Frame Saver or T-9?

[rockermike]

so how long does it take to apply a coat of frame saver?  I assume you have to remove seatpost, bottom bracket, and fork? sounds like a 6 hour project to me? But I just got a new Surly and am heading to Africa. want to do it right before I leave.

[DaveB]

I've applied it to new completely bare frames or an older frame stripped completely with nothing on it but the headset cups.    It only took about 20 minutes to apply it but I gave it 24 hours to dry plus a seconf application the next day and an additional 24 hours to dry.  I rotated the frame several times after each application to insure even distrivution of the coating.  It's not something you do the day before leaving on a trip.

[rockermike]

yea the spraying and drying is one thing. but I'm worried more about the time to unbuild and rebuild the bike. I assume the fork and crank spindle have to be removed to do it correctly?

[DaveB]

yea the spraying and drying is one thing. but I'm worried more about the time to unbuild and rebuild the bike. I assume the fork and crank spindle have to be removed to do it correctly?

Yes, at the least the fork, seatpost, and bottom bracket should be removed so you can reach the interior of all of the main tubes and stays.  You can leave the headset cups in place and any overspray or runs will clean up with mineral spirits, kerosene or WD-40.

Disassembly, if you have the needed tools and knowledge, shouldn't take more than 15- 20 minutes.   Reassembly will not be a whole lot longer.  If, for convenience, you disconnect all of the brake and shift cables to allow the bars and styem to be placed aside, add a bit of reassembly time to get the brakes and shifting reset.   Since this is a one-time job, doing it right is worth the effort.

[irwin7638]

There is also a product called "LPS-3" which is an industrial strength rust inhibitor.  It's available at many ACE Hardware stores (find it near lubes like Boshield).  It really creates a nice coating and is a little cheaper than Boshield.  I use it ever couple of years on any bike I ride in the winter. It leaves a heavy duty wax based coating on metal.  There are two lighter grades, LPS-1 and 2, the LPS 1 makes a nice light spray lube which doesn't attract dirt.

Marc

[DaveB]

There is also a product called "LPS-3" which is an industrial strength rust inhibitor.  It's available at many ACE Hardware stores (find it near lubes like Boshield).  It really creates a nice coating and is a little cheaper than Boshield. 

LPS-3 is tweedle-dum/tweedle-dee with Frame Saver and Amsoil HDMP.  All three of them are basically the same product and do exactly the same thing the same way. Use whichever of them you can find locally.