Rust on Chainstay - advice please!!

Kid Cragg

Looking for some advice on rust on my rear chainstay.

I used a homemade chainstay protector outta an old inner tube and some tie wraps to save me a few quid on a lizard skin jobbie. The chain stay already had a few chips from a loose chain on peaks descents!

I regularly took this off to check for any rust, as i ride a steel P7. Last time i went riding i washed bike with out removing and left it in me shed as i went on my hols.

I've come back and have started giving my bike a service and upon removal i noticed some serious rusting!! I doubt its gonna snap anytime soon but am after some advice on how to save it / prevent further rusting.

I guess its too late for heli tape, so should i sand down and repaint? Can I treat it / get it treated somewhere to save it?

I can chuck up some pictures later to show the extent of it.

i look forward to supersonics words of wisdom!!

Cheers in advance

KC

Stiff_Orange

Kid Cragg wrote:

I used a homemade chainstay protector outta an old inner tube and some tie wraps to save me a few quid on a lizard skin jobbie.

That's one reason why I don't use buy this hole inner tube chainstay protector idea. When you wrap the tube around it forms little pockets which will hold water that can't then evaporate away.

Hard to say without pictures. My old clockwork has chips and rust spots all over but most is just surface rust and it's as sound as a pound (next year it'll get a respray).
If it's lightly rusted just rub it down with some fine grain wet and dry to get the loose rust off, treat it with something like Hammertite Kurust http://www.hammerite.co.uk/guide/kurust.jsp, then prime the area, and repaint. Then buy a proper chainstay protector.
If the rust has eaten into chainstay forming holes or pitting, you could treat it and then ask a friendly metalworker to put some weld on it (one benefit of steel). Unfortunetly the heat could take off/discolour the paint on the chainstay, so there would be a lot more rubbing down, priming and painting required.

If your really worried and don't fancy doing it yourself you could use a specialist like Bob Jackson cycles http://www.bobjacksoncycles.co.uk/

nicklouse

dont worry my old 1984 MTB is still in one piece.