Reddit mentions of J.P. Weigles Bicycle Frame Saver Rust Inhibitor 4.75 oz

You can easily do it yourself. I'd do it on a steel bike.

$100 is a lot for what they'd be doing.

I'm a fan of Surly stuff, they make excellent frames. My fixed gear has surly hubs, and they have been holding up wonderfully. I'd say go with the Long Haul Trucker if you want a touring frame or the Cross Check if you want a cyclecross frame. The Long Haul Trucker would be the best for you (imho) since you want to carry some cargo. Be sure to spray some frame saver in the tubes before you build it up.

I did something similar a few years back fixing up an old Schwinn Caliente. The first thing you want to do is clean up the frame thoroughly. Take as many parts off the bike as you're comfortable with. Definitely the wheels, chain, seat, rack, bottle cage. This will help you get into some of the nooks that are easy to overlook when cleaning. If you're going to replace cables and housing, that helps with this as well.

After you've stripped the frame down as far as you're comfortable and cleaned it thoroughly, you should scrape off as much of the rust as you can without further jacking up the paint job, and then resealing with a clear coat. When I did this, I found a black paint pen at an auto parts store that had a scraper for the rust. It worked reasonably well. Then, I recommend spraying Framesaver inside the frame to help slow down any additional rust formation.

If nothing else though, the most important stuff is to make sure your tires, tubes, chain, and brake pads are in good shape.

In terms of parts upgrades, the wheels look older, which means they're heavy. That would probably be the most expensive upgrade, but also the most beneficial. Watch out though, on older bikes, the front and rear forks may not be wide enough for most modern wheels. In that case you need to either look for specialty wheels designed to fit older bikes (I've never actually seen these, but I'm sure someone, somewhere makes them) or cold set the frame.

The seat also looks cheap, but I'd ride on it a bit first to see if it's comfortable. And think about if you like that handlebar setup. Those bars almost certainly aren't original to that bike, and you could switch to drop bars, bullhorns, etc. if you wanted to.

It's a heavy, sticky oil sprayed inside steel frames to prevent rust. Something like this.

That bike's closer to 20 years old, maybe more. Used in wet, salty conditions, a steel frame can really suffer. This one does not look bad. Steel MTBs are tough.

If I were you, I'd pull the seatpost and bottom bracket out of the bike and spray some FrameSaver into the exposed tubes.

I'm in Chicago and I treat my steel frame with JP Weigle's FrameSaver. It's way better than WD40. Just Google it.

Other than that, I tend to just wipe down my bike as often as possible and I never leave it outdoors overnight. I tend to not ride as often in the winter, honestly. It gets pretty damn cold here.

Steel is more likely to die from rust/corrosion. Most people don't properly apply 'frame saver' to the inside of their steel frames.

http://www.amazon.com/Weigles-Bicycle-Frame-Saver-Inhibitor/dp/B0012GO58Y

Also, a European bottom bracket in a steel frame should be serviced annually to prevent seizing.

There are products out there specifically made for steel framed bikes that coat the inside of the frame tubes as a layer of protection against moisture and oxidation, which leads to rust; paint protects the exterior of your tubes, frame sealer protects the inside. JP Weigel is the usual go-to, you just dissasemble your bike and spray it down the tubes. There's more info around the web, including this article from John Allen/Sheldon Brown.

Keep it inside if you can. If you must leave it out, try to get a tarp or cover for it. You could also get Framesaver. I've never used it, but you could try it out.

There’s a product called frame saver that will prevent rust on the inside of a steel frame. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0012GO58Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_a12FAbNVVCYBD

Outside paint, inside framesaver. I used framesaver on my Surly touring frame and leave it outside all the time when I'm on tour. As long as you touch up any paint chips, it's likely to last much longer than an aluminum frame. For me, it's the catastrophic failure that can happen with an aluminum frame that turns me off. Steel bends, Aluminum breaks. http://www.amazon.com/Weigles-Bicycle-Frame-Saver-Inhibitor/dp/B0012GO58Y

Keep it somewhat clean. If your really that paranoid about it, Framesaver can be beneficial. You can achieve the same results with boiled linseed oil (careful with those rags...poof! ) or just periodically spraying a can of WD-40 into the tubes.

I've got a mid 80s gas-pipe Peugeot that I use as my shit weather commuter, never had any preventive measures taken and it doesn't have a lick of rust.

that headtube looks right for a person 6ft tall. For bicycle touring, slighter bigger frame is better than a slightly small frame because it makes it easier to adjust the cockpit for comfortable long duration riding

I would powdercoat the frame, which is way more durable than any paint. It's also cheap. ( you can consider powdercoating much of the bike. Frame, fork, waterbottle cages, racks, etc. Disc bike owners can consider powdercoating rims) Here in western Washington (Seattle area) powdercoating runs $75-$100 for frame and fork. If you do go the powdercoat route, buy a can of JP Weigles FRAME SAVER. The powdercoat process heats the frame to about 350-400 degrees which eliminates all moisture in the frame. Frame Saver AFTER powdercoat)

I would start the show by concentrating on the weakest link on a touring bicycle.... the wheels and the drivetrain!

Start watching wheeling building videos on youtube. Subscribe to r/wheelbuilding. Buy a set of Shimano XT 36h hubs and a set of 26 inch rims. (Velocity Dyad, Sun RhynoLite, etc)

back in the late 80's when mountain biking was new I bought a brand new Trek 950 lugged frame mountain bike. 24 years later I toured around the perimeter of the USA on it. The only thing original on the bike was the frame/fork. I upgraded all other components including building the wheels.

videos to watch

"How to upgrade vintage bike with sealed cartridge bottom bracket"

Bottom Bracket differences, why they are critical

American bottom bracket; crank conversion

How to remove install sealed cartridge bearings

How to overhaul a bottom bracket

EDIT! if you still have the spindle (in the bottom bracket) KEEP IT! so you can measure it for the new sealed bearings.

The frames are actually the (relatively) superior part of the bargain with Masi.

The components tend to be middling and the wheels are generally cheap and heavy. All in all, they are very serviceable in stock trim, but to get that price point something has to give.

Make sure you (or a shop/someone with experience) uses something like FrameSaver in order to prevent the steel from rusting internally.

I used a Masi CX to tour the Pacific Coast Highway and could not have been happier with the performance/cost/value of the frame. I swapped out every other part over the course of 6 moths prior to the tour (with the exception of the headset).