Corrosion on chain and gears no matter how much I wash/wipe it down?

Quote by MBB:
"It has been exposed to a significant amount of road salt on almost every ride, due to our record snowfall this year. I am sure that is a contributing factor."

You just may be on to something, Captain Obvious...

What are you doing wrong? Aside from not relocating to sunny Georgia and sipping Mint Juleps in the shade...

You need to be soaking your bike in a good rust inhibitor/corrosion inhibitor. In fact, you should be using so much of it...knowing your winter riding habits through the War Zone at night...that you would be investing in their public stock offers.

Buy any of these products by the 55-gallon drum: CorrosionPro Lube, CRC Heavy Duty, LPS-3 and/or Boeshield T-9 .

Use them in liberal amounts. Apply before riding. Apply after riding. Hell, apply them AS you pedal. It is Detroit, after all.

You need to be cleaning your driveline immediately after a salt brine soaking. In fact, if I were you I would be coating the inside of my frame tubes twice per winter. And storing your bike inside, in a warm area, after your sub-zero midnight escapades only encourages condensation and death from within. They make a product...Frame Saver IIRC...just for those that subject high quality thin-wall steel tubing to such abuse.

And no...living in some faux-safe United Nations enclave with an art museum doesn't mean anything except they can afford to buy Great Lakes freighters full of salt from salt mines under Lake Erie and spread it 2" thick on what little suburbia remains within the 250-kiloton blast radius that is the greater Detroit metroplex.

Da Frame Saver stuff: http://www.treefortbikes.com/product/333222339240/351/JP-Weigles-Frame-Saver-Aerosol.html

The Michiganers (or is it, "Michiganese" or "Michiganites"?) of Tree Fort Bike are good people. I endorse them.

Thanks for the advice, Campy. Will do.

CAMPYBOB said:

And no...living in some faux-safe United Nations enclave with an art museum doesn't mean anything except they can afford to buy Great Lakes freighters full of salt from salt mines under Lake Erie and spread it 2" thick on what little suburbia remains within the 250-kiloton blast radius that is the greater Detroit metroplex.

LMFAO, that is a great comment. Now, why do I get vibes that you just don't like Detroit? :big-smile:

I was going to say, just do the best you can, ride the snot out of it, and get a new chain and cassette when the roads clear.

I find Tri-flow does a pretty good job on surface rust--just dribble it on and wipe it off. Most of the rust that doesn't come off on the rag will wear off after a few miles of riding. Those on-bike chain scrubbers work well, too. Most people use them for removing greasy grime and grimy grease, but I can't think of a reason they can't work on salt.

Just run a cheaper chain, clean and lube regularly. I don't think surface rust is a big problem, its the bearing surfaces that matter.

To be honest, I just park my winter bike wet and dripping and service the chain once in a while. I use cheap kmc, nashbar chains so it will get replaced when the weather breaks.

When I was an employed person (damn I need to find a job) they gave me a bike to commute.

It was working fine, having an extra half an hour for coffee and cookies in the morning and still was making it there at 7:45.

Then... The snow came.

In the beginning it wasnt so bad. But after a while the bike was just too slippery so I started using the bus.

There is a frame saving material recommended by Surly: But it is nasty stuff... Probably best done in the LBS.

Apply Rust Inhibitor To The Insides Of The Tubes:

http://surlybikes.com/info_hole/spew/spew_care_and_feeding_of_your_steel_frame

If you -have- to ride in snow and salt then maybe a bike like this?:

Aluminium frame which doesnt corrode as much, disc brakes and -sealed gear hub- which doesnt need as much cleaning.

With "wet" lube, and lots of it. Not the fancy 10euro per bottle stuff, alot of a very cheap one.

http://www.cube.eu/bikes/tour/editor/editor/

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as for tires maybe these:

Mmmm... Sporty! [IMG]files.cyclingforums.combig smile.pngOpen ↗[/IMG]

[IMG]cyclingforums.com1000Open ↗[/IMG]

Or if there is ice in the equation too:

Mmmm, what a ride these are gonna be!!! [IMG]files.cyclingforums.combig smile.pngOpen ↗[/IMG]

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and ofcourse some of these "aero beauties" too: [IMG]files.cyclingforums.combig smile.pngOpen ↗[/IMG]

These get detached if something gets stuck between them and the wheel, so they wont "block" the wheel, which might be dangerous.

