Removing rust from a Cro-Moly bike… Please, please read and help :)
 

Two Thursdays ago I tripped on a stack of kids books on our stairs & ended up with a broken leg (one leg on the stack of books kicked out & I fell on the other leg). Soooo I’m out of riding until the end of July.

In the meantime, I am hoping to fix a couple problems with my mid-90’s Giant Kronos Cro-Moly bike and would absolutely love some advice from anyone with a couple minutes for me.

The rear brake cable casing stop (the first stop; from where the brake casing runs from the brake lever)… well it has rusted so much that I couldn’t easily remove the casing this weekend. What’s pictured is part of the casing rusted inside the casing stop – yuck! Any advice or direction to how I can safely remove the old brake casing inside the stop and clean the stop so I can continue using it again???

http://pages.towson.edu/tgingeri/Rea...le_Problem.JPG

The other issue is the down-tube front derailleur stop has rusted inside the cable stop socket… this was part of the set provided in the early Dura-Ace 9 Speed shifters (one round from the front and the other a lever to quickly adjust tension to the rear derailleur) anyway, the cable stop socket is so rusted that I cannot rotate the stop to adjust tension to the front derailleur… So I’m not too hot on buying another Shimano shifter stop – are they any others I can attach to the down-tube shifter socket that will not rust???

-is this the shifter casing end-piece rusting or the actual inside of the cable stop/barrel adjuster?

http://pages.towson.edu/tgingeri/Fro...le_Problem.JPG

And finally – if you’re still reading; thank you… The down-tube socket (part of the bottom bracket) – the joint is rusting; I do not think the socket itself is structurally an issue; but I’m assuming it will be if I let it continue rusting. So, any advice to how I can clean-up the rust and treat the joint to prevent more rust in future rides???

http://pages.towson.edu/tgingeri/Downtube_Problem.JPG

Thank you for viewing my post,

Trent

http://pages.towson.edu/tgingeri/Cur...onos_Small.jpg
http://pages.towson.edu/tgingeri/Current_Kronos.jpg

Google search Oxalic Acid Rust Removal

http://www.garberdesign.com/bike/bianchi/1.jpg

http://www.garberdesign.com/bike/bianchi/2.jpg

http://www.garberdesign.com/bike/bianchi/3.jpg

http://www.garberdesign.com/bike/bianchi/4.jpg

All fixed up (2009)

http://www.garberdesign.com/bike/bianchi/9.jpg

2010 component upgrade:

http://www.garberdesign.com/bike/bia...bike_build.jpg

Try this: http://www.ospho.com/
I am in the process of restoring a 1969 Jaguar XKE and am using it by the gallon. It neutralizes the rust and stabilizes the steel. something of a miracle after you see it work.

You should buy another Shimano down tube adjuster. The problem was the incredible amount of rust in your cable not the adjuster.
The down tube rust needs to be really cleaned out. If you have steady hands a Dremel tool would clean it up quick. Otherwise you need to push some paper. Clean it real good with lacquer thinner and get some paint on it.

Have you been keeping your bike outside locked to a tree?

The cable stops on the downtube are relatively cheap and easy to replace but you need to examine the bosses to make sure they're in good condition.

Good lord, that celeste Bianchi is gorgeous!

Ending chapter to my futile battle with the rust monster…


I actually ended up with an all-aluminum frame – a Fuji ’06 Roubaix SL and thus have cheated my way out of cleaning the old steel frame… And, no; I’m not going to jump to all-carbon frame at the sight of a dent in the alum frame.


Thank you for your quick answers Servo888, t595, Wheelgrabber & blacksquid – I was really going to try something to resurrect the old Kronos but a good deal for this Fuji ’06 frame came my way & I couldn’t resist.


Here is the finished product if you’re curious…
http://pages.towson.edu/tgingeri/Fuji_1024.jpg


Select below to see a larger pic…
http://pages.towson.edu/tgingeri/Fuji.jpg


Good luck, t595 with your ’69 Jaguar project – I would like to see a pic when you’re finished, please.


-Are the head lights covered with an aero-dynamic globe or are they open? Wasn’t there a year when the English covered the lights with a globe? Am I remembering a 70’s Triumph Spitfire? A Lotus???


Oh, and Wheelgrabber; I enjoyed & laughed at your “kept outside, locked to a tree” comment – it was actually my sweat dripping – no, check that; my sweat pouring down onto the first rear brake cable boss, then onto the front derailleur cable stop and finally down to the end of the downtube @ the bottom bracket – total rust trail.


Anyway, thank you.
Trent

Good call on a new bike. I wouldn't ride the other one. If you didn't rust proof the inside of the tubes when the bike was new, I think that the bottom bracket junction is probably rusted from the inside out. Steel is real - rusty.

At Trek we had a tank of hot phosphoric acid all the steel frames would be dipped into prior to painting. I ran this fixture through the tank about 25 years ago, and it's been bare metal in my shop ever since:
http://www.os2.dhs.org/~john/fixture.jpg