Miele Man

Make haste SLOWLY!

If you have a good work area where you can lay parts out knowing they won't get disturbed/moved them as you take something apapart lay the parts out left to right and assemble them right to left.

On old bikes the ball bearings in the headset and/or the bottom bracket might be loose rather than being contained in a cage. I like to lay the frame on its side over a rag to catch the loose ball bearings that will otherwise fall out and roll everywhere. Catching them on a cloth allows you to count how many there were so that you can buy the proper number for reassembly. You should always use new bearings as the old ones might be worn an not round and whern reused the item they're used in quickly needs readjusting as the bearings realign themselves. Unfortunately they don't all realign at the same time which means adjustments can be frequent.

If you're a complete newbie it's best, in my opinion, to take one thing apart at a time.

Make a note of the last thing you were working on if you leave the area. This can be very helpful when reassembling things and will help you not to forget to tighten something such as brake anchor bolt, derailleur anchor bolt, stem bolts, seat post bolts and so on. It's just a trifle unnerving to be riding along a road and go to turn and find that your handlebar turns but not your wheel.

Dispose of oily/greasy cloths/paper towels so as not to have spontaneous combustion in your workshop later.

Do NOT be afraid to ask questions about how to do something or how to use something.

Cheers