[IMG]cyclingforums.com1000Open ↗[/IMG]

Quote by MMB:
"Now, why do I get vibes that you just don't like Detroit? [IMG]files.cyclingforums.combig smile.pngOpen ↗[/IMG]"

Cleveland's tourist slogan is: "Come to Cleveland! At least we're not Detroit!"

Quote by Maydog:
" I don't think surface rust is a big problem..."

Rust never sleeps...

[IMG]cyclingforums.com700Open ↗[/IMG]

In Soviet Detroit, rust eat YOU!

Salt will attack aluminum faster than Putin can annex Crimea...and Abkhazia...and Ingushetia...

[IMG]cyclingforums.com700Open ↗[/IMG]

I would strangle the man that let this happen to Campy chainrings with my bare hands!

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Cheap shimaNO [censored] or fine Campagnolo art...there is no reason to subject metal to the ravages of winter when you can protect it with a hose-down of aerosol driven liquid rust inhibitors! The added bonus is that we can help increase the hole size in the obozone layer, add to Global Warming™ (much needed after our Impending Ice Age© winter of discontent!) AND [censored] hippies and hipsters alike!

It's a win-win for everyone!

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
Quote by Maydog:
" I don't think surface rust is a big problem..."

Rust never sleeps...

That is hardly surface rust, looks to be rusted around some other damage; anyway MBB is asking about rust on chains and gears. A little corrosion is unavoidable in wet, winter riding conditions unless you are using stainless components.

I suppose you could clean dry and relube after every ride, but I don't have a heated garage and am not going to bring a filthy, ice and mud encrusted beater bike in the house. After most of my winter rides this season I had to strip down and make like Luke Skywalker on the ice planet Hoth to warm up.

My clearance nashbar cassette and chain get swapped out each winter.

Quote by Maydog:
"I suppose you could clean dry and relube after every ride,"

The aerosols make it a snap, with a detail cleaning every weekend in normal winters. This winter, my road miles and ride frequency were so low I was going three weeks or a month between chain/cassette/chainring detail cleanings. I keep a stash of oily rags in a safety can right next to the shelf of pressurized elixirs and tonics. The in-use bikes, whether track or road, are parked on rubber or cardboard mats with 'Exxon Valdez' absorbent to catch any drippings (weird...not even my 'mark their spot' Harley's sit on that!) to catch excess lube.

"but I don't have a heated garage..."

Check out Menard's for close-out deals on quartz area heaters. They ran a couple of great sales this winter and those heaters work great in a garage. Well, "great" down to about 25°. Below that we need to set the garage on fire to keep warm!

"After most of my winter rides this season I had to strip down and make like Luke Skywalker on the ice planet Hoth to warm up."

Yeah...when you jump in the shower with your riding stuff still mostly on...you KNOW you need to warm up fast or die!

And speaking of stainless...even some of those alloys will corrode. I have an FSA stem with Chicom stainless SHCS's and the hex recesses corroded. Now, ALL fasteners get the oily Q-Tip treatment.

Luckily, I do have a heated garage, it melts off fast out there. And I don 't mind bringing it all the way in and hosing it off I'm the tub/shower in my one bathroom if necessary. Mud can be cleaned, and the dog tracks in more than a bike does.

Quote by MBB:
"Luckily, I do have a heated garage..."

And if you're like me, you also have hot water in the garage. I would not not use a hose on a good bike (and the first person that brings up the ProTour mechanics and their electric pressure washers [
Annovi Reverberi for the win!] gets their fingers broken and whipped with Park Tool headset press!), I would definitely hose down a winter bike and spray it with WD-40 and some rust inhibitor and spray lube the chain and such.

Hmmm...just the thought of warm, soapy water on semi-frozen fingers after ride sounds not so bad! Remember...add some kerosine to the wash water. The film it leaves after the water evaporates also works to prevent rust and corrosion.

Say! Did your builder go with half-height glazed tile garage walls or full-height? One drain or Two? I can picture you with a restored Morgan +4 {beige with brown wings, perhaps?) on one side of the garage and an '83 Camaro with full neon and LED light show display on the other side.

