Rust in top tube
 

My Gios has internally routed rear brake cable and housing. When I pulled it out it was covered in parts with rust. Looking inside the top tube I can see that the inside is brown with rust.

The dude at my LBS didn't have any really good suggestions. What should I do to prevent something bad from happening?

Thanks!
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5175/...82b70d56a6.jpg

Is there rust showing on the exterior of the tube yet, or is it all on the inside?

It's all interior - I can scratch at it, and it comes off easily. There's a touch of surface rust, but nothing substantial.

Won't it go away if you just ignore it and tell yourself it was never there?

Just like those love-handles eh?

Dude! Are you spying on me or do you know my wife?

I should buy an indoor trainer. :o

Ospho? Framesaver?

On one project a while back, I suspected some amount of rust inside of the tubes. What I did was spray some solvent in the tubes, run a rag down each (using a coat hanger or some such to push and grab), and then used FrameSaver to inhibit future rust. Those rags did come out pretty darn filthy.

Neal

It will most likely outlast all of us.....

The best thing to do would be to strip the frame and soak it in oxalic acid overnight. The inside of the tubes will look like new! Then after a sodium carbonate rinse and hang-drying, coat the insides with FrameSaver.

If you don't want to spend that much time and effort, I would first make sure the inside of your top tube is completely dry-- hang the bike over a radiator or your heating furnace overnight with those cable exit points unobscured to allow air flow through the tube. Then squirt in some FrameSaver. If you're in WA, I take it you still have your heat on?

+1

I just had an awesome idea....

What about a 12 ga. shotgun bore snake? If the diameter would work right.... one could do some damage to the rust with that and solvent/chemical of choice.

What would the oxacolic acid do to stickers, light surface rust and paintjob?

Nothing except removing the rust.


OA is a panacea to the mind and a specific against The Great Pox Of Bicycles, as much as Salvasan is a specific against the Great Pox. OA followed by a base rinse, heat-drying, and Framesaver (or linseed oil if you're a cheapskate, as I am) is a great solace to the mind.

Mark you, it takes a heck of a lot of surface rust to add up to even minimal real damage.

Maybe I'll build it first, just to get a ride in and then I'll try the bath.

Probably best to just leave it alone, most steel will rust over on the inside, and then stay that way for decades, the only time it's a concern is if the opening is on the top, where water might be able to get inside the tube and stay there.

I think that's what happened.