New steel frame – should I Waxoyl?

Is it worth spending cash on Waxoyling a steel frame from new?

(Thanks Brant, 456 arrived today)

Does anyone bother doing this?

i have a couple times, no idea if it makes much dif but frames havent rusted yet (tho not seen much rain to be fair)

a couple of times meaning once on a couple of frames not more than once on one frame.

time for bed methinks

It makes eff all difference. My Inbred was unpainted for ’bout a year before I got round to a re-spray, as it was an SS winter hack, it was mostly covered in mud as well. It was perfectly fine. You’ll get shot of it before it rusts away.

But, if you want to cover yourself, the bike, your garden in pretty gopping black liquid…then knock yourself out.

Never done it on either my Rock Lobster 853 or Dialled Alpine. None have fallen apart yet.

With the thin modern design of frames and their tubing, some parts of the tubing can be quite thin indeed. UK riding conditions are predominatly wet and therefore muddy and so require you to hose your bike down alot. Water can collect and… well, you get where I’m going

I paid £650 for my Reynolds 853 frame and yes I have waxoyled it, twice now in 2 years before the onset of winter.

I also hang the bike in a warm south facing porch where I’m sure it drys out

Whats the best way to ensure decent coverage of waxoyl inside the frame then?

This old girl was built in 1992 from Tange Prestige school chairlegs, still going strong WITHOUT Waxoyl. Save your money & effort. How on earth would you ensure that the Waxoyl reached every part of inside the frame anyway?

I’m convinced…let it rust in peace.

I also hang the bike in a warm south facing porch where I’m sure it drys out

😯

Never bothered…thought about, looked at Framesaver at 18Bikes, then forgot about. Covered the inner BB shell & haeadtube in copper slip as the pot of it I’ve got comes with a brush then put some grease in the open reinforcement bits.

Orange Prestige in garage (circa 1992?)…never Waxoyled, still in one piece

With the thin modern design of frames and their tubing, some parts of the tubing can be quite thin indeed. UK riding conditions are predominatly wet and therefore muddy and so require you to hose your bike down alot. Water can collect and… well, you get where I’m going

My dad got a 531 Carlton frame for his 16th birthday. He rode to work on it for over 10yrs. It lives in the cellar. He is 65. It still is fine.

531 is 0.9/0.6mm

I have never bothered to waxoil anything, and I know about rust, having owned a Land Rover and several Alfa’s.

ps: I think it’s something to do with the chrome in chrome molybdenum steel resisting corrosion – I heard some bloke talking about it at the Yorkshire Sculpture park.

It also adds quite a lot of weight.

But, if you want to cover yourself, the bike, your garden in pretty gopping black liquid…then knock yourself out.

Waxoyl is pale brown not black.

I take the view that it only costs a few quid, and it’s easy to do, so what have you got to lose?

Mind you you might find Framesaver from 18bikes is easier to apply.

A had a 1975 531c cross bike up until last year and that only died because of an accident. And TBH it only rusted around the braze ons i.e canti & cable mounts.

Beware. I waxoiled both our Inbreds. The sodding stuff drained out through the drain holes in seat/chain stays on the first rides and spread all over the read hub,rotor & pads. Didn’t realise what it was until the pads were trashed. It only seemed to happen when riding. I have had to cover the drain holes until I figure out a way to get rid of the stuff.

If it bothers you why not spray alittle GT85 every so often down the seat tube etc?

I slopped a bit of spare engine oil round the innards of my inbred when I first got it. It dribbled out the drain holes for a few days before I built it. Can’t see that it’d do any harm. I’d not pay for waxoil though.

Probably the biggest benefit is cosmetic, after the initial oil dribbles, it doesn’t dribble rusty water like my old one used to, from surface rust inside the tubes.

JP Weigle Frame Saver is the way to go.

Waxoyl is a compromise because of its thick consisteancy, although it can be bought in a spray can with a plastic pipe like WD40 so it can be directed deep down the tubing. But you’re always going to end up putting too much in and it wont run properly to give full coverage – weight could be the deal-braker too

Weigle Framesaver is different, it is a thinner viscosity and runs down the inside of the tubes. The frame can then be rotated and turned getting everywhere. You end up with just a thin, effective coating…

left the bottle lower bosse off my DMR frame becase i wanted to use a proper front mech.

There wasn’t much rust in the BB, even after i flushed the seatube with TF2 to make sure there was no water left.

Best thing is an aerosol as the airborne naure of it will mean its more likely to evenly coat the inside of the frame.

Plenty of 10-20 year old frames to prove they dont rust dangerously in off road use.

Brant
Cr in 4130 is about 1% (think its 0.8 to 1.3% with about 0.2%Mo) or any of the similar steel’s used on bikes. But 13%Cr is the point at which it becomes reistant to rust due to the protective oxide layer that forms, as this point it would be comonly called stainless steel, which still corodes quite rapidly in cetain coditions (namely salt water, or certain types of bacteria), super duplex (2507 IIRC?) is 27% chrome, 7%Mo, and will prety much shrug off anything.

I wonder what my Wanga would weigh without all the waxoil in the tubes, seeing as it is 22.5lbs with sus forks now…