JochenRindt

I have four vintage lightweight steel framed road bikes that I love and want to preserve / protect accordingly. This season I started riding again in earnest after a few years off, and I've noticed that after riding in conditions that are wet or even just a bit damp, I have to wipe the bike down. The last thing I want on my bikes is rust, so I'm quite stringent about keeping them clean and oiled. I suppose now that I'm older, I don't necessarily feel like cleaning my bike after ever wet or damp ride. In short, I think I might like to have an aluminum frame that I can ride in the wet and not have to worry about cleaning afterward because it won't rust.

Fahrenheit531 

Not cleaning your bike after riding in the wet will result in a dirty, poorly performing bike no matter what frame you've got. I see no advantage to the proposed tradeoff as you'll be wiping it down anyway.

shelbyfv

Sure, lots of folks have bad weather bikes. Maybe a vintage Cannondale? Set it up single speed for even less worry.

Gresp15C

+1. I have steel and aluminum framed bikes. They all require cleaning at roughly the same interval, which is to say, rarely. In my experience, painted steel isn't terribly rust prone when it's just normal rain. Salt spray during the winter is another matter, but still, my dedicated winter bike has a steel frame and I don't clean it every day.

A bike that you don't care about so much as to keep it sparkling will solve the problem better than replacing an heirloom steel bike with an heirloom aluminum one.

JochenRindt

Absolutely. My plan was not to replace one of my steel bikes, it was to add an aluminum bike that I won't care about so much. Essentially, I would be adding a bad weather bike.

indyfabz

Splurge on titanium. You can dunk the frame in the ocean and it won’t rust.

Note, however, that if you have aluminum parts touching steel parts (e.g., aluminum spacers and a steel steerer tube), you can run into serious trouble if you don’t properly grease. Ask me how I know.

Kapusta

Unless you are getting salt on it, I would not worry about a new steel frame rusting just from getting wet or dirty. And if you do get salt on the bike, and don't wash it off, its going to wreck a bunch of other components before the frame.

JochenRindt

That's the thing- my steel frames are not new. Three of them are 1981-82, and the other is a 2002.

shelbyfv

Treat the insides with Frame Saver or the more readily available Fluid Film. Also, as much stuff on the outside as you can tolerate the mess.

3alarmer 

.
...I have here a Cannondale tourer and several steel frames set up with fenders..
The frames are not the problem...if you treat the interior with some m sort of oil and the paint is in good shape.

They are about equal work in terms of drying them out after rides in the rain, as far as the chain and exposed components go.

I would not buy another aluminum frame only for this purpose. But the Cannondale touring bikes are OK riding frames, if you run wide enough tires on them.

zandoval 

If ya need an excuse to add another bike to the stable then surely you must get an Aluminum frame. You will never have to wipe it down if you do.

OK... Now which one... Yep... Ya got a pretty nice stable to begin with...

mattcalifornia

If you really want a maintenance free bike (but with some performance trade-offs), get an aluminum frame with a belt drive and IGH. I have one of those for my commuter/around town bike. The IGH is a bit heavy, but the bike is basically maintenance free. You might as well get one with disc brakes too - they're better in the rain.

Maelochs

Get an Al-frame, disc-equipped rain bike. All the cool kids have one. (Even uncool folk like myself own one.) IGH ... depends how much you want to spend.

As far as I know, unless you live near the ocean or in a city which salts the roads, steel isn't going to rust significantly, and a Framesaver-type internal coating can help. But, as others have said ... more bikes is better.

Steel Charlie

I have a 2006 Specialized Allez Elite for my go anywhere anytime bike. Like new CL buy for $200 with never one second of buyer's remorse. And it's a great ride and I never have to worry about my "good" bikes getting beat up.

eljayski 

+ 1
Ti rides about like steel, which is to say, very nicely.
My understanding is that aluminum doesn't ride nearly as well.
Good luck with your quest!

Wildwood 

Rain bike - haha - yeah, I did a Pacific Northwest rain bike twice before. Each became a favorite rider and lost their mudguards. The waaay underused mountain bike got the fenders.

gringomojado

Don't worry! Do you have a "rain car"?

gm

jonathanf2

You can still get corrosion from areas where steel interfaces with the alloy frame (ex: brake mount screws). Titanium welds can crack if not done right. Given the choice, I'd rather go steel or carbon.

JochenRindt

I don't have a "rain car", but I actually do have a "salt car".

indyfabz

See my post above. My CK aluminum headset spacers chemically fuses to the steel steering tube of my Colnago fork. A shop tried all kinds of things for several days to free the parts, partly for its own edification. It finally gave up, cut through the spacers with a Dremel tool and pried them off. That thought me a lesson about maintenance. Profuse sweating + dumping water on your head + riding in rain + no preventative maintenance=$$$

Koyote

The part you're wiping down is covered with paint, which will prevent it from rusting...So you don't really need to worry about it. Your steel frames will likely last as long -- if not longer -- than your aluminum frames.

For what it's worth, I have a 21.5 year old steel frame that is probably lighter than any of yours, and it's been ridden over 40k miles in all sorts of weather -- rain, snow, etc. With no special care, it is still in great shape.

If you just want to buy a new bike, have at it. But your reason is not really valid.

Maelochs

Lol yeah, live in the Northeast and the idea of a "winter beater" suddenly doesn't seem so odd .....

jonathanf2

If I went with a steel frame, I'd definitely opt for a carbon fork and some carbon headset spacers. On my carbon bikes, I'm quite fond using titanium screws/bolts and other components when possible. I feel like you get the best of both worlds.

indyfabz

Should have mentioned that I bought my Colnago in 2001. Back then, their carbon forks were still coming with steel steerers.

joesch

Just get use to cleaning your bike after rides.
Does not take much time and its a good way to keep running well and notice possible issues like tire wear.
Get a TI frame if you really want to avoid corrosion and rust oxidation.