Bicycle Mechanics - restoring vintage bikes

I bought a 70s (or maybe 60s) bike for my mom for $20. It's a Galaxy II, 26". The frame is in good shape. The components aren't as rusted as they could be.

this is my first time restoring a bike, and I could use the experience. There are 2 things I'm confused about.

I got the front brakes working pretty good. But the back brakes are weak and stiff. I tried lubing the cable and clearing the rust off the metal, but that doesn't seem to have done much good. Maybe the spring needs to be replaced. any advice?

Also, both gear adjustment pegs are stiff as hell. So again, I'll lube up the cable and go from there.

I don't know whether I should try to fix these things or buy new parts. Any advice is appreciated.

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also, the chain is all rusted up, but it's not stretched out at all. Do rusty chains necessarily need replacement?

Soak the chain and see. We need pic's of the brakes. Oil every thing, any
excess can be cleaned off later. You need to think about new cables and
pads, and clean and pack all the bearings, wheel, crank, head set. Don't
forget, the pedals have bearing as well, if not you need to think about
new pedals.

Cables, pads and pedals are about $30.

There is a chemical that helps remove rust from metal parts without any scraping. You just apply and let it do its job, and within minutes the metal is as good as new. I dont remember the name now, I used to work at near a pier and some was lent to me a few years back for rusted parts on the car.

Pics is a plus...

There is a chemical that helps remove rust from metal parts without any scraping. You just apply and let it do its job, and within minutes the metal is as good as new. I dont remember the name now, I used to work at near a pier and some was lent to me a few years back for rusted parts on the car.

Pics is a plus...

There are several, the most common is Belly Button Jam, or it's common name,
Navel Jelly!

I got the front brakes working pretty good. But the back brakes are weak and stiff. I tried lubing the cable and clearing the rust off the metal, but that doesn't seem to have done much good. Maybe the spring needs to be replaced. any advice?

Also, both gear adjustment pegs are stiff as hell. So again, I'll lube up the cable and go from there.

I don't know whether I should try to fix these things or buy new parts. Any advice is appreciated.


You probably need new cables. Try lubing the cables with WD40 first to see if you can free them up. I'd replace a chain if it's rusty. It's no fun when they snap.

A little cleaning and elbow grease usually goes a long way in getting an old bike running again, if all the parts are there.

see I don't know if I should replace the cables or the cable tubes, or neither... or both! When I lube up the cables and run it through the tubes, it seems movement is smooth enough. The components are also in decent shape. But when I put everything together, they're still stiff and non-spontaneous.

Right now, I think I will need new derailleurs, a new spring for the back brake, and some new cables/cable tubes. I think the old ones are salvageable, but I just don't know which part of the components are causing the problems, and whether I should just apply lube, or I should actually clean the surfaces to make them smooth. Right now, everything seems to be old and rough (not rusted, but rough, like sandpaper), and I feel like I should dump these thing into a solvent or something to clear off the extra stuff...

I will also need to clean the rust off the cassette, so I'm looking for tips on that as well. Vinegar and aluminum foil works for rust, but I don't know if it's a good idea for the cassette (proly not).

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don't know if these pictures help but here they are. http://s1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa472/mrund3rd09/

On the cogs, just wire brush what you can get to, the part the chain runs on.
Cables and housings are cheap! Oil the crap out of the derailleurs take them off
and dunk them. Watch out for the little bushings in the rear guide cogs.

The cables, any corrosion will make them brittle. Not worth the risk. Take the brake
arms off and clean and lube the pivots. The higher end ones have a brass bushing, the
cheaper ones are just aluminum. They should move with no effort but the spring.
If there is gunk in the cable housings, it is hard to get it all out and it will cause binding.
Even the brake levers need to be cleaned and lubed.

We need pics of the brake set up!

The rust on the cassette (although it's actually a freewheel) is entirely cosmetic. Wirebrush and some lube should turn it all uniformly black-ish.
The derailers I'd just lube liberally, then work them through their range of motion directly by hand until they move freely.
I don't mess with old cables/housings any more, at least not on planned work. Maybe on stuff that crops up after the shops has closed and have to be fixed by tomorrow...
Generic replacements are inexpensive enough that I'll go directly for replace as opposed to clean & lube. Heck, by the looks of things you probably have friction shifters, so you don't even need compressionless shifter housing. Add a few bucks to get housings with liners, that'll give a smoother action.

