Lemond Alp D'Huez - frame corrosion

[Daddy Pig]

Hi all. Picked this up at our local recycling centre yesterday, and for only £30!. Nice 105 groupset and decent wheels too. There is corrosion (see pics) around the cable guides on the top-tube. Repairable without too much outlay? Not the end of the world if it's dead, think I still got my money's worth.

 

[grantoury]

that is well rusted, but not structural. Nice frame, 30 quid for an 853 frame..

 

[Mickeyspinn]

It's a bit ugly worth investigating tho....I'd remove the rust as much as possible and use a sharp hard pin and give the deepest bits a bit of a poke..sometimes rust doesn't just run over the surface but dives in! Shame it's been left to get that bad ..

 

[Jamesbike]

Use some jenolite or simalar rust remover, then sand the edge of the existing paint, then anti rust primer and finally the top coat.

 

[CTK]

Great score! 853 frame and carbon forks- bargain.

 

[Daddy Pig]

Thanks all - sound advice! I'll have a go at it and let you know how I get on. I reckon it should ride really nicely and it fits me perfectly too.

 

[hamster]

The cable stops will be welded on the thicker bit of the butting to avoid stress cracks, so you should be OK. Follow Mickeyspinn's advice on investigating carefully. Usually it looks worse than it actually is.

 

[Daddy Pig]

Quick update. Got to it with wire brush. Gave it a good poking too and doesn't seem to have penetrated. (Y'all know what I mean here eh?)

Here's a pic of the worst bit. So...think I will give it some rust treatment at the weekend. Then a bit more sanding, and I think a smidgen of filler for the pitting, then more sanding, prime and paint. Well, that's a plan in my mind.

 

[Mickeyspinn]

I'd say that is quite pitted...
If you've got a friendly local garage and they have one of those little flexi cameras on a stick it might be prudent to take a peek from down the headtube and into the top tube...it'll probably be ok but if it were mine I'd rather like to have a look...

 

[Daddy Pig]

Hmmm, that's a good call Mickey, thanks. Now I see my own photo close up on a big screen it seems to look a whole lot worse than in real life!