Corrosion on Forks

[wahsabi]

Hi. I just started commuting by bike in October and have had an adventurous winter through lots of snow, slush, and ice. For now this is my only bike. When I get a new one, this one will become my winter beater. However, in the mean time, I would like to know what you guys would do regarding this corrosion that has happened on my forks. It seems to be really eaten away at. The corrosion is happening at the top, bottom and where the fork tubes slide. I'll attach a picture so you can better understand.

Thanks,
Roy

[DaveM]

The corrosion outside of the rubber boots shouldn't hurt anything too bad. But if it is corroded under the boots on the tubes that slide in and out, it is going to mess up how the fork works fast.

On the outside, I'd try using fine sandpaper or steel wool to get off the rush and back to clean metal. Then put some auto touch up pain on it to prevent more damage. On the slider tubes, it's a little trickier because these have to be very smooth. I think you could try to take off any corrosion with some polishing compound. Then you probably want to oil the tube to give it a protective coat. But maybe someone out there knows a better technique.

Given the amount of corrosion on this bike, I'd do a few things even if your planning on letting it turn into a beater.

- Take out the seat post, make sure it's clean/smooth, and put a good coat of grease on it
- same thing on the stem where it attaches to the fork
- take off your brake cantilevers and polish and grease the post they rotate on.
- lube all the pivot points on your derailleurs, brakes, levers with penetrating chain lube (except the pads of course)
- drip some chain lube on the cables right where they go into the housing
- open up and lube your BB, hubs, and headset if you have time

Everything that moves on a bike needs lubrication, especially if it is being exposed to corrosive stuff like road salt. Pretty much everything that moves...

[wahsabi]

Thanks for the tips. I didn't think about lubing all my parts. I have definitely been keeping up with my chain maintenance though. I went out today and got some Tri-Flow penetrating lube to get all the parts you talked about.

I pulled the rubber boot up on my forks and gladly found no rust on the slider tubes. The seal on the rubber boot seems pretty good.

Anyway, thanks for the advice!