U.S. Built Custom Bicycles in Titanium and Titanium-Carbon Mix
The Seven Cycles framebuilding team proudly fabricated your Seven from high quality steel tubing. One of our final steps in this hand-built process is to treat the inside of your frame with a special rust inhibitor. While this preventive measure is important, it does not protect your frame against the inevitable onset of rust.
Rust is a naturally occurring phenomenon with some metals when they are exposed to oxygen and water. When moist air comes in contact with steel, rust forms. Aside from not looking good, rust also weakens your frame's integrity. Over a long period of time rust can be so damaging that your frame could fail, which can be dangerous.
Seven's limited frame warranty does not cover damage caused by rust. In order to help your frame last a lifetime, we recommend that you and your bicycle mechanic follow these rust preventing steps:
When installing components, apply a liberal amount of grease to these contact points:
A rust inhibitor such as Frame Saver™ or Boeshield T-9™ is the very best defense against rust. We strongly recommend applying a rust inhibitor to the inside of your frame at least once a season; however, the more you ride in wet conditions, the more applications we suggest. It is not possible to apply rust inhibitor too often or too liberally.
After wet rides, always remove your seat post and set your bike upside down overnight to allow any water that found its way in, to find its way out. Some bikes have a bottom bracket drainage hole but that is not enough to protect the inside of your frame against rust. Even if you don't think you have ridden in water, it's best to do this a few times a month as a preventative measure.
Frequently inspect your frame for paint chips. Repair chips with touchup paint to protect the exposed steel from the elements.
We recommend removing all parts from your frame at the end of each riding season. There two reasons for this: the first is so your mechanic can reapply a coating of a rust inhibitor to the inside of your frame; the second reason for disassembly is to reapply grease to all of the components mentioned above.
Performing these preventative steps will ensure that your steel Seven will serve you well for many years to come. Please contact Seven or your local retailer if you have any questions.