I got an old Raleigh Grand Prix that I want to convert (first one, so it's mostly a learning experience), but I'm running into one major problem. The bike's about 30 years old, and was never cleaned a day in its life. Nasty old dirt and grime everywhere, and most of the exposed parts (cranks/pedals and wheels, mostly) either have a little bit of rust or lost their shine a long time ago. Now, I've been sanding off the rust so far, and it's working out great. There's no pitting on any of the parts, so I don't really have to worry about that. The only problem is that it's taking forever and there are some parts, especially in the pedals, that are really hard to get to. Any recommendations on getting some of the harder to reach stuff off? Does that CLR (or other sort of cleaner) stuff work well? Thanks

try posting in vintage forum -- probably better answers there re cleaning up old bikes

use a clr or you can make ur own cleaner cheaply...
get some white vinegar and put a little bit of salt in it, then scrub off the rust w/ and old toothbrush

Heh, yea, good idea.

I'll give it a shot. Thanks

for rust:

Oxycylic[sp?] acid or molasses as your homebrew options --some searches in c&v should help you here

I don't really like clr that much, it took the finish off some of my parts once.

for everything else, simple green?