Titanium frame - precautions to avoid corrosion
Apologies if this has been covered before but I would like some up-to-date advice please:
(Frame will be fitted with Chris King headset & Dura-Ace elsewhere, carbon seat post)
1. In a new frame what is the best approach (grease types / where, and whether to use eg Ti bottle cage bolts etc)
2. Any tips about cleaning after use - if this matters
3. Whether any dismantling / grease / rebuild is needed and how often (I will ride about 5000km pa on it - spring to early autumn only). Doing this for the headset would be difficult for me.
I would be very keen to hear from long-term Ti frame users.
Many thanks.
(Frame will be fitted with Chris King headset & Dura-Ace elsewhere, carbon seat post)
1. In a new frame what is the best approach (grease types / where, and whether to use eg Ti bottle cage bolts etc)
2. Any tips about cleaning after use - if this matters
3. Whether any dismantling / grease / rebuild is needed and how often (I will ride about 5000km pa on it - spring to early autumn only). Doing this for the headset would be difficult for me.
I would be very keen to hear from long-term Ti frame users.
Many thanks.
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well I haven't ever been fortunate to own a Ti frame, but I can advise this:
Use a copper-based antiseize compound on any Ti-Ti contact points.
Titanium is generally pretty inert for most chemicals; unfortunately, I don't have my metallurgy books handy to tell you what compounds to avoid. :oops:
They say that using baby oil (I think it's mineral oil) on Ti frames prevents fingerprints and also makes the surface shiny!
Rebuilds are always needed regardless of frame material.
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I would have thought getting every bolt replaced with stainless steel equivalents would be the best thing surely.0
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my bike shop told me to avoid copper based grease on ti-to-alloy touch points.
apparently there is a chemical reaction when mixed with the alloy BB cups and ti bottom bracket which would not happen with other material mixes.
this causes pitting to the threads of the bb alloys cups.
yes, it happened to me, but was noticed by the shop before too much damage had occured :oops:0 -
But are we talking about the same thing? :?
It's not a grease that I'm reccommending, but this:
http://www.finishlineusa.com/products/ti-prep.htm
(there are cheaper alternatives)0 -
I just give mine a squirt of wd40 or gt85 and a wipe with a cloth to keep it looking shiny !0
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synchronicity wrote:But are we talking about the same thing? :?
Hi Synchronicity - actually I was responding directly to the original poster - I understand your advice about ti to ti, and I was talking about my experience with ti to :arrow: alloy reacting with copper grease. Perhaps I mean anti-seize grease. Hopefully point made eventually and could save having to replace bb cups or worse :roll:0 -
a bit of info on titanium and corrosion - basically its a very inert metal in use if the oxidised surface is left alone. The best metallic bolts and fasteners to use on Ti are 18/8 titanium stabilised stainless steel parts if galvanomic corresion is the issue.
For all practical applications the frame can be considered inert if the finish is not destroyed by abrassion.
"Titanium is a very reactive metal that shows remarkable corrosion resistance in oxidizing acid environments by virtue of a passive oxide film. Following its commercial introduction in the 1950's, titanium has become an established corrosion resistant material. In the chemical industry, the grade most used is commercial-purity titanium. Like stainless steels, it is dependent upon an oxide film for its corrosion resistance. Therefore, it performs best in oxidizing media such as hot nitric acid. The oxide film formed on titanium is more protective than that on stainless steel, and it often performs well in media that cause pitting and crevice corrosion in the latter (e.g., seawater, wet chlorine, organic chlorides). While titanium is resistant to these media, it is not immune and can be susceptible to pitting and crevice attack at elevated temperatures. It is, for example, not immune to seawater corrosion if the temperature is greater than about 110oC."0 -
Sounds like Ti-prep is the stuff. What about regular disassembly?
Where would you get 18/8 titanium stabilised stainless steel?0 -
dcj wrote:my bike shop told me to avoid copper based grease on ti-to-alloy touch points.
Your bike shop are surely talking rubbish! Copper grease is fine to apply to alloy seatposts and BB threads when they are used in Ti frames. I use it all the time and have no problems. It really is the accepted way to preven Ti seizing both to Ti parts and to alloy or steel parts.
Which bike shop was it? So they actually deal in any Ti frames?0 -
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synchronicity that has to be a joke. A seatpost seized in a frame makes no noise (and is inconvenient when you try to replace or move it later!). I can't say that I have had great advice yet... apart from Ti prep being the stuff to use.0
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No it's not a joke... think about all the noises parts make.
Loose headset - clicks.
BB worn out - creaks.
Derailleurs - many different chain-related noises
Wheel out of true - brakepad rubbing noise
need I continue?
IMO, if you have a totally silent running bike then it's a small sign that everything is pretty much in order.
If you grease everything to start with you won't have anything seize on you.0