Before reassembly, go visit Sheldon Brown's site on cable routing (http://sheldonbrown.com/cables.html)

Oh, and back brakes are just about always a tad weaker and less responsive than front brakes. There's a lot more cabling between the lever and the brake, which kinda takes the edge off. Seeing that your bike has a step-through frame you probably have an even less-than-ideal cable routing even to start with, with a horrible bough in the cable where it transitions from top tube to brake.

Navel Jelly!

Naval jelly.

Is this a "women's" frame with a dropped top tube and a rear brake cable that enters the caliper from below? If so, the housings are prone to collect water in that dependent loop and eventually rust.

The first thing I'd try to fix the rear brake is to replace both the cable and housing with new parts, preferably plastic-lined housing and a decent die-drawn cable.

. Take the brake arms off and clean and lube the pivots. The higher end ones have a brass bushing, the
cheaper ones are just aluminum. They should move with no effort but the spring.
If there is gunk in the cable housings, it is hard to get it all out and it will cause binding.
Even the brake levers need to be cleaned and lubed.



+1 Totally clean the pivots and maybe get in there with a dowel to ream out the pivot holes and get any dried on oil OFF or it'll cause them to bind up. Old oil is glue-like goop that has dried and will cause binding and reduced braking power and feel.

WalMart sells a cable kit for around $5 that has everything you need for these type of older bikes.

what quality are those cables? I just spent $17 on 2 stainless steel shifter cables, a brake cable, and housings and cable caps.

Naval jelly.

...depends on where you sourced it from.

Why don't you try the C&V subforum here at bikeforums?

I think the chain is fine.

Check the major bearings for wobble (when not spinning-like if the wheel was loose on the axle). Those would be the hubs, the bottom bracket, and the headset. It is best to take them down and regrease because old grease can dry up. If they don't wobble and you really don't want to buy a large crescent wrench, hook spanner, and cone wrenches, then at a bare minimum oil them.

Having the wheels tensioned and trued would be a bit pricey but would go a long way toward making the wheelset last if you plan to ride the thing at all.

I rarely replace cables myself; they usually work fine.

If solvent won't free your brakes and you do wind up taking them apart, they go back together with a nut and a locknut on the pivot. the nut should not be cranked down onto the brake arms but should be held steady with a small, flat wrench while the outer locknut is tightened against it. Incorrect adjustment may be the problem.

Finished the bike just now. Everything seems fine except for the rear brake, which is still pretty weak despite the new cable and housing. I'm guessing it's the spring needs replacement.

The bike needed a new chain too. the old chain was too rusty and clunky. Switching to a new chain made the ride a lot smoother.

It's far from perfect. Ride doesn't feel as good as other bikes for sure. I think the bike may need a new cog set. the ride is smooth for the most part, but it feels as if the chain and the gear don't exactly match up. Maybe it's the rust.

thanks for the help guys

Finished the bike just now. Everything seems fine except for the rear brake, which is still pretty weak despite the new cable and housing. I'm guessing it's the spring needs replacement.
The spring is unlikely to be the cause.
Think about it, the spring is there to disengage the brake when you release the lever. If your problem is weak braking, switching the spring won't help. If your problem had been brake dragging, then replacing the spring might help.


..The bike needed a new chain too.... I think the bike may need a new cog set.... it feels as if the chain and the gear don't exactly match up.

Well, rule-of-thumb when when working on a drivetrain with unknown service history is to always replace chain and cassette/freewheel together. It's not impossible, but the odds of new and old parts co-existing in mutual harmony are so low that they're usually not worth exploring unless there's something special about the cassette/freewheel making it difficult/expensive to replace.

Did you replace the pads? I have seen them so
hard, there was "0" brakes!

I posted this in the C&V forum, but this thread looks like a good place to ask:

I need a good bicycle repair handbook. I use a lot of the online resources listed in this forum, but I need something I can take out with me and stare at for a while. I'm working mostly on old 3speeds, and have basic maintenance down but not much more.

Any suggestions?


I would love to see a pic of this bike. :)

I posted this in the C&V forum, but this thread looks like a good place to ask:

I need a good bicycle repair handbook. I use a lot of the online resources listed in this forum, but I need something I can take out with me and stare at for a while. I'm working mostly on old 3speeds, and have basic maintenance down but not much more.

Any suggestions?


I would love to see a pic of this bike. :)

Glenns for $4 WITH shipping (http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=4857525595&searchurl=sts%3Dt%26tn%3Dglenns%2Bbicycle%26x%3D0%26y%3D0) -you can't get a better price and it's a very good bike mechanic's book.

Thank you, Amesja. I'll get a copy of that.

