Hi all, I’ve been on a quest for the safest system to use that still has reliable rust protection for our steel bikes, and am happy to share where I’m at currently in the hopes others can reduce their exposure to toxic frame savers and we can all live to ride another day!
I am building our bikes in a small workspace, so filling the frame with something that doesn’t off-gas much has been important. I’ve switched our rust protection to Gear Huggers Rust Inhibitor, which comes as an aerosol. They tout “Our non-toxic, plant-powered formula is crafted from vegetable oils for effective and environmentally conscious rust protection.” I’ve been using it for a few months now and am happy with the coating and performance. There is no smell, and it cleans up easily with alcohol.
Of course, they don’t make it with an easy way to apply it inside the frames… So I’ve called them about that to suggest some updates.
I’ve been using the straw head from their lubricant and just swapping it over to the Rust Inhibitor can. As a bonus, you can add the wand from Cavity Coater onto the Gear Hugger Straw and you’ve got a fast way to coat the inside of the main triangle in 360º.
Anyway, always looking for ways to make this process both safer and faster. I can post some photos of the setup if there is interest.
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I am very interested!
Haven’t found anything yet myself but my bikes get used and abused in every possible type of Belgian weather you can imagine and I want them to be able to do that for decades without terrible chemicals.
Thanks for sharing this info Vince. Love that there isn’t a smell, I will definitely give this a try.