Rust in the steel fork

[KnottedYet]

Why the black fork? My fork is black, too. (the rest of the bike is pale blue)

Is that to make it look like carbon?

Meanwhile.... there is RUST inside my black-painted faux-carbon Chro-Mo steel fork!

[Trek420]

nope, I voted for all one color, but Chris says go for the black front fork. It's not to be fauxe carbon, the guy's just got a designers eye. I've learned not to question it, if he says "these two things are same price and functionality but this will just look better" he's always been right.

[KnottedYet]

Get it painted and then post pics so we call all ooogle. I like ooogling. Half the fun of riding on the crazy-busy bike path is sitting on a bench watching all the pretty bikes go by.

Did I mention there is rust in my steel fork?

[Trek420]

Yes you did.

And if you paint it yourself the key is prep. Rust is a living thing under the paint and just painting over it, it will keep growing. So I think you'll need to take the fork off and get all the rust off. Probably means chemical paint stripper which also will let you check for even more rust. Then once clean, rust free and thuroughly dry just repaint.

Steel's a lifetime bike but rust is its one mortal enemy.

[Kalidurga]

I like ooogling. Half the fun of riding on the crazy-busy bike path is sitting on a bench watching all the pretty bikes go by.

And I thought I was the only one. I keep walking into people on the sidewalk while craning my neck to check out bikes locked up in front of office buildings downtown.

[KnottedYet]

Trek - the rust is inside the tube. I can see rust around the drain-holes for the tubes.

did I mention that there is RUST in my PRECIOUS DARLING!?!?!?!

Maybe I'm too fragile and delicate natured to cope with a steel-framed bike. Even just a steel fork is exhausting. Imagine the panic, the utter hysteria, when I discovered the rust that lurks in bottom brackets! Oh, just the thought makes me feel like I need a lie-down with a cold compress on my fevered brow.

If I was half the butch I like to pretend I am (which would be about 1/4), I'd've called the LBS and asked them what to do already. It's more fun this way....

[KnottedYet]

KD - and some of those riders ain't too bad, either....

but mostly I look at bikes..

[Veronica]

If it's surface rust, it's no big deal.

V.

[DebW]

Trek - the rust is inside the tube. I can see rust around the drain-holes for the tubes.

did I mention that there is RUST in my PRECIOUS DARLING!?!?!?!

Maybe I'm too fragile and delicate natured to cope with a steel-framed bike. Even just a steel fork is exhausting. Imagine the panic, the utter hysteria, when I discovered the rust that lurks in bottom brackets! Oh, just the thought makes me feel like I need a lie-down with a cold compress on my fevered brow.

KotttedYet, you are confusing me. You said that this frame is Aluminum except for the steel fork. Then you say there is rust in the bottom bracket? Just in case this is a symmantics issue, let me clarify the names of some frame parts (if you want to be butch, you really should not be confusing these things):

fork tips - where the front wheel attaches to the frame
dropouts - where the back wheel attaches to the frame
bottom bracket - where the crank attaches to the frame

The bottom bracket is threaded and can be opened to check for rust and repack the bearings.

[Trek420]

Q: aluminum does not rust, right? so only risk of rust would be the fork and any alloy parts.

and Debw, I've been calling parts by the wrong name! I've been addressing "fork tips" as "dropouts". Oh the shame of it all ;-) thought it was the same fore or aft.