Rusty seat post -- what to do for seat tube?

[thwart]

This 'flex-hone it nice 'n' clean' vs 'wipe it down, apply grease, it's steel and tough, move on' discussion reminds me of the gluing tubular tire discussion.

Many ways to skin a cat. I usually pick the easy way.

[Cicli]

If the post goes in stop the rust with navel jelly and shove it in. If it won't go in clean it up with a hone.

What's the big deal?

[hockeybike]

OK, if I do go with naval jelly, do I need to remove the crank/bb?

Many ways to skin a cat, and since there's no rain here, its just a peace of mind thing more than anything else.

[David Kirk]

No offense to anyone involved here but it seems like there is much more being made of this than need be.

The reddish patina on the seat post was the result of surface oxidation which is not a sign of any serious corrosion affecting structural integrity of the tubes. In fact this surface oxidation is a protective layer that forms on the surface and which in most cases will protect it from getting any worse. Think of an old car left in a field for 50 years - it's body panels will all be covered with a reddish brown layer but there are no holes in the bodywork.......might not be the best analogy but it's not too bad.

If there was real rust to worry about in there the post would have been a real bitch to get out and the surface inside would not be smooth and reddish but it would be darker brown and pitted.

I see no reason to go with navel jelly and a flex hone as you are actually removing a super thin layer of oxidation that is currently protecting the tubes. Frankly doing the jelly and hone thing won't hurt anything but you won't see any real benefit from it either.

If you're concerned and want to sleep better spray some oil or framesaver in there, grease the post and the inside of the seat tube, put the post in place and call it a day. It can't hurt to pull the post and refresh this every few years if you ride a lot in the wet but if the bike isn't in Seattle or Cape Cod I'd be surprised if it didn't last a lifetime.

Keep in mind that steel bikes of old were left outside, or in damp basements, for decades and they are just fine......they tend to last forever in most cases. I have seen tubes rust out in very rare cases and this is usually due to the fact that the frame has no drain hole and that any moisture that gets in there can't get out. The other thing that can cause issues is if the frame was brazed and the acidic flux was not removed and the frame wasn't treated in any way so any moisture combines with the flux inside and ends up making a mess. But this is super rare.

Oil, grease, ride, sleep well.

dave