# Winter bike rack....avoiding rust.



## cleopatra999 (May 9, 2012)

We have had a North Shore Rack for 4 years. We have used it the last 2 winters. We keep it on the car as they are a beast to take on and off and use regularly enough.

Unfortunately it has become a rust bucket (see photos attached). The company has only offered the suggestion of wire brushing, tremclad and powdercoating. Powder coating is going to cost more than half the cost of the rack....not impressed to say the least. I guess they were never made to be in use throughout the winter.

Does anyone have a recommendation for/experience with a rack that can withstand winter roads with sand/salt usage?

I am bummed because we really love the functionality of the NSR. But with all our winter biking we need a better solution.

I strongly advise anyone purchasing a NSR to do your research and consider something else if it will be used in the winter.


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## deuxdiesel (Jan 14, 2007)

The rust and flaking powdercoat is likely due to poor prep before the powder was sprayed on. You might consider a wire wheel on a drill or grinder and remove what you can and then brush on Rustoleum or Tremclad and just use it for a while. I switched to a 1UP USA rack and have never looked back- they don't rust, and as long as you don't leave heavy salt and road grime on them, the hardware stays good as well. For steel racks, just like receiver hitches and any other car parts, a good coating of waxoyl or other spay-on metal protectant keeps things corrosion free. I have the same two 24oz Amsoil HD metal protectant cans for the past 2 years, and spray anything I don't want to get eaten by the 3 pounds of salt per cubic foot of snow they use on the roads here in Michigan.


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## coolhand80 (Oct 19, 2011)

I also run a 1UP USA rack all winter long on the salty roads of Pennsylvania. They are all aluminum except for the hardware of course. 


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## ltspd1 (Nov 25, 2007)

The nice thing about the 1UP is it can be removed in about 15 seconds, which is what I do when I know road conditions will be bad.


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## eshew (Jan 30, 2004)

Surface rust is ugly but cleans up quick. A wire brush and some sand paper should get it ready for some spray on rustoleum. After getting rid of the rust it might be a good idea to rub the entire rack down with rubbing alcohol and just spray the entire thing to further prevent rust issues.

After it dries I'd make is a habit of spraying it down with some penetrating oil ever few months. I do that to my old sportworks rack and it keeps it running nicely. Rust free. I would also make sure to spray internally as well if you can remove any caps just to make sure you get the most out of your rack and it doesn't die from the inside out.


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## Flamingtaco (Mar 12, 2012)

$15 and 60 minutes of work can make it look new.

Haven't met a utility device (cargo tray, bike rack, trailer, etc) that was powder coated properly, since the late 90's. Most things sold at throwaway prices aren't going to have decent coatings.


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