I was inspecting a pair of rooftop racks at the WABA swap this weekend.

They had bike trays on them, and it was fairly obvious that the trays were not new: there was rust on the skewers and on the underside of the trays. The red-colored bits were fading to pink, so these had been in the sun.

However, the towers and bars looked in fine shape.

Until I flipped them over and inspected the underside. Each one had a 2-inch long split in the bottom, the plastic sheathing torn apart by the rust bubbling out.

This was very obviously rust that started from the inside. The plastic showed no evidence of being pierced, nicked, cut, or abraded to the metal and was at full thickness except for the split.

I would suspect that the end caps were not perfectly sealed and that condensation would accumulate at the bottom. I further suspect some rust-acceleration due to greenhouse effect as these things baked in the sun.

A lesson:
Inspect the underside! I have no clue as to how old these were, except the weak one of the red highlight paint on the bike trays had turned pinkish.
A question:
Has anyone filled their load bars with wax or polyurethane filler foam, just to avert this effect?

I could use Wiegle frame prep or some linseed oil mix too, I guess, but weight issues with these bars are minimal, and neither seems like it would be thorough enough.

Comprex,

I had rust problems with one set of Yakima bars. The ends were rusted and I cut off approximately 1.5" off of each end. The shorter lengh didn't both me because I kept hitting my head on the bars whenever I got anything out of the back seat. I didn't see any other rust though, but it sounds like I need to check where the towers, trays, and the fork mounts attach to the bars.

Is Wiegle frame prep the same stuff you put in your bike frames? It's kind of yellow/orange in color? If so, that stuff works great on chromoly frames, so it should work on the bars.

Thanks for the info.

ScWVA, this was in the middle of the bars, on the bottom. It would be very hard to see with the bars on the roof. Perhaps you could just run your fingers down to make sure there's no explicit worrisome damage.

Yes, the frame prep is exactly what you described. I don't know of anything that would coat the inside uniformly without bar removal. The urethane foam stuff would, I suspect, just trap pockets of air or moisture unless I was to rig a mild vacuum on the other side.


PS, have you looked at the Alpina Cross Terrain ski yet?

comprex,

Haven't bought any AT Gear yet. Been shopping for stuff for my Mt. Bike. Just bought a new wheel set and I hope to purchase a new front shock for my bike today. Mt. Biking gear is more expensive than ski gear, but at least you don't have to pay to ride.

I'm still looking at AT Gear, but will have to wait for a few months untill my Wife gets over my latest purchases. She keeps mentioning that the kids need new shoes. Go figure, where are her priorities.

I did read the article you sent me on AT gear. It sounds like the bindings need a lot of maintenance and adjustment, and until you get them adjusted right, you'll either hurt your knees or loose a ski in the BC. It made my knees hurt just reading the article. Do you have any experience with AT bindings?

My Sister who has been a member of the Oregon Mountain Rescue Team up until recently, is sending me a couple pair of skins to try. She is a die hard Tele skier and was giving me a bunch of Sh@# about not taking up Tele. Oh well.

SCWVA, I've no experience setting these up. Mine were done at Bent Gate in Golden, CO.

Enjoy that bike!