Lol, try picturing your basic ugly one-car garage with a painted cement floor that needs repainting, drywall, and so much [censored] in it I can't get my car in. Which sort of defeats the purpose, I know. I also have a two car detached garage with so much [censored] in it I can't get my car in. Time for a garage sale or an industrial dumpster. No sports cars, sorry. I think I like your vision better ...

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
Remember...add some kerosine to the wash water. The film it leaves after the water evaporates also works to prevent rust and corrosion.

Wont that dissolve the paint on the frame?

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Volnix

Wont that dissolve the paint on the frame?

Not likely. Most paints chemically cure and cannot be redissolved once cured by any of the solvents contained in the coating before application. Lacquers and shellacs are an exception to this, but one would have to use the specific solvent class to dissolve them (lacquer thinner for lacquer paints, which is a cocktail of fairly hot solvents, and various alcohols for shellac). Kerosene is a fairly weak solvent, as solvents go (and it's a blend of various lengths of hydrocarbon molecules, plus some impurities).

Years ago when I worked for a Honda motorcycle dealer we used to spray engines down with kerosene to clean them after doing tune-ups or repairs, followed up with a good rinse spray of soap and water. Sometimes did this before the job if the engine came in greasy or dirty. It didn't seem to affect the silver-painted side covers on the motor or frame paint at all.

Quote by Volnix:
"Wont that dissolve the paint on the frame?"

No. Most bicycle frame paint is water-based (Worthless compared to the older oil-based paints...Thanks! EPA morons and stupid tree hugging dirty hippies!) anyways.

Kerosene leaves an un-evaporated film on the paint and metal. It's only a slight protective film against corrosion, but better than nothing. In a 2-gallon bucket of hot car wash water I'll add a 1/2 pint of kerosene or so. Off-Road diesel fuel can be substituted for kerosene if you can put up with the smell.

Put some wax on bike frame, it will work great.

Teflon based chain lube does not necessary prevent rusting, cause there is always some leaks for corrosive rain water, road salts water to penetrate through. Anti-rust agent-added chain lube would work better. But since chain roller, plate and pin wears each other during riding, the anti-rusting agent would be worn-off (same situation with WD-40). So reapplication would be necessary. I just reapply cheap anti-rusting chain lubes on rainy days, winter days (due to road salts) or every three normal days.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
Quote by Maydog:
" I don't think surface rust is a big problem..."

Rust never sleeps...

[IMG]cyclingforums.com700Open ↗[/IMG]

In Soviet Detroit, rust eat YOU!

Salt will attack aluminum faster than Putin can annex Crimea...and Abkhazia...and Ingushetia...

[IMG]cyclingforums.com700Open ↗[/IMG]

I would strangle the man that let this happen to Campy chainrings with my bare hands!

[IMG]cyclingforums.com700Open ↗[/IMG]

Cheap shimaNO [censored] or fine Campagnolo art...there is no reason to subject metal to the ravages of winter when you can protect it with a hose-down of aerosol driven liquid rust inhibitors! The added bonus is that we can help increase the hole size in the obozone layer, add to Global Warming™ (much needed after our Impending Ice Age© winter of discontent!) AND [censored] hippies and hipsters alike!

It's a win-win for everyone!

That happens to Campag Record chainrings because they're made of crapaluminum - CrpAL(for those inclined to read the Periodic Table) - reclaimed spam cans, tin foil and audi car bodies reclaimed from chop shops all melted down and molded like jelly in Italy. Heat treatment - they're left by Paulo and Roberto on the window ledge in the summer sun. I ran the old record stuff for several years and the rings tarnish even in English summers on a bike that was never used in training. I had better things to do than sit there and polish the damn things to keep them looking great. The only things that wore out faster were the stupidly expensive alloy freewheels that Campag produced. Those things lost their teeth faster than old Aunt Mavis giving 'gum jobs' in the old peoples retirement home.

Shimano captured the mighty Godzilla and forced it to operate the uber-massive 5,000 ton hammer than forges aluminum before Yoda summons the Midi-chlorians to remove the insides of the chainrings to produce the hollow sections. Dura-Ace = Durable and Ace > poxy splashes from rock salt and a bit of rain water.