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| Weathered Bicycle, 2007 |
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| Rusty Chain |
The first thing to do at a time like this is to clean off the rust and look for pitting. Pitting is an electrolytic tendency when steel rusts, one of its material properties. A rag with solvent takes the rust, dust, and grime off the chain. Lubricating it with a water displacing lubricant, such as spray on silicone lube, will get the bearings moving and expel both water and the things in it, such as rust and iron filings. This was the case. Further lubrication and cleaning just got out more black and red stuff until the rag came clean and the chain (original) spun smoothly and quietly. This surprised me. It was an hour's work, but I'm still using that chain today.
I found rust trails and red water leaking from the weep holes in the bottom of the frame. I made sure to move the bike around so that could finish dribbling out so it would stop rusting inside. I am fond of this bike frame. It is steel, but it is very strong. I went to a local bike shop and bought some lights, a bell, a mirror so I could see the cars coming up behind me, and installed it all. It looked like this.
I then commuted with it to work. Took me 11 minutes, the hill at the end being the hard part, even in UnPleasanton. I did this on a Sunday so I wouldn't be in serious traffic or late for work and fired, just as a test. The bike had some flaws. One is the back tire, going through summer watering would splash road dirt up the back of my shirt. This is not okay when going to a lab or office for work. I needed a fender, on the rear tire at least. I found one online at Planet Bike. They have good prices, however some of the things I ordered from them were grossly misrepresented and shipping them back was the same as the cost of the item. I haven't bought from them since. This is what happens when you screw your customers. You lose them. And they tell people, in blogs. With many readers. Ahem.
I did manage to install the fender in a very elegant way, like it belongs there as ways always part of the bike, and my wife was going to buy me a bike rack able to take various bags and a basket. I ended up buying that myself as she had issues again. The basket thing was a waste, and I should have paid for the spring loaded rack, but live and learn. Its sturdy and holds the touring bag very well. It just doesn't have a lock to stop a casual thief from unhooking the bag and carrying it off.
My spokes had bits of white corrosion on them. That's best removed with either a rag or a green scrubby pad or even steel wool. If your wheel chirps every time it goes around, you need to sand, file, or grind off the edges where it was welded. The outside is often left with a sharp edge and will cut up your brake pads. Its both annoying and unsafe. Manual labor will fix that. I even took my tires off and roughed up the braking surface so they would stop better. Works too. Labor intensive and slow, certainly, but it works.
Another thing I found with my inspection is my brakes had a critical load bearing component made of flimsy plastic, which broke so the brakes wouldn't engage fully, and couldn't reset off of the wheel. Shimano components are usually better than this, but go figure. I went to the local bike store and they tried to sell me a new bike, then brakes that wouldn't fit, then brakes that cost more than the bike. Then I asked them if they had a lower cost option. Defeated, they admitted that Yes, they did and I could order them online and pick them up at the store. So I found brakes for $11 instead of $90 each, and they weighed a couple grams more than their fancy ones, and less than the monster ones. Hah! This is the thing with mature technologies. Old stuff IS just as good as new. They also came with brake pads. I ordered those, new tires. I also bought new inner tubes with self sealing goo in them, bike lights, and a bell from the shop itself. They were disappointed I didn't want the more expensive stuff, but older is often better. The new brakes bolted right on, were adjustable so I could center them properly, and only needed a light sanding to prevent squeak. Polished brakes are noisy. Light sanding makes them work right. I got the angles just right too. Another bit of magic people get wrong.
I ordered new smooth 2.5 inch wide whitewall tires with a sturdy tread for $19 each. They claimed my wheels were too small, being only 26" and the tires too wide because they would slow me down, and I NEEDED disc brakes. The bike shop delivered the wrong tires, for $24 each, slicks (almost), and no white walls, which I wanted for side visibility by cars. Disappointed? Hell yes. They are better than knobbies, being about 3-4 mph faster on pavement but I may still upgrade those tires to a bright color. Being visible on the road is important. They also didn't call me like they promised and I had to call in to find out my stuff arrived 10 days later, 4 days late. That was three strikes against that shop and I stopped being their customer. Do not help people who treat you badly. You're delaying their inevitable date with Karma.
