Today I scored a very nice steel framed Saracen road bike that looks like it's been left out in the rain from the day it was first bought...

But it has some nice components, so I thought even if the frame is beyond redemption, I can still use the brake levers, shifters, handlebars and derailleurs.

Which I probably still can... Except the shifters and front mech were so rusted that the bolts both snapped under the pressure of trying to loosen them.

In the unlikely event that this bike somehow emerges whole from the rust, and I find it a new home (wrong size for me) will replacement bolts destroy its vintage mojo?

Thanks in advance

Since it sounds like it doesn't have much mojo left, replacement bolts won't hurt it's mojo at all.

agree with post no. 2; also evapo rust can work wonders on rusted bits.

Thanks for the replies. I've seen evaporust recommended before; maybe this is my time to give it a try. If I have any success, I'll post the pictures up here.

Good luck. Bike Gods smile on people who save mistreated bikes.

I've been toying with the idea of doing a frame 'rustoration' after watching monkeyshred's youtube video. His frame looks roughly as rusty as mine, so I'm suddenly hopeful that it's a rideable frame.

But.

I'm no expert. And I don't want to die (or pass the bike to someone whose life is shortened by it)

Does anyone know of a reliable way to tell whether the frame is structurally sound or not?

I look forward to the bike gods smiling on me - so far they've mostly rained on me

If there's enough of a question that you doubt the safety- then don't bother.

There's literally MILLIONS and MILLIONS of bikes out there. Out of those, there are literally MILLIONS of bikes that are in decent, serviceable shape. Don't waste your time, effort and money on garbage. If there's something you can recover from a destroyed frame- do it- but things reach the end of their usable lives.

Do the rust removal anyway, the experience you gain is time well spent. If it seems sound after getting everything exposed, build it up and test it out, if it seems unsafe toss it. You still have the knowledge gained for future projects. Been there, done that, got the commemorative concert CD and poster, and the t-shirt.

Bill

I agree with Bill. You never know what you have until you did in under the "patina." Even if the frame is a loss, you still may be able to salvage things like headset races and BB cups, perhaps some bolt-on cable guides, unless all of those are too shot, as well.

Thanks for the encouragement, folks. I'm going to do the rust removal as you suggest, even if it's just for the curiosity value.

What's your preferred rust removal technique(s)?

Naval jelly (oxalic acid) or Evaporust, and patience. Wear gloves please. G'luk

Bill

Thanks Bill. I like the idea of evaporust, but was under the impression you need to immerse the rust in a bath of it to get good results. Am I mistaken on this?