Rust in the steel fork

[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.

[Quillfred]

"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...."


No, if you were butch you wouldn't be able to ask for help.

[Trek420]

Quillfred "No, if you were butch you wouldn't be able to ask for help. "

and let's face it, you probably would not ride this kinda bike

[DebW]

How much has this bike been ridden in the rain? Are you its original owner? How old is it? Personally, I wouldn't be overly concerned about this little bit of rust unless your noticed water dripping out of that hole. If water is getting into the top of the fork and dripping out, then the entire inside of the fork may have alot of rust. Otherwise, I'd suspect that the rust if fairly localized and due to rain or humidity entering the little holes. There shouldn't be an opening for rain to enter anywhere else. You could remove the stem to look inside the steerer tube for signs of rust or water entry. But the fork blades are actually separate pieces of metal that shouldn't have a connection to the steerer tube. They should be sealed except for the little hole that allows air pressure to equalize. I assume that it couldn't hurt to dump some Boshield or other rust inhibitor in there, but don't try to seal the holes.

[KnottedYet]

Had the bike for 3 months now. I'm the original owner. Rode in the rain maybe 5 times.

I'll dump some Boeshield in there, just to make me happy. Thanks DebW, you're a babe!

[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.

[DebW]

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

Aluminum does not rust per se, since rust is iron oxide. It does form aluminum oxide, but the oxide layer protects the aluminum underneath it and the metal doesn't suffer damage from moisture the way steel does. Rust always indicates steel or iron parts. Alloy bike parts generally do not rust. Just looked a Sheldon Browns site and found that "alloy" as applied to cranks, rims, etc, is really aluminum alloy.

[KnottedYet]

No, sorry, I was speaking hypothetically of the Dream Bike i want someday. (full steel) If I go into these fabulous hysterics over the steel fork of my alum bike, imagine the hysterics if I found rust in the full steel bike of my dreams!

No, I've got it all right with the aluminum/steel fork.

[DebW]

I've noticed that not all steel forks have those drain holes. Of the 4 bikes in my garage, only one has drain holes, and it's a lower quality bike than the other three. I suspect that high quality fork blades are sealed with an inert gas (and therefore no water vapor) inside. So KnottedYet, I think you can safely buy a full steel frame without hysteria. Bottom brackets don't tend to rust given all the grease packed in there.