Two questions - both "use it or lose it"?
 

Sorry to throw two questions into one thread. Not even the same bike, but similar situations, and the same question about each. Question being - do I use this, or lose it?

First - Specialized RockHopper, 1989-ish I think. Thumb shifters and green/purple fade. Rigid "Direct Drive" (I think that means it's cro-mo) fork. And that's where the problem is:
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c9d039656d.jpg
Left blade has a dent about halfway down. Hard to say how it happened. Not rusted up, so I'm thinking something that happened in storage. Has an abraded, scraped look to it.

Closer shot for detail.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9c92292bb1.jpg

And a side-on shot to give an idea of the depth. Sorry about the awful focus.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...370f483751.jpg

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Second, mid-'90s Trek MultiTrack 730. Lugged frame, so I think that puts it at about '94-'95. This one has a gouge in the DS seat stay, right at the dropout. No doubt from prolonged chain rub:
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...56f4a1599c.jpg
Appears to be about 1/2 mm deep, but that's a wild-@$$ guess..

Here's a tighter shot, if that helps establish depth.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6d0dbf93f0.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ee0c4c7a55.jpg Extreme close-up to gauge the depth.

So, question in both cases is, use it or lose it? Do I keep that ^ frame, or that ^^^ fork, or are they done for? Any repair options in either case?

I wouldn't fear for my life riding either. It's steel.

That's why you can buy tiny cans of paint. Touch of paint to protect the steel and zoom.

Ditto

IMO use it with some touch up!

Thanks y'all. Just fishing for some reassurance, I guess. Gotta love old steel. The 730 is a bit (yawn), but the 'Hopper has that wicked fade. It's still "shed fresh" (i.e. dusty/cruddy). We'll clean it up this weekend and I'll post some pics. My wife's an artist, so I'm confident she can match up both colors (sans the metal flake, alas).

A used RockHopper of about that vintage was my elder son's first adult bicycle, and he still has it.

Use it.

They'll buff right out.

:thumb:

The Stump Jumper is over engineered so I wouldn't worry about the damage.

Ditto on the Trek.

Take a file and remove a little of the metal off of the inside of the seat stay at the dropout for chain clearance. I've been doing that for years. Did it on all of the frames that I built back in the 70's, never saw a problem.

I had to file chain clearance on the seat stay when I put a 6 speed narrow freewheel on my 1971 Motobecane Grand Record. The chain would catch shifting off the 13T sprocket. The bottom picture shows how much of the stay I needed to file off for adequate clearance. That's not a particularly highly stressed point as most of the forces are going up into the seat stay rather then laterally loading plus there's adequate metal remaining. You can see in the vent hole how thick the tubing is at the bottom of the seat stay.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b2a0849ea3.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...66d4a5f238.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...cb6cd10ac5.jpg

Much better solution than taking a File to the Chainstays. And Washers are available in a multitude of widths.