Last time we talked about protecting a few key spots on your steel frame with some regular service and a little bit of grease. Did you do it? See, I knew you did, good on ya! This round let’s talk about something a bit more serious: Hollow section wax.
Hollow Section Wax
Hollow section wax, or just “wax spray” is a fancy spray from the auto industry used to prevent rust in moisture accumulating “hollow sections” on cars. You know what else is a hollow section? Your mo… bike, your bike. And although most of the moisture in your frame will leave the frame after a few rides in the sun, it’s still smart to treat the inside of the frame with this wax.
Our frames have an ED coating from the factory. Think of ED coating like fancy anodising not only on the outside but als on the inside of the frame. Wild, right? That’s what we thought. So we doubled down and included ED coating on all our frames. It’s even under the powdercoat! That fancy anodising is working day-in day-out to keep corrosion at bay. Regardless, spraying your frame just about yearly with a hollow section wax will make sure that your bike grows old with you.
How?
This procedure is just a hair more involved than pulling out your seatpost and greasing it, so you may want to ask your local shop to combine a larger service of your bike with a “waxing” of your frame. Your frame will need to be stripped down pretty far to allow access to all the tubing of the frame. If you’re replacing bottom bracket bearings and headset bearings, the added labour of spraying your frame shouldn’t be too much.
Once the frame has had it’s fork removed, crank, seatpost, and wheels, you’re ready to spray. Follow the instructions of the spray you’ve chosen, but generally speaking it’s a simple spray-and-spin method. Spray the mostly liquid wax into the frame and hold a rag over the open end of the tube while you slowly rotate the frame to spread it around. Repeat for the rest of the frame, taking special care at the seatstays and chainstays.
And that’s it! You’ve done it! You’ve pulled the bike apart (or have supported your local shop and asked them to help) and protected your frame. Clean it up, slap it back together and get out there.
