Light pitting on a steel frame, how much is too much?

A vintage steel frame I picked up recently has light pitting on the top tube, not lots but a couple of slight 'dimples'. Imagine if someone had lightly jabbed your top tube with the safe end of a matchstick and it left an impression a fraction of a millimetre deep. I doubt it's anything to worry about but it would be cool to draw on the collective experience of the forum with regard to the same sort of thing.

Any similar experiences with old steel frames, and how is yours faring? Cheers.

Steel frames can take a serious beating (so we've been told). But how much is too much? I mean in terms of heavy pitting or actual perforations or dinks and dents in a steel frame. At what point does a tube need to be replaced?

What have you happily ridden around on with no problems in terms of abused steel frames?

I'm interested in your stories of steel frames that refuse to die...

Bonus points for pictures, the more toe-curling the better! Cheers dears :)

i'll let you know when i next break my frame.

i'll let you know when i next break my frame.

I take it this is a regular occurrence then?

I'm more interested in frames that have taken a beating but refuse to die (aren't actually broken).

Can the punning begin yet, or are we all still in mourning for this thread?

I don't want to be too early......

Anybody.........crumble? Or something?

Ok, serious face on, are you lot listening?

HAS ANYBODY (sorry, the sound was turned up there, I'll try again). Has anybody had a steel bike, that cracked, and they still used it. I will pay 1 million (sorry, I'll try that again), I'LL PAY ONE MILLION POUNDS to the people that can truthfully, and scientifically explain this happenstance.

Thank you.

Thats one million pound each by the way. Its not to be sniffed at.

I sed a BMX with a broken wish bone for about 9 months. if that counts. i was about 16 couldn't afford a new frame so my mates dad sort of half blobed on some weld stuff while at work but it wasn't really fixed. it was 4130

i'll claim me million please.

also steal frames last for ever. i'd assume you'd have to get to holes in the tubes before you needed to worry, rusting won't be that bad,thats why their are still thousands of shitty cheep steal bikes on the roads after years of abuse.

^^^^^^^^^

That is not a scientific proof, published to 80 pages and examined by your PhD peers.

You 'avin' a bubblebath sunshine? Play by the rules.

years ago i restored my fathers rory o brien and had it rechromed to standard as it was done in the 1950s. I knew that some of the plating chemicals were corosive and put great emphasis on the decontamination of the inside of the frame tubes. Thirty years later the cross tube crumpled at a set of traffic lights as did one of the fork blades. Being a mechanical engineer and a metalurgist gave me the insight to deduce that all those years ago, the caustic dip used in the plating process was not neutralised and this was causing constant decay of the tubes over all that time. The bike was used over this time for time trialling and 650 or so miles a week for training. The little bump or knock that is in a frame is nothing to worry about and can be filled with any proprietry filler and then painted over or can be brazed over and then dressed in.

Yeah I agree all old appollo bikes are rusty and pitted from sitting in people gardens for years they seem ok would'nt worry at all you can always grind out pitting with a 4" angle grinder and a little care

Ashe, I accept PayPal for 1 mirrion dorra, thanking you :)

years ago i restored my fathers rory o brien and had it rechromed to standard as it was done in the 1950s. I knew that some of the plating chemicals were corosive and put great emphasis on the decontamination of the inside of the frame tubes. Thirty years later the cross tube crumpled at a set of traffic lights as did one of the fork blades. Being a mechanical engineer and a metalurgist gave me the insight to deduce that all those years ago, the caustic dip used in the plating process was not neutralised and this was causing constant decay of the tubes over all that time. The bike was used over this time for time trialling and 650 or so miles a week for training. The little bump or knock that is in a frame is nothing to worry about and can be filled with any proprietry filler and then painted over or can be brazed over and then dressed in.

interesting. Thanks.