Further inspection found several of the cables were rusty, for brakes and gear shifters. I cleaned those up. The bigger problem is the straight handlebars are tiring to ride with for any duration, and make your neck sore because you have to lean forward, then look up to see where you're going. Not very comfortable. I wanted more traditional English comfort bike handlebars. And I found them, only they were the wrong diameter so wouldn't fit. Again, more cost to ship back then they were worth. I gave it to charity. I went to a different bike shop. Bought cable, cable guides, fitting handlebars which baffled them because they're totally uncool (but comfortable!) and declined their installation service and their 2 lb $112 derailleur when all I wanted was replacement springs from my very light high end Shimano that the bike came with. Since I fixed that last week, I will just leave it alone for the next 5 years.
Installing the stuff was a few hours of work and very satisfying. New handlebars, old grips. Lots of allen screws. I had the tools, except for the allen bolt for the handlebars was a tiny fraction too big. I used my diamond file to remove the bluing from the bolt so it would actually fit the screw, which was chromed so out of size, and got the bar off, the new one on, adjusted to the right angle, and tightened down. Kind of a pain but men like this sort of craftsmanship. Its a thing we do. And we notice each other's efforts, a respect we share along the same lines as women complimenting each other's hair color and clothes. I work with women. They do it often, frequently with not so veiled insults.
I needed the new cables because the new handlebars were about 3 inches taller and angled away so the prior cables were too short. I did some serious protections there. For instance, even with stainless steel, you can get corrosion or other damage if you don't protect them. I saturated the braided cable with axle grease down its full length. This means the cables always move smoothly, never get stuck. I made sure the guides I cut were then rounded out, no burrs to destroy the cable or impede it. That done, after adjusting and verifying the brakes and derailleurs worked right in every gear, I got down to the wheels themselves.
One of the primary failures of cheap Chinese bikes is ignorant assemblers, either in China or here. Bikes come partially assembled in a box, needing the wheels attached and final adjustments of the cables and sometimes the stops on the derailleurs. One thing frequently causing flat tires on a brand new bike which gets it a 1 star rating is a $2 part that must be installed, one you can't see. Its a strip of rubber that goes between the spokes inside the wheel and the inner tube. The spokes poke inwards and the heads can bite on the inner tube when under weight as it rolls, tearing a hole in the tube and flattening the tire. It's one step that's missed, but missed often.
Another issue is an inner tube should be coated in talcum powder, not cornstarch but talc, so it will slip around smoothly and not tear when it rolls against the tire its inflating. This is a big one and mostly known to old school bike mechanics rather than new twits upselling. A good bike mechanic should do this without being asked by the customer and not needing repairs is a sign of good work and future business, rather than sabotaging the bike for more frequent work. So make sure the strip is there, and lube the tube with talcum powder before installing it. I put in the tubes, mounted the tires, and gently pressurized them so they would seat properly, moving them around. This is important. ANY binding is going to cause problems. I got it all right before giving it 60 PSI. Then I put them into place, verified the brakes were still good and I was set. You should do this anytime you buy a new bike, from anybody. Few mechanics bother to do these because they want repeat business and upsales. You're the victim there. If you want a properly tuned bike do the work yourself. Learn how. Its mostly stuff you can do with $30 worth of wrenches and pliers and uncommon sense.
My latest revision a month ago was the new lights, the dynamo pedals, and the new lock. I blogged about that already. Unfortunately, with the recent rains riding was unfeasible. I might do that tomorrow or this weekend or next week, depending on timing and ambition. Ambition being so key in a place with steep hills, rough pavement, and inattentive or drunk drivers. I don't ride on Fridays, for instance. Too dangerous. I want to ride once a week. When the weather cooperates that can happen. I have already taken my good lock to work and attached it to a big post, out of the way, so I don't have to carry my new spiral lock. I'll use that for touring or errands rather than commuting. I made my bicycle pretty enough its worth stealing. I still wish it was Yellow. And had a motor, but you gotta use what you got. Less fiddling, now its all fixed up, more riding it in places like this:
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