On 6/26/07, Bianca Pratorius <biankita@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>
> Rarely do I see brazed frames with lugs that have no access to one or
> more of the tubes. My new Gios has no breather hole on the fork blades.
> It also has no breather holes on the seat stays. How is this even
> possible? I understand there has to be some way for hot gasses to
> escape during the brazing process. Since the fork is chromed, I assume
> they plugged the holes before dunking in chrome or some such thing. The
> seat stays, I don't get at all, since the rest of the frame has no
> chrome at all. I just finished Boeshielding the bike and the solvent in
> the Boeshield must have dissolved some other kind of protecting
> substance from the factory, because red gooey liquid ran out from the
> bb and other locations.
Sounds like Wiegle frame saver was in there--very red and gooey. If I could smell it, I could tell you for sure.
Do I drill holes in the seat stays? Do I drill
> holes in the fork blades? Are bikes without breather holes less or more
> prone to rust? (PS,... my old Gios Torino had all the regular breather
> holes)
My understanding is that if the tubes are well sealed without moisture-laden air, then sealed tubes can be rust resistant. Seems like it's been discussed here before that some builders have sealed tubes as a corrosion prevention measure. I have no knowledge of whether Gios ever did that. What age is your new (to you?) Gios? If they are sealed I'd be inclined to trust the manufacturer and not open them up.
--Mitch Harris Little Rock Canyon, Utah
Garth Libre in Miami Fl. USA