Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Albany Park Al on April 27, 2012 at 12:22pm

Haven't seen Framesaver itself, but I've seen Boeshield T-9, which is claimed to have similar properties recently at Barbizon, a company that supplies theatrical and video/motion picture lighting gear.  They have an office on Elston N of Fullerton.

There's also LPS 3, which sprays out as a heavy, waxy coat intended to inhibit rust.  I think it is very similar, possibly even identical, to Framesaver.  It might be easier to find as I've seen
LPS products at Home Depot. 

It would be interesting to test all the supposed rustproofing treatments and see how they do.   Someone on Bikeforums actually did this, putting several of them, including plain linseed oil, on a piece of iron and leaving it exposed for some time...but after posting some partial results he disappeared.

I don't feel like investing the money in Framesaver and every other treatment, but I do have some of the LPS, and I think I'll spray something on some exposed iron or steel to see how it does.

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Permalink Reply by Irvin Steinert on July 25, 2015 at 6:59am

I bought both of these products and I am on the fence as which to use to protect the inside of the frame of my new Surly. The "frame protector" has some serious scary warnings so that makes me a bit nervous but I can use the T-9 for all kinds of stuff.

Any one have good experiences with either and T-9 as a fame protector in particular?

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Permalink Reply by Irvin Steinert on July 27, 2015 at 2:14am

Yes, wet weather and year round commuting apply...I went with the frame protector. I thought it would probably last longer. I pulled everything off the frame but the head set cups and the chain was flopping around but I used some tie wraps and plastic bags to prevent any issues. I mounted the frame in my repair stand to make it easy to rotate. It was a nasty job. I did it in the garage with the door open and a fan on, and still it was a very stinky affair. I used WD40 to clean the frame afterwards and found that it worked really well and even removed some sticker residue that was left after I removed the "biking is dangerous" sticker.

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Permalink Reply by Irvin Steinert on July 27, 2015 at 3:16am

yep, and safety glasses.

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Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on July 27, 2015 at 8:54am

None of which are necessary if you use Linseed oil, which also costs a lot less.

Assuming that all of our commuters will get stolen before they rust through, we may never find out which substance was worth all the trouble and toxicity. :)

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Permalink Reply by Irvin Steinert on July 30, 2015 at 2:14am

I read about it but could not find any particular instructions on how to go about it. Additionally I understand the "proper" material is boiled linseed oil and I did not want to boil oil in my house. I was also not sure if I would have to put the boiling hot oil into the bike and that all seemed a bit more unpleasant than the other material applications.

I would have gone with the Boeshield which does not carry as many warnings but I thought that it might not last as long.

I admit though the final decision was mostly speculative based on the small amount of evidence I had for any of these options.

In the end I am reasonably happy with the effort and issues regarding application. And considering I paid 65$ for lunch for two the other day, 12$ for a can of Frame Protector doesn't seem too bad to apply to a bike frame that cost $600.

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Permalink Reply by Jim Freeman on July 27, 2015 at 3:16am

Marcus at YoJimbo's has it typically.  I think Boulevard Bikes also tends to have a can or two.

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Permalink Reply by Marc A. Irwin on July 27, 2015 at 2:45pm

I've used LPS 3 and been very happy with it.  I've never seen it in Home Depot but Ace Hardware stores always seem to have it in stock.

Marc

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