Classic & Vintage - Tips and hints for cleaning up those old bikes

couldnt find a thread specific to tips on how to clean up vintage bikes.

can anyone help me out with any secrets?

old chrome?

grimey frames?

etc?

thanks!

jim

old chrome= wood bleach if really rusty, bronze wool for light rust, simplegreen for dirt, then polish

grimey frames= simplegreen, Meguires Scratch X, Meguires 3 step cleaner, wax & polish

Alluminum= Blue Magic polish

Others have more ideas. This is just what I use to get results such as this:
Before:
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p71/pastorbobnlnh/Varsity/73Varsity1.jpg

After:
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p71/pastorbobnlnh/Varsity/VarsitySSSide.jpg

If you want to clean an old, grimy bike properly, the first thing to do is strip it down. All the way down.

Hire my two boys to clean them. But, I warn you that they demand 10% each of the flip profits.

jim

My wife wants a straight 35% finders fee! No wonder I'm broke.

Nice job on the varsity, Rev.

I've got an old bike that I'm in the process of cleaning. I'd like to do just that, strip it down and clean it good, but I'm scared about putting the parts back on properly. Any advice there? Thanks.

I've got an old bike that I'm in the process of cleaning. I'd like to do just that, strip it down and clean it good, but I'm scared about putting the parts back on properly. Any advice there? Thanks.

You've just gotta jump in and do it. Some basic mechanical skills, a library book on bike maintenance, and a modicum of common sense will carry you through. One thing I find helpful is to save the old cable housings, marking them with a tab of masking tape and a pen to designate them as "L Shifter," "Rt. Brake," etc. When it's time to cut new housings to length, just match them against the old one and snip.

Some more random tips:

"Goo gone" for really grimy spots on frames.

"Palmolive" dishwashing liquid and a toothbrush for scrubbing parts in the sink.

Naval Jelly and a stiff brush for rust. Naval Jelly says "...not for chrome," but I have used it on chrome with success--I just don't leave it on too long.

After scrubbing a chain, I like to dry it out by placing it in the oven for a while at a low temperature. Then lube it well after installation.

I like to use Pedro's "Bike Lust," but "Lemon Pledge" seems to work well for shining up a frame.

Those green pan-scrubbing pads work well when washing wheels.

You've just gotta jump in and do it. Some basic mechanical skills, a library book on bike maintenance, and a modicum of common sense will carry you through. One thing I find helpful is to save the old cable housings, marking them with a tab of masking tape and a pen to designate them as "L Shifter," "Rt. Brake," etc. When it's time to cut new housings to length, just match them against the old one and snip.

To expand on this advice:
Take pictures of parts before you take them off if you don't have experience with them. Some things may seem straightforward enough, until you go to put everything back together. Wish I had followed this advice today actually. :o

To expand on this advice:
Take pictures of parts before you take them off if you don't have experience with them. Some things may seem straightforward enough, until you go to put everything back together. Wish I had followed this advice today actually. :o

And use video if you're taking apart Shimano indexing shifters. Amazing how many parts are in there....

Danny

And use video if you're taking apart Shimano indexing shifters. Amazing how many parts are in there....

Danny

Downtube and bar end index shifters are pretty simple. Its the trigger shifters that are a pain. Luckily they usually are just gummed up with old grease and dirt and just need a shot of degreaser then light oil

Sounds like I just need to "man up" and go for it. Thanks for the advice on labeling parts, I think that will be very helpful. The brakes and derailleurs scare me the most, getting the cables tightened appropriately.

But on cleaning...any suggestions on cleaning spokes? My rear wheel spokes seem to have some mineral buildup or something on them; regular cleaner/degreaser doesn't seem to do anything. I've wondered about some fine steel wool but thought I'd ask the masters.

Sounds like I just need to "man up" and go for it. Thanks for the advice on labeling parts, I think that will be very helpful. The brakes and derailleurs scare me the most, getting the cables tightened appropriately.

But on cleaning...any suggestions on cleaning spokes? My rear wheel spokes seem to have some mineral buildup or something on them; regular cleaner/degreaser doesn't seem to do anything. I've wondered about some fine steel wool but thought I'd ask the masters.

I'm certainly no "master," but I think steel wool works fine for spokes.

And as far as a derailleur goes, you don't have to disassemble it completely to clean it really well--but you will have to take it off the bike. I usually stop at removing the rear plate and jockey wheels, that's where most of the crud resides. With a narrow toothbrush, palmolive, and a stream hot water, it's possible to scrub the rest of the assembly clean, even inside the parallelogram. After that, I spray some WD-40 into the recesses to force out the water and then wipe it dry and reassemble the jockey wheels and plate. Once you've taken one off the bike, handled it, taken it apart and cleaned it, the derailleur will be "de-mystified," and you will suddenly find yourself on the way to becoming a better rider as well as a better home mechanic. In my experience, you will also find that a rear derailleur is a very durable mechanism, and won't worry so much about fiddling with one. Tightening the cable is relatively easy. Just make sure the rear derailleur is below the smallest cog, then pull the cable tight with pliers while tightening the anchor nut. Shift through the gears a few times to settle the cable and housings, then loosen the anchor nut, pull out the slack on the cable, and tighten it down again. Good luck!

(P.S. One additional caveat--Some derailleurs, older Suntours for one, I prefer to clean in one piece. The easiest ones to take apart are the ones with dedicated jockey wheel screws. In other words, the upper jockey wheel screw isn't serving double duty attaching another part of the mechanism.)

I'm certainly no "master," but I think steel wool works fine for spokes.

And as far as a derailleur goes, you don't have to disassemble it completely to clean it really well--but you will have to take it off the bike. I usually stop at removing the rear plate and jockey wheels, that's where most of the crud resides.

Yep, steel wool will work fine for galvanized spokes. You have to stay on top of those. A light coat of some tri-flow or other light lubricant might help keep them looking better longer as well, but it may attract road grime. It's a trade off I guess.

And when putting a RD back together remember to put a little blue locktite on the jockey wheel bolt threads. Having a RD come apart in the middle of a ride wouldn't be fun at all.

Steel wool with WD-40 as a lube works great on rims, spokes, fenders, handlebars, stems, etc. I have a tv out in the garage and I sit on a cooler(with beer in it) and scrub, scrub, scrub. Then polish them with chrome polish from the carstore or just plain car wax.

I replace all the brake and shifter cables and housing. I use some green marine grease for bottom bracket bearings.

Before
http://gallery.mac.com/bbattle/100093/000_0009/web.jpg

After
http://gallery.mac.com/bbattle/100093/P5060004/web.jpg

I took the bike completely apart and cleaned everything. Repainted the frame and put the bike back together. Added a few bits from Wal-mart, no less. Only problem is the coaster brake hub mostly coasts instead of brakes.

Rubbing alcohol. tough on grease, non-corrosive, evaporates and leaves NO residue.

I like bronze wool over steel wool, doesn't scratch.
I also just got a can of Kit brand scratch remover from Pep Boys. Its kinda soso for scratches but it works great on oxidized paint. best I've seen yet.

Rubbing alcohol. tough on grease, non-corrosive, evaporates and leaves NO residue.

+1 , be careful around new paint though. :D