xiaoman1 

Well I saw an add for this Ciocc, the pics were bad but I was interested because it was my size and well I just don't see a lot out there that will work for me with the standover etc.
I spoke to the owner and was told that the bike was in good shape for its age and that is was not ridden much.He said the last time it was out was for a triathlon that his daughter competed in and after the race the bike was put away..... the bike had no dents but that there was a little rust form hanging in his garage for about 20 years!
I made the appointment to see it thinking just a little surface rust perhaps easy to clean but to my disappointment when it was pulled from the garage it was worse than expected...not structural but very rusty from being put away without a wipe down. All of the chrome had some deep pitting under the clear coat with the fork being the worst....it would still make a good rider. We talked a bit and after pointing out the problems, he lowered the price so it was right for me as well.
My bikes are far from pristine but I still give them a wipe down if it was wet out or I rode on the beach.
Pics of the attempted clean up to follow...wish me luck. Yes I know there will be no chrome under the rust...but I will try to get it as shinny as possible!
Regards, Ben
BTW the group has little to no wear on it....looks like all Chorus

canklecat

You won't see that level of rust and pitting anywhere but coastal areas and where salt is used on roads in winter. I don't always wipe down my bikes and I've never seen more than a slight bit of haze on carbon steel and chromed steel parts on any bike in Texas.

xiaoman1 

yes I know.... socal, los angeles.
Ben

Spaghetti Legs 

Yep that's pretty bad! I painted the beat up chrome on my Merckx Century fork and it turned out pretty nice. Lot of prep work to get it smoothed out. Good luck!

If you find a good color match for that blue, let us know. I have a Ciocc in that same color.

xiaoman1 

SL,
Roger that on the color...found a perfect on for the Gios, but first things first.
Did you paint the fork a color other than a "sortof"chrome?
Regards, Ben

bwilli88 

My bikes rust just hanging up in my shed and they were clean when hung. It is the climate here. I have taken to spraying a whole bike in oil when I leave them for longer than a month. I had some inexpensive westwood rims for my cruiser that the chrome just rusted off in a couple of months of hanging in the shop

LarryBSky

I passed on a rusty De Rosa that was locally for sale. It's a shame that they were treated so poorly. On the other had if it was shiny, I wouldn't be able to afford it.

Spaghetti Legs 

I painted it gloss black to match the frame - easy enough. I also painted the NDS chainstay which was (formerly) chrome. Luckily the DS side had a protector that saved it.

My attempt at chrome colored paint did not go well.

desconhecido 

Did you remove all the chrome plating before smoothing and refinishing? I've been reading some about how to chemically remove chrome with either bleach or HCl. Guess it's the chlorine. I don't know if I'm a good enough chemist for that.

xiaoman1 

Well I am glad that is was not on my side of the states and my size....I might have been foolish enough to add that to my "projects".Fork looks bent anyway
Regards, Ben

plonz 

Can't completely agree with this. I'm a "sweater" when I ride hard and in a Houston summer I get a bike pretty wet. If I don't clean the bike and just leave it in the garage after a ride, it starts rusting pretty fast in the Houston humidity.

I first learned this the hard way with my Specialized Expedition. After a summer riding season, the top tube and bottom bracket area developed heavy corrosion. Started to see this on subsequent C&V builds so now I wipe down after every summer ride and store my steel bikes indoors. Rust and corrosion stopped immediately.

canklecat

Yup, I can see that. It doesn't get that humid in Fort Worth and I don't perspire that much anyway.

Years ago when I lived on the coast I did need to rinse my salt water fishing gear off in plain water after each use to prevent rust and corrosion. But I didn't bother wiping it dry after rinsing in plain water.

Lascauxcaveman 

If you're thinking of using the "chrome" rattlecan paint that's available, I'd advise against it. It doesn't look bad, kind of like a semi-polished titanium, when you first put it on, but contact almost anything will eff it up pretty fast.

