Originally Posted by
bampilot06
Is there anything that should be done if one notices rust on a bike?
My ritchey has some rust on the chain stay, previous owner must have dropped the chain and pedaled through.
I think it depends on how long you want to keep the bike. A small amount of rust is not a problem in the short term, but it is NOT going to get better and can get worse with time.
If you plan to keep the bike just for a few more years, I would not worry.
If you plan to keep the bike indefinitely, you need to remove the rust down to the bare metal, clean, and repaint it.
If it were me, I would sand/dremel away the rust, paint with similar color rustoleum and not worry about looks, and cover it with a stainless steel chainstay guard.