The New Hotness

While replacing the well-worn sprocket / chain / chainrings on Mary’s bike, I finally got around to repairing some damaged paint tucked in an inconvenient spot…

Over the years, a flaw in the paint underneath the strap connecting the chainstays on Mary’s Tour Easy let in enough moisture to dislodge the paint over a considerable area. I chipped off the loose paint and used Evapo-Rust to convert the oxide to phosphate; there’s not much damage to the steel parts, despite what it may look like in the pictures.

A top view from the right rear, minus the wheel & fender, looking toward the left chainstay:

Two epoxy fillets in the concave sections where the strap meets the chainstays should eliminate problems in those sections forever more:

Some rusty-metal primer and a few coats of red paint conceal most of the ugliness:

It’ll never be mistaken for showroom quality, but our bikes are tools, not art objects.

The obviously 3D printed red block in the middle of the strap holds the fender in place, about which more tomorrow…