You can't clearcoat it, you can't wetsand it, or buff it out with rubbing compound or wax or any of the things you do with normal paint to make it nice and finished looking. It takes a long time to cure, and doesn't cure very hard. I ruined some that had cured for two weeks by accidentally getting a little white lithium spray-can grease on it.

xiaoman1 

Thanks for the info....I will start working on it this weekend to see what kind of a mess I have got myself into. It is nice to have a project. I think I am going to try aluminum foil and elbow grease.
Ben

gugie 

Some bikes, if the chrome is bad, there's no sin in just painting the whole thing. Old Raleighs come to mind, the chrome wasn't that great on most of them. Not to say that if it's in good shape I wouldn't try to keep it, but I'm not crying if it's rusted and pitted.

Some bikes, the original chrome is a good part of the appeal. All those sexy full chrome fork and stays Italian racers from the 80's, yeah, I'd be upset just seeing it.

gaucho777 

Why don't some dry off their bikes before putting them away? Exhaustion. Sometimes I get done with a long ride and lean the bike wherever there's room in the garage, stumble upstairs for a shower, a cold drink, and a space on the couch. But in my experience, that level of rust is more of a habitual storage and/or wet-weather usage issue rather than neglecting to do a post-ride wipe-down. I'd guess this was a commuter or student bike that was left outside a lot, rather than a rider that was used and then put away wet. I have a PX-10 in worse condition in the queue. Shame to lose the chrome socks, but at least I know it should be a good rider even if I end up paining over the chrome.

xiaoman1 

Yes I agree not just a one time misuse to clean. It seems like a combination of both neglect and sitting in the garage for 20 plus. I don't think this bike was left out side everything else is almost like new...cranks,brakes (no oxidation etc.),seat,frame and even the "vintage" bar tape is nice...just dusty.Seat post (no rust inside seat tube) and goose neck adjusted with ease.
The weekend will tell the tale....told Rebecca it wil polish out, she gave me the look.
Regards, Ben

gaucho777 

Btw, I could be wrong, but I'm thinking Athena rather than Chorus. Chorus had a different shape at the ends of the brake calipers arms (flat near the brake pad fixing bolts) and a bit more curve to the crank arms.

ollo_ollo

Those are Monoplanar brakes on the O.P.'s bike. I have them on 3 of my bikes. Love the look, and they stop my 150 pounds just fine. On mine the one with Chorus is unlabeled, the other 2 are labeled Athena and Mirage. I cannot see any difference between them, so appears Campy moved them down through the groups over time. Don

ColonelSanders

Have these sort of rust issues been sorted out if one buys a modern steel bike that costs a few thousand dollars?

Prowler 

I suppose this does not apply to San Diego but here in the Mid-Atlantic we get neglected by the weather. With wide temperature swings in the spring and fall we get this scenario: metal objects (bicycles, tools, machinery, etc) sit in the cold garage, sometimes real cold. Then a warm front sweeps in carrying humid air. The home owner says "at last! A warm day" and casts open the garage doors, sets the stereo speakers out on the porch. Well, the humidity rushes into the garage and seeks out all that cold steel where it condenses into solid water and gets rust started and well fed. That causes much of the widespread rust you see on things. Little by little over 20 years.....

I keep the doors and windows shut tight until the humid air moves on. Possible in SD?

Spaghetti Legs 

I did not. Removed rust then sanded smooth. I would think that any process to remove chrome that did not involve an electrical current or some other form of accelerator would take a really really long time.

Spaghetti Legs 

Ha I was thinking Chrous since I could see a little roller holding the brake spring. My Athena brakes have a a fixed slot holding the spring

Right is what I think is a Chorus, left is a later model (mid 90's?) Athena and a solid post, no roller. An earlier version on my Bianchi, the anchor for the spring is longer and integrated into the edge of the caliper.

Grand Bois

The best way to prevent rust.

xiaoman1 

Thanks, I will post some better pics of the group to get more information.....I have never be able to distinguish the difference in the later groups.
The weekend is approaching, we'll see what happens.
Ben