Doing up a bike - some parts rusty

ellejay

Hi

Apologie if I've posted in the wrong forum.

I'm trying to get an oldish bike going.

The chain is badly rusted, could anyone recommend some solution to remove the rust?

Where would be good place to buy stuff like brake pads, brake wires, possibly inner tubes for the wheels.

Also looking for the part that comes out of the bike frame, that the pedal attaches to. I think it's too rusted and needs to be replaced.Could anyoe tell me the name of this part please?

Thanks in advance for any help.

boombang

A chain is cheap to replace and will greatly enhance the riding of your bike. It should cost you less than €10. You may want to replace the rear block (cogs) while you're at it (mission creep begins...).

The thing that attaches the pedals to the frame is called the bottom bracket. This will cost you around €20 for a reasonably basic one. You will need to figure out what size you have to get the right one. Might be worth paying the extra to get the local bike shop to do this one for you as you typically need special tools to remove and install. I don't know the bike shops in Wickow. Where exactly are you?

Post some pictures and others will give you more advice.

ellejay

thanks very much for your help
i'll get some pictures soon

boombang

Some bikes are too knackered or poor quality in the first place to be worth renovating, whereas a good bike might be worth putting the money in. You'll probably get some feedback here once you have pics of the bike.

Of course if you like the bike of have some sentimental attachment to it (no bad thing) then you may want to spend the money regardless.

Online is often cheapest for parts, such as chainreaction. However, you do need to know all the sizes of all the parts, which isn't easy if you're not familiar with bikes. So although it will all cost much more at your local bike shop you'll have the benefit of their knowledge.

ellejay

Hi

My bike is a Freespirit Albany.

bike.jpg

chain.jpg

front brake.jpg

pedal.jpg

ellejay

boombang wrote: »

Some bikes are too knackered or poor quality in the first place to be worth renovating, whereas a good bike might be worth putting the money in. You'll probably get some feedback here once you have pics of the bike.

Of course if you like the bike of have some sentimental attachment to it (no bad thing) then you may want to spend the money regardless.

Online is often cheapest for parts, such as chainreaction. However, you do need to know all the sizes of all the parts, which isn't easy if you're not familiar with bikes. So although it will all cost much more at your local bike shop you'll have the benefit of their knowledge.

Hi boombang

I take your point, I'm not familiar at all with bikes.
I've no sentimental attachment, a neighbour kindly gave the bike to me.

I'd thought i'd be able to take the rusty parts off, clean what I can and replace as necessary.

ZiabR

From looking at the pictures, you are going to need a new chain for defo. It is very badly rusted, you can see some parts where it will not line up with the next segment. The front brake may need replacing. I would be replacing all of the cables, these cost no more than 10 euro.

cdaly_

First thing to do is take off the child seat. It just unclips from the bracket under the saddle. You can re-fit it later if you're going to carry a child.

Second thing: Are you mechanically minded? Or will you end up paying a bike shop to do the work. If you are mechanically minded, it's mostly a matter of common sense and lubrication. Hunt down maintenance videos on youtube.

Chain:
That chain is very rusty. You can see in your pic that the links zig-zag which means they're rusted solid. That said, you could free it up just for the moment and replace the chain later when you've got everything else sorted.

1. Turn the bike upside down
2. Spray the chain liberally with WD40
3. Start pedalling slowly so that the rear wheel turns.
4. Keep spraying the WD40 as you pedal

This may be enough to free up the chain (you'll still replace it later).
You'll see in your chain pic that the rear derailleur is stretched out horizontal. This is because the chain is wrapped around the sprockets. If you manage to free it up, this should spring back and keep the chain taut. If it doesn't, some spraying with WD40 while manipulating it by hand should free it up.
Once you have these parts freed up, oil them liberally with 3in1 oil or similar.

Bottom Bracket:
From your 'pedal' pic, the bottom bracket looks ok. If you grab the crank arm (the silver-and-rust bit between bottom bracket and pedal) and try to push-pull it towards/away from the frame, it should not move. If it does, the bottom bracket is worn and needs overhaul. If it doesn't move, the bottom bracket is probably ok but it should still be greased. This involves removing the pedal cranks and unscrewing the bottom bracket from the frame, cleaning the ball bearings and cups, greasing the lot up and reassembling/adjusting. If the ball bearings are 'caged' (ie in a circular cage) it would be worth while buying more balls, discarding the cages and just packing the balls into the bottom bracket loose. It ends up stronger that way. It certainly doesn't look rusty enough to need replacing.

