt specs for every bolt on the bike and shop for 'em.

I think you can also get titanium bolts, but those are for weight weenies looking to save a few grams and probably cost more than a decent bike.

I have also not found a better rust prevention than WD40. To free up stuck bolts, PB Blaster always works well.

Live without Oxygen..:roflmao:

Mixed strategies work best. You can order a larger quantity of stainless bolts on line e.g. from Bolt Depot. Otherwise rust can be inhibited chemically, such as with ACF-50, or by preventing water from reaching the metal, such as with LPS3 or Boeshield T9. I use a mixture of the three with an astounding success.

boeshield t9. i give the hex recess of the top cap bolt a shot of t9 to keep it shiny. especially on tt/tri bikes

This is part of the reasoning that many of us have for greasing everything that you won't be able to touch during handling the bike. Bikes are just not water proof or even all that water resistant. So the risk of rust and water/oxygen related corrosion is always an issue.

Stainless steel allen cap bolts would be an excellent place to start. They aren't cheap though. But costs can be cut down by ordering in box lots of 100 and then split the order up with a few buddies of like minded thinking. Order long and cut down to length for a range of sizes where possible to limit the lengths needed to just a couple of stock sizes if at all possible.

For the rest a good car wax works well for painted and polished alloy. For bolts and other steel parts that can't be replaced easily car wax is not bad or a spritz and wipe off with some oil now and then.

On the other hand if you mean a one time effort to achieve permanent rust proofing then no.... it ain't gonna' happen. There's just too many steel bits on any bike to totally avoid the issue. So some cleaning and protection applications are always going to be needed.