I have a 6 year old Surly Crosscheck bike in hospital green. It began to speckle with small rust spots through the paintwork this year. The insides are fine. I keep this (main) bike in a secure (Trimetal) outside storage along with 2 other bikes. They show no problems even though one, a Hetchins, is now nearly 40 years old. I do look after my bikes pretty well.
Why should a decent chrome alloy frame do this, and has anyone else had similar problems with a Surly?

Welcome to the forum.

I am assuming that these spots do not correspond with chips in the coating, right? I believe that Surly frames are powder coated, not painted, so the speckling may be something other than rust. Rust under powder coating would likely manifest itself as a bubble that gets progressively bigger.

Pictures would be more enlightening, but you will have to have 10 posts before you can upload them.

pictures would help, might be rustjacking? rusting under the paint due to improper metal cleaning before finishing? That is a guess though.

Its a steel frame- they rust. Doesnt matter if its lowly hiten steel, midgrade generic 4130 steel, or fancy 853 steel- it all rusts.

Grab a rag, spray with boeshield, and wipe the frame down...use a spray automotive wax, if you want. Revel in the patina--especially since it isn't an expensive frame.

Thanks all for your suggestions. I hope to upload a couple of pics if I get another few posts.
And yes, I chose a Surly at age 65 because they are not too expensive. There may be a moral there.

Surly is a good choice and the Cross Check is a great bike so you should have no regrets. Take some time to post some more so we can look at your pictures. I'd suggest visiting the Introductions forum and telling us a bit about yourself. The Fifty Plus forum would also be a good place since you are a fellow mature rider.

Found this post of a rusted cross-check that lived through 7 years of commuting in Duluth. Look anything like yours?

https://forums.mtbr.com/surly/cross-...ry-961545.html

Boy oh boy. That's some serious corrosion. I'd back the suggestions that you get someone to take a look and remedy the rusting. I've had steel frames for some time as have some of my friends. Well cared for and they should not corrode so quickly. As I say I've ridden a 40 year old steel frame which I've owned for 25 years and there's little corrosion.
Thanks for your suggestions of an intro. This is my first evah forum of any sort - it's good to know background. And I do love riding my Surly. Lovely bike.

im just a kid at 62. I bet your surley has many years left.

I've seen plenty of steel, powder-coated frames take on a few rust speckles, especially along the top tube, even here in sunny Texas. I suspect in our case it's from corrosive sweat. It'll take decades to eat through a tube, but if you dislike the looks, a decent powder-coat paint job should only cost a couple of hundred dollars. I know I plan to keep my Cross-check around long enough to make that pennies a year over the long run!

strip off the pares and have it re powder coated ..
I had a front rack* re powder coated,
he just roughed up the surface and applied another powder layer,
the old and new combined at the melting point..

* 1st job was hung with a wire Christmas wreath frame project batch,
2nd one was done with another powder coating project , gloss, black, this time ..

by having a friend involved, , each job was free..
though, 2nd time, it took a year for another paying customer
wanting the same color..

Electric power to heat the small room sized oven is the main cost..

Unpossible. According teh Biek Forms hive mind, steel frames are 'real' and have no issues whatsoever. They last forever, and will never rust, corrode, or break.

Seriously? A bit of surface corrosion; insignificant. Clean it up, good to go. Frame will last for years. All steel surfaces (short of high-grade stainless) are prone to surface/superficial corrosion.