Big spender! :-D

The spring is unlikely to be the cause.
Think about it, the spring is there to disengage the brake when you release the lever. If your problem is weak braking, switching the spring won't help. If your problem had been brake dragging, then replacing the spring might help.



Well, rule-of-thumb when when working on a drivetrain with unknown service history is to always replace chain and cassette/freewheel together. It's not impossible, but the odds of new and old parts co-existing in mutual harmony are so low that they're usually not worth exploring unless there's something special about the cassette/freewheel making it difficult/expensive to replace.


the 2 sides close unevenly. I tried to adjust the nuts on both sides. Screwing them on too tight disables the springs from springing back. Screwing them too loose causes the 2 sides to close unevenly. I think I've exhausted all other possibilities. I got new cables, housings, and lubed up the brake components, and tried to adjust the brake position. None of them has really worked.

There is a problem with either the bolt, the fiber washer in between the arms, or the pivots in the arms themselves.

If the bolt is bent you will have issues. If the fiber washer is messed up and binding you'll have similar issues. Also the pivots themselves need to be rust and dried-up/dried-on oil free.

Take the brakes fully apart and check that the bolt is straight and clean. Polish it with some rubbing compound so that it is slick. Clean the fiber washer and grease it while you have it apart. Clean the brake arms and get all the rust off of the -especially in the pivot area. Use a piece of wood like a dowel to stick into the pivot hole and ream it out and get any rust or dried-on sticky oil out of there. Use some rubbing compound in there too on the dowel so you get the pivot polished up well. You don't want any friction in here at all. Put it all back together the way it came apart (you were paying attention how it came apart right?) Tighten up the bolt just enough so that there is no play but the spring can still move it back smartly. You might want to put a tiny dab of grease on where the spring rubs on the arms so that it doesn't bind up there too.

Once back together the brake should operate smoothly and with a sharp spring it its step. You can up the spring a little bit at this point by opening it up a little to give more springiness. Don't go nuts and bend it WAY out. Springs can break and you can hurt yourself when it does so wear eye protection when you bend spring out like this in case it does shatter.

If you did all this right your brakes will work better than they where new.

+1 for Glenns...although I had to pay $1.49 plus $3.99 shipping...not quite the deal that Amesja got. There is some really good detail on 3 speed SA hubs.

The book I linked above has been sold. When I was at ABE books to get that link there were nearly 20 copies for sale by different booksellers at around the $5 level for purchase & shipping. Now there are about 10 left that are under $10 total price (http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?kn=glenn%27s+bicycle&sts=t&x=0&y=0). If you want to buy a Glenn's for under $10 shipped to your door then you better get one quick. For some reason they seem to be flying off the shelves...

10 books seems like a lot but if there are 10 people reading this thread who click on a link and decide that $5 for a useful bicycle repair book is a good deal and is easy to do because it is a 4 minute sign-up and check-out process they can disappear fast. But even $10 is a good price for this great big thick illustrated book. Heck, at $20 it is a deal. I love ABE books, a clearinghouse of used booksellers -what's not to love?

I did get a copy. :) I can't wait for it to get here!

the 2 sides close unevenly.

While this can certainly be annoying, it is (usually) of little-to-none practical importance as long as both sides are able to disengage. Even if one touches first, the force distribution mechanism inherent in the brake design will bring the other into contact as soon as you put a little more power in the braking. Basically, even if one touch first, they'll still brake evenly.
V-brakes and canti brakes usually have a built in adjustment feature which allows you to set the return spring tension independently of each other. You may have to try to straighten one end of the spring out a bit to achieve the same purpose.

I know, but the problem is that you have to squeeze the brake levers a lot in order to make the brake close. That's partially because the pads are pretty far apart right now. And that's the way it has to be because otherwise, one of the pads would stick to the rim when I squeeze it.

I know, but the problem is that you have to squeeze the brake levers a lot in order to make the brake close. That's partially because the pads are pretty far apart right now. And that's the way it has to be because otherwise, one of the pads would stick to the rim when I squeeze it.

We need a picture of the brake setup, something is not as it should be here?????

If the brake is sticking, it is either on the shaft, or hitting the tire.

is the brake just not "centered" correctly? if one side is closer than the other, you should bolt it on so the wheel is in the middle.

post pics

what quality are those cables? I just spent $17 on 2 stainless steel shifter cables, a brake cable, and housings and cable caps.
They are certainly not high end or SS, but for a Dept store bike that putters around the neighborhood they are fine. They do not have compressionless shift housing but I've found them to work on most 6-7 speed indexed systems.