BajaNomad

Bicycle maintenance

bajabuddha - 3-30-2018 at 04:50 PM

I just inherited an old 15-speed bike that's seen better daze, has been sitting for years. So what's the bestest things to do for the ol' feller? Gears and derailleurs look a little shop-worn and dry; is WD 40 soak a good thing? Should I hit it with something else and then oil with....... what? What about bearings, etc? Keep in mind, i'm riding it to the friggin' mail box for now, no back-woods trail stuff at my ....er........ advanced age. Just wanna do right by the ol' horse.

mtgoat666 - 3-30-2018 at 05:14 PM

Quote: Originally posted by bajabuddha  
I just inherited an old 15-speed bike that's seen better daze, has been sitting for years. So what's the bestest things to do for the ol' feller? Gears and derailleurs look a little shop-worn and dry; is WD 40 soak a good thing? Should I hit it with something else and then oil with....... what? What about bearings, etc? Keep in mind, i'm riding it to the friggin' mail box for now, no back-woods trail stuff at my ....er........ advanced age. Just wanna do right by the ol' horse.


You could do maintenance yourself, but a bike shop can do it quick and cheap, and show you what you need to do.
For an old bike that has gathered dust for years, I would take apart and regrease all bearings. A fair amount of work that requires special tools. Easy peasy to drop it off at a bike shop.

old bike restoration

blackwolfmt - 3-30-2018 at 05:21 PM


This should help u out Budda:cool:


https://youtu.be/HlJo71hTL4U

woody with a view - 3-30-2018 at 05:30 PM

Don’t forget to rotate the air in the tires.

chuckie - 3-30-2018 at 05:48 PM

Go to Walmart and get some spray chain lube...Get the chain good and wet..Same store buy some light lubricating oil and one of the squeeze cans , you likely already have one....lube all the lil gears and stuff....Use the chain lube to oil the cables...prop the bike up and spin the wheels..if they are noisy, carefully take them off and lube the wheel bearings.....don't fall off

AKgringo - 3-30-2018 at 07:24 PM

Remember that for the optimum safety and efficiency, the training wheels must be adjusted properly! :wow:

bajabuddha - 3-30-2018 at 09:19 PM

Great replies all, and in order.....

goathead, I'm in a town of less than 6K, no bike shops here.

Blackwolf, trail bike, not street. Thanx, tho....
Woody, is that 10W90 or 80 proof, or would Wild Turkey 100 suffice? :light:

Chuck, seat belt installed with parachute (my tattoo is fading)

AK: Training wheels??? We don't need no stinking training wheels!! Maybe a splint in the near future tho... :bounce:





Alm - 3-30-2018 at 10:02 PM

Quote: Originally posted by bajabuddha  
goathead, I'm in a town of less than 6K, no bike shops here.

There could be a lot things to do - tires, wheels truing, breaks and derallieur servicing. Or there could be not.

If everything rolls smooth, there is nothing urgent to do. But if there is, it should better be done by somebody else. Bike shop is 20 minutes drive from that town, IIRC. They must have chain lub.

WD40 is not a lubricant but rather a solvent, to dissolve rust.

[Edited on 3-31-2018 by Alm]

bajabuddha - 3-30-2018 at 11:11 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Alm  
Quote: Originally posted by bajabuddha  
goathead, I'm in a town of less than 6K, no bike shops here.

There could be a lot things to do - tires, wheels truing, breaks and derallieur servicing. Or there could be not.

If everything rolls smooth, there is nothing urgent to do. But if there is, it should better be done by somebody else. Bike shop is 20 minutes drive from that town, IIRC. They must have chain lub.

WD40 is not a lubricant but rather a solvent, to dissolve rust.

[Edited on 3-31-2018 by Alm]


Alm, nearest bike shop is EIGHTY miles away from here. So if WD 40 is a solvent and old grease is built up, should I spray, let work, and then use chain lube to spruce up things? Kinda see what works and what doesn't? Old grease needs cleaned methinks. Old bike, older biker. Bugs in the teeth (sign of a happy old biker).

SunDevil - 3-31-2018 at 08:05 AM

Over the years we have fixed up a few used bikes. It is important to do an honest appraisal of the bike first.

