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this post was submitted on 05 Feb 2025
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Bicycles
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Some frames have small holes for drainage and air exchange so they can dry inside. I've also heard about some procedure where the inside gets waxed but I don't remember if that was for bicycles or motorcycles
Actually, all metal bikes with welded tubes have various small holes inside, to relieve the heat pressure from the welding process. And even if the holes are placed favorably for any and all water to drain from a frame, given enough time the corrosion will still accumulate.
My bike is 43 years old, and aside from the various stress cracks I've mentioned in other posts, the very bottom of my seatpost tube has started rusting all the way through, there's now a rust hole down there, and I had to rig it up with an extra seatpost clamp covering that spot to try to improve whatever structural integrity the old bike still has left.
I wish I had thought to have it treated somehow like 20 years ago, but hindsight is 20/20..
Steel is repairable. Not worth it unless the bike is special but you can weld a patch in. Of course you need to be a great welder to work with that steel without ruining it but it is possible.
This bike actually is special to me, it's the best investment I ever purchased back in 1998, at age 15, for only $10. It's a 1981 Mongoose SuperGoose, was originally a very valuable bike. For me, the value is in the thousands of miles I've put on it.
I didn't buy it to put in a glass case though, I bought it to customize to my liking and ride the hell out of it and learn some BMX flatland! So yeah, between the rain and my BMX tricks, I've been pretty rough on it.
I more or less set it aside, semi-retired about 5 years ago, noting the wear and tear, rust and stress cracks catching up with time. I'm not in any rush to fix it right now, not high on my priorities list, but I'd like to know all my options before I ever try to tackle this project.
It might be best to hang it on a wall as is. You can repair it but every scratch is telling a story and that is lost if you do too much.
I hear you there too, but ultimately, if my age hasn't caught up with me too damn much, I do wanna get back out and ride some more one of these ~~days~~ years.
If anything though, I do want to find a replacement matching solid stainless 43 tooth chainring with the oldschool Mongoose logo, I've worn the teeth and decal on mine almost completely out, and as a result it wears chains out pretty damn fast.
I'll hang the old chainring on the wall, once I find one, but I don't think I'll be hanging the bike on the wall anytime soon. Currently, and for like the past 5 years, it sits safely next to our dining room table off to the side, so it's safe from the weather, thieves, and apparently me for now..