beanzontoast
Guru
- Location
- South of The Peaks
I've been wondering about this for a long time...
On every bike I've owned down the decades (including steel framed bikes and alloy framed bikes) I've tried to be conscientious about protecting the componentry from rust. I've generally used a thin wiping of grease on bolts and inside hexbolt heads and have maintained a thin coating of oil on chains and gears. But inevitably when things get wet and then get warm without being wiped dry - which happens when I'm commuting - sooner or later rust starts to appear.
It's generally been the gears and derailleurs that start to show rust spots first. There are so many nooks and crannies that to thoroughly dry and re-oil them would take a long time. I usually manage to keep the chain clean of rust by drying it when I get home and then wiping it through an oily rag - though the bolts for bottle cages, the fixings for mudguards and the mudguard stays themselves are particularly susceptible.
What if anything can be done to keep rust at bay? Is it possible to protect a bike so that it doesn't have to be wiped down after getting wet? Are there treatments for the 'at risk' components that will keep them safe?
On every bike I've owned down the decades (including steel framed bikes and alloy framed bikes) I've tried to be conscientious about protecting the componentry from rust. I've generally used a thin wiping of grease on bolts and inside hexbolt heads and have maintained a thin coating of oil on chains and gears. But inevitably when things get wet and then get warm without being wiped dry - which happens when I'm commuting - sooner or later rust starts to appear.
It's generally been the gears and derailleurs that start to show rust spots first. There are so many nooks and crannies that to thoroughly dry and re-oil them would take a long time. I usually manage to keep the chain clean of rust by drying it when I get home and then wiping it through an oily rag - though the bolts for bottle cages, the fixings for mudguards and the mudguard stays themselves are particularly susceptible.
What if anything can be done to keep rust at bay? Is it possible to protect a bike so that it doesn't have to be wiped down after getting wet? Are there treatments for the 'at risk' components that will keep them safe?