Rust holes on a seat tube (aka taking losses in 2016)

[hummus_aquinas]

Heavily influenced by last month's Keyesville trip and stout, I bought a Mountain Goat Whiskeytown Racer frame. It has tiny rust holes on the seat tube, the biggest being pointed out with a sharpened 2.0 spoke. There are probably no more than a total of six holes sort of spread out. The inside of seat tube is clean.

As far as a "repair" of this issue, I was suggested I fill the holes with JB Weld and sand. Instead I thought about brazing into the holes and filing. Will brazing compromise the rest of the seat tube? Will it be stronger/more permanent than JB? Does anyone have any insight or suggestions on this? Thanks!

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1463/26216343941_b657964e5a_b.jpg

[unterhausen]

there is only one repair, replacing the seat tube. If you want something purely cosmetic, and very possibly temporary, you could fill it with braze. The seat tube actually takes a lot of stress, something like that might crack.

I'm replacing a seat tube right now on my road bike. My experimental stuck seat post removal technique failed. It's a pita. I wish I had used brass to attach the seat stays, was just experimenting with silver. So now I have to re-braze them too.

[cachagua]

Best of luck, and when it's done, let us know how the bike rides! I test-rode a Whiskeytown many years back, and largely for economic reasons wound up buying an Escape Goat instead, which I never quite fell in love with. Spankin' paint though. But anyway I've always wondered how life would have turned out if I'd bought the Whiskeytown instead...

[hummus_aquinas]

I'm definitely taking an L on this one, although it won't be so bad in the end because much of the parts going on this bike were already had/"here, you throw this away" gifts from friends. I intend to fill with epoxy/JB, clear coat, and ride it off a cliff. I hope to take it out and use it to sleep in the dirt but it will most likely be a DUI DAD bike.

[joe.e]

just wrap the seat tube in that home depot carbon wrap someone posted a couple days ago and cover it with pokemon stickers. good as new

I'm definitely taking an L on this one, although it won't be so bad in the end because much of the parts going on this bike were already had/"here, you throw this away" gifts from friends. I intend to fill with epoxy/JB, clear coat, and ride it off a cliff. I hope to take it out and use it to sleep in the dirt but it will most likely be a DUI DAD bike.

[hummus_aquinas]

for reference, this was my last DUI DAD bike:

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2946/15324985819_356e74d0f0_c.jpg

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3930/15325361747_c5d954d020_c.jpg

[likebikes]

i'd ride it and not worry.

[thirdgenbird]

your out of pocket cost would be cheaper if you shipped me that banner.

:)

[beeatnik]

just wrap the seat tube in that home depot carbon wrap someone posted a couple days ago and cover it with pokemon stickers. good as new

plus uno

[ultraman6970]

Never seen a fail like that ever, sure are not termites??

[velomateo]

That doesn't look like rust to me. The top holes almost have a triangular pattern. I would expect more pitting around the holes, if it were corrosion. I would guess there was something clamped to the seat tube at some point and it rubbed/poked through over time.

I would take it to a weld shop and have them fill the holes, finish them smooth, then paint. Should last forever, IMO.

[malcolm]

My eyes are not what they used to be but those are awful clean symmetric holes for rust holes. For a complete perforation I would expect more surface rust as well, not sure why just seems that way to me.

[marknreimer]

Very strange..

I bought a Gios Super Record years back that was damaged in shipping - something punctured the cardboard box and put a big ol dent in the seat tube, nearly cutting through the tube. I pushed it out from the inside using a punch machined to the inner diameter of the tube, which got it about 90% back to 'normal', and am just now bringing it to a local frame builder to fill the little ripples in the metal with brass, then file and sand smooth, followed with paint. If there isn't a bunch of rust around there, I wouldn't sweat it. Fill the holes with anything, just to prevent water getting in. Putting brass in there isn' t gonna make your tube any stronger so just do whatever is convenient and ride ride ride!

[GParkes]

If you want to practice your brazing, grab an old bike, cut seat tube out of it and slice it in half, carve a little "seat tube badge" and braze it over effected area. Play a little before you call time of death.

[cachagua]

On closer inspection, those holes don't look like rust, as has been observed (is there any rust evident inside?), and they're smooth-edged and very small. You could ignore them and I bet they'd never cause any trouble.

Some people drill bigger holes than that in their frames, in higher-stressed places, possibly with lighter-gauge tubes, on purpose. I think the rationale offered, where this was mentioned, was something like "so people will think I'm cool".

My ownself, I'd either braze and sand, or else just paint the frame as-is and dab silicone caulk in 'em. --If I could even find 'em.

But totally post a ride review!

[rwsaunders]

Perhaps there might have been a seat tube badge or something similar mounted on that spot? Like others have said, the holes appear to be too uniform to be a rust hole. It looks like there might be a ghost oval on the tube as well.

[993rs]

Slap a seat post in in an ride the crap out of it.

[hummus_aquinas]

Thanks for the insight and suggestions, y'all! A local bike head and auto body proprietor came by to pick up the frame. He's going to blast the rust off and braze the holes! He was pretty excited to get his hands on the frame being a big Mountain Goat fan. I'll check in next week!

[Neves]

I've done a few super minor repairs and they kind of suck. But I love that there are people out there saving these old frames. Check out this thread from retrobikeuk

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=299638&hilit=mountain+goat

[marknreimer]

That badge is quite the elegant solution!