The AsSALT - Follow Up Post #2

A few weeks back I published a post on the challenge that salt on roads poses in the winter.  I encouraged readers to submit their own hacks for keeping their whips corrosion free and our first submission focused on Plasti Dip as a possible solution.  Reader Chuck rides in Wisconsin during the winter and sent along his own advice on fighting the corrosive combination of CaCl_2, MgCl_{2, and} KCl found on roads. 

The combination of Upper-case and Lower-case letters and subscript numbers above came from a couple of quick Google searches on "road salt."  The search made me dizzy and scared.  Dizzy because chemical diagrams and shorthand make my head spin.  Scared because I am pretty sure the "salt" we throw all over the place is super bad for the environment.  I don't claim to understand most of what I stumbled upon, however the "salt" appears to be a combination of  . . . long sounding words that are hard to pronounce and likely kills stuff. 

I definitely don't belong in the lane that deals with chemical compositions, but if readers out there wish to comment, I would love to read more.  Well, maybe that is overstated because I am sure whatever I read will depress me . . . anyway, take it away Chuck . . .

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For winter-proofing my ride for Wisconsin winter I use:

1-Change any fasteners that are not stainless steel to stainless and liberally coat the threads with anti seize.  

2-Coat the inside of all the frame tubes with Gibb's aerosol lubricant. This stuff is amazing!

3-If it is bare aluminum and can be easily removed, it gets painted with black enamel.

4-Rinse off with clean water often.

Comments

[MichaelP]

Most bikes have threaded inserts, but if you're using fasteners in direct contact with bare aluminum, stainless steel is not recommended, due to possible galvanic corrosion. A good coating of anti-seize will help, but galvanized/zinc-plated fasteners are a better choice. (Anti-seize is recommended in all cases.)

[Chuck]

Michael is right of course. If my rig was aluminum I would do the same. My winter ride is steel. Good call Michael. - Chuck

[john h]

Not sure I can bring myself to spray lubricant inside my frame... wont that act to attract dirt and moisture? Wouldn't it be better to spray paint as a sealant like you did with the other exposed metals? =)