Should I use protection with a 30 year old American?

[WWC]

Hello everybody

I’m about to take delivery of a 1984 Fat Chance.

After living its life on the west coast of the states it’s about to get a bit of a shock when it emerges bleary eyed from its crate into the damp Cotswold climate.

My plan is to use it regularly albeit not in the harshest of conditions, really want to tour on it to be honest.

Would anyone recommend any precautions?

Are there any anti-rust sprays for the seat tube maybe?

Or even go as far as drilling a drainage hole under the BB?

Feedback appreciated as always.

Will

 

[jimo746]

I guess you might want to treat it as you would a classic car, I know my 93' Orange Prestige frame was treated inside with a Product called Framesaver, which is fairly similar to Waxoyl or Dinitrol that you might use on a car, of course you want to make sure there is no rust present before you treat the frame.
Drilling a hole in the BB shell and plugging it with a bung sounds like a good idea for drainage, but how much water would actually accumulate in there in the first place? And if you've treated the inside if the frame then it shouldn't be an issue?

best advice I can give is keep it indoors, in the dry, a garage or a shed, and make sure its secured and insured.

 

[WD Pro]

Drainage hole in the BB shell is a bad idea on a Fat (or at least judging by my yo).

The BB shell is completly sealed and isolated from all the other tubes - if it was dry when it was built it will still be dry now (pending bb seals failing).

Drilling in a hole in the bb shell will only serve to let water in ... :-(

Check to see what yours is like / if it is sealed ?

WD

 

[ishaw]

The seat tube/bb junction on yo frames are prone to rusting if not looked after. Most repairs I've seen seem to include the drilling of a drain hole in the top off the bb tube, and I've always assumed to stop water accumulating in the seat tube and rusting through it, like I said, assumed.

 

[euphras_1]

Me stupid.....i thought this thread is about AMERICAN frames and bicycles. :facepalm:

Concerning drilling a drain hole into the bb shell, as long as you grease the seat tube/seat post sufficiently water inside the shell shouldn´t be an issue.

And i don´t like the general "idea" to put holes into a frame where there weren´t any.

 

[Rampage]

Couple of facts to think about:

1) Fats are very prone to rusting at the bottom of the seat-tube due to water.

2) Unlike almost every other bike they don't have a hole through the BB shell at the bottom of the seattube.

Related?

 

[cherrybomb]

Couple of facts to think about:

1) Fats are very prone to rusting at the bottom of the seat-tube due to water.

2) Unlike almost every other bike they don't have a hole through the BB shell at the bottom of the seattube.

Related?

I doubt it.

I think it must be something else.

 

[Rampage]

Reading the OP again, I assumed the purpose of drilling the hole in the BB was so you can drill another hole into the bottom of the seattube?

 

[WWC]

Mmm…

Not quite.

I think I remember reading that when fats have their seat tubes replaced a hole is drilled somewhere to stop them rusting again.

I didn’t really think and just mentioned the lowest point on the frame.

To echo one of the points on the thread regards not wanting drill holes where there wasn’t one before BUT if it is a common part of the repair process I could be swayed.

I’d hate to have brought it all the way over here for it to rot in my garage.

Though it’ll be looked after properly you can’t guarantee against getting caught in the rain whilst cycling through this green and pleasant land.

 

[cherrybomb]

Can't see a problem with drilling through the BB Shell to get access to the bottom of the seat tube to drill that.

You can always braze the hole in the outside of the shell back up after.