Some used bikes are not worth the trouble and expense to fix up. A bike that's been neglected, left out in the weather, has rusty gears, bent wheels, and worn out brakes, just leave that one for someone else to struggle with.

If a used bike looks like it was cared for but just needs some sprucing up then you have something to work with.

The first thing I always with a used bike is check the wheels. See if the bearings are good and if the wheels are true. Just turn it upside down and spin a wheel. The wheel should spin freely without making any funny noise. Watch where the wheel passes by the brake pads. Wheels can be re-trued but it's not something everyone can do. If you grew up using tools then you shouldn't have a problem here.

Next wash the bike with detergent and elbow grease. This will let you see the actual condition and if there are serious problems you can just walk away.

After the bike is clean then you get everything working right. Different parts need different lubes. Chains and gears need a lube that doesn't attract dirt. Cables will be ok with most anything since they are shielded. The gears might need adjusting, do this after you clean and lube them.

Read about seat and handlebar adjustment. Your knees and back will thank you for that.

mtgoat666 - 3-31-2018 at 08:39 AM

Quote: Originally posted by bajabuddha  
Quote: Originally posted by Alm  
Quote: Originally posted by bajabuddha  
goathead, I'm in a town of less than 6K, no bike shops here.

There could be a lot things to do - tires, wheels truing, breaks and derallieur servicing. Or there could be not.

If everything rolls smooth, there is nothing urgent to do. But if there is, it should better be done by somebody else. Bike shop is 20 minutes drive from that town, IIRC. They must have chain lub.

WD40 is not a lubricant but rather a solvent, to dissolve rust.

[Edited on 3-31-2018 by Alm]


Alm, nearest bike shop is EIGHTY miles away from here. So if WD 40 is a solvent and old grease is built up, should I spray, let work, and then use chain lube to spruce up things? Kinda see what works and what doesn't? Old grease needs cleaned methinks. Old bike, older biker. Bugs in the teeth (sign of a happy old biker).


Are the wheels true?

Alm - 3-31-2018 at 11:31 AM

BB, you must have moved from where you (looked like) had settled earlier. 20 minutes (15 miles?) from camp there is/was a big town, all kinds of shops, including bike shop.

Old grease on the chain - yes, WD40 would remove it, then lubricate, but... sand and dry mud of Baja will cover it again soon. There is an opinion by some local professionals, that chain should not be greased much - will attract less dirt then.

Other maintenance issues - there is zillion videos and tutorials on how to do what. Adjusting the seat and handlebars (and possibly replacing the seat) is not of the least importance.

bajabuddha - 3-31-2018 at 11:45 AM

Alm, I'm not in San Lucas any more, am in southern NM. Nearest bike shop is 80 miles from here. I doubt i'll be doing any dirt whatsoever on it, so basic functionality is the need. I'll flip it and do my homework; thanks all for the input, valuable knowledge.

John Harper - 3-31-2018 at 01:36 PM

You can use Dri-Slide on the cables. Bel Ray Super Clean Chain Lube works great on motorcycle chains, should be fine on a bicycle. Not messy at all and doesn't attract dirt like other lubes.

Kerosene works great as a cleaner/degreaser. Grease the headset and bottom bracket bearings after you clean them.

Dri-Slide and Bel Ray are available on Ebay or Amazon.

John



[Edited on 3-31-2018 by John Harper]

Timo1 - 4-1-2018 at 06:08 AM

Just move the mailbox closer and fetch the mail with your lawn tractor

kevin_in_idaho - 4-1-2018 at 06:27 AM

I wouldn't use WD40 unless that's all you have. Get some chain lube (probably only need the dry stuff unless you are going to ride in the rain, wet).

mtgoat666 - 4-1-2018 at 06:35 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Alm  

Old grease on the chain - yes, WD40 would remove it, then lubricate, but... sand and dry mud of Baja will cover it again soon. There is an opinion by some local professionals, that chain should not be greased much - will attract less dirt then.


I would not keep the old chain, who knows what weak link it has? Breaking a chain while riding out of the saddle may throw you on the ground. Not fun.
Chains are cheap. Throw on a new chain.