When my neighbor offered me "an old road bike" I thought I'd maybe convert it into a singlespeed. It's a Nishiki sport with a nice steel frame and the more I look at it the more I want to just clean it up and ride it. It had been left out in the rain years ago and it has considerable rust on the drivetrain . What's the best way of getting it off? Is there an effective product to use or are we talking about scotch brite and elbow grease? Any insight would be appreciated, thanks.

I used electrolysis on a recent project, it worked great, removes rust, grease, and paint. If you have a battery charger already you wont need to buy much else. Just google electrolysis rust removal and you will find lots of info, oh and some sites will recommend stainless steel, but for reasons of hazardous waste you should try to avoid it.

Oh and try to post some pics, everyone around here likes pictures of these projects before they start.

Oxalic acid can work magic sometimes. Simply cleaning with degreaser and then cleaning with wd-40 and then ample lubrication can work wonders also.

You might consider just buying a new and cheap chain, since that is probably the worst offender.

jim

If you want a single speed freewheel, just leave the derailleurs on it, pick your favorite gear (other than one of the two crosschain combinations), and don't shift. The drivelines on even low-end old Nishikis such as yours are surprisingly good.