Brakes:
Go to your local bike shop for brake cables, blocks and tubes. They'll be a bit more expensive than online but you should end up with the correct parts. If the brake levers move and the brakes work at present, you might get away with just lubing the cables with 3in1 oil. You can detach the cable outers from their stops and slide them along the inners so the oil gets where it needs to be. If they don't work, replace cable inners and outers. You may need to replace the blocks anyway as they can dry out and harden over time losing effectiveness.

Removing rust:
A spray of WD40 on the rust areas followed by a rub with a heavy cloth will improve rusty bits. More WD40 and a rubbing with a wad of aluminium foil can help too. The rust showing in your pics appears to be surface/cosmetic so you should be fine there.

ellejay

Hi Cdaly

I can't thank you enough for such a compressive reply.

I like to think I'm mechanically minded, so I'll certainly be giving it a good go.

ellejay

logik wrote: »

From looking at the pictures, you are going to need a new chain for defo. It is very badly rusted, you can see some parts where it will not line up with the next segment. The front brake may need replacing. I would be replacing all of the cables, these cost no more than 10 euro.

When buying a chain, is it a case of getting a standard size chain and removing links to make it fit? (Think I remember dong that as a chid)

Or do you buy a particular size? Where would is see the size to order online?

Thanks and sorry for all the questions

Darkglasses

ellejay wrote: »

When buying a chain, is it a case of getting a standard size chain and removing links to make it fit? (Think I remember dong that as a chid)

Or do you buy a particular size? Where would is see the size to order online?

Thanks and sorry for all the questions

You buy the size according to how many gears are on the rear cassette (6 speed, 7 speed, 8 speed, etc.), and then you remove links to make it fit

ellejay

Darkglasses wrote: »

You buy the size according to how many gears are on the rear cassette (6 speed, 7 speed, 8 speed, etc.), and then you remove links to make it fit

Great, thanks Darkglases.

ZiabR

Any other questions, feel free to fire away!

ellejay

logik wrote: »

Any other questions, feel free to fire away!

will i need a special tool to remove links on chain please
thanks for your patience.

TonyStark

ellejay wrote: »

will i need a special tool to remove links on chain please
thanks for your patience.

Yes it's called a chain link too/chain breakerl. Reasonably cheap to acquire. There is a special kind of link called a power link which makes it easy to take off the chain without breaking links in the future.

Type 17

Tip: unless the seat is, coincidentally, exactly the right height for you, you will need to loosen the bolt and raise it - thing is, on bikes that have been neglected and gone a bit rusty, the seat post may be stuck in the frame, so now (before you get near to finishing the bike) would be a good time to squirt WD-40 down the gap between the seat post and the frame, to allow it to soak in.

cdaly_

For the bottom bracket, check out this video but personally I wouldn't remove the chain-side cup (at 4:30). Instead I would clean it in situ.

I would also discard the cages (5:50) and get loose balls instead. You can pack more of them in which makes for a stronger bottom bracket. My method is to pack a bed of grease into each cup, then press each ball into the bed of grease which will hold it in place for reassembly

alaimacerc

The chain's pretty horrific, but you may be able to get away with just WD40ing it. Will certainly need more than just oil...

One thing you need to mind is chain wear. If there's a lot, the rear cassette and possibly the chain ring will be worn to fit "hand in glove", so replacing the one without the other can actually make matters worse. Not worse than the rusted mass it is right now, mind. From your photo it doesn't *look* too bad, though. At least the big sprocket doesn't, as the teeth still have "shape" -- the others it's hard to say, due to lighting and horrendous rust.

You can get a new chain and a chain breaker tool for around a tenner each, so it may be worth the punt to see if that's a viable standalone repair. If the new chain skips or clunks, you'll need to change the cogs, which you might want to fall back to your FNBS for, unless you're feeling that bit adventurous to change those yourself, too. Can always keep the new chain as a spare.

ellejay

Thank you all for your help, I'm getting stuck in over the weekend.
I really appreciate all the replies, thank you all so much.