Help me fix my old bike!
11-23-18, 03:14 PM
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Help me fix my old bike!
Hello! I love my old bike, I’ve come to realize, after foolishly leaving it outside for years. It’s a simple fixie bike with no brakes. A Kent genesis cruiser with supersized 32” wheels. The tubes still hold air. I think I can do this but I need some advice about the chain and the cog area. They’re rusty, and the chain is slack, so that the pedals and the wheels aren’t umm fixed as it was. I’m enclosing pictures below, arny advice on what I should do would be most welcome.
11-23-18, 03:32 PM
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Replace the chain.
Buy an 1/8” chain, a Master Link and a chain breaker tool.
That rusty on the outside, it’s rusty inside too.
sprocket and chainring rust is less of an issue.
Buy an 1/8” chain, a Master Link and a chain breaker tool.
That rusty on the outside, it’s rusty inside too.
sprocket and chainring rust is less of an issue.
11-23-18, 03:40 PM
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+1 on a new chain. I'd get some Kano Kroil or PB Blaster on those rusted axle nuts too. You will need to be able to tighten/loosen them freely to install/adjust the chain (non) tension. The various bearings (axle, headset, bottom bracket) should also be looked after.
11-23-18, 03:43 PM
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What’s a master link and chain breaker for? I should also mention that more than just fixing it, I kinda wouldn’t mind making it even better than before. Perhaps a nicer sprocket? This is all new to me I don’t have experience with bicycle maintenance beyond fixing flats.
11-23-18, 04:42 PM
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Go to Public Library , check out some books on bike repair, read them..
I did that in the 1950's and learned a lot in doing so..
I did that in the 1950's and learned a lot in doing so..
Last edited by fietsbob; 11-23-18 at 05:04 PM.
11-23-18, 04:47 PM
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A master link is a unique chain link that is designed to be easy to get apart, as a way of opening up the chain so it can be removed from the bike. Your chain might already have one. Look closely to see if one of the links looks unlike the others.
Now for an unorthodox idea. I have done this on old bikes with rusty chains. I drip some mineral spirits into the chain, and try to get each link to bend freely with my hands. If I can get the chain so it's flexible, than the bike can be ridden as-is, at least long enough for you to decide if the bike needs any other work, and possibly until the chain is absolutely hopelessly worn out. Single speed bikes are much more forgiving of the condition of the chain.
If you get a new chain, it will hopefully come with a master link, or you can ask for one with the chain. Now, chains typically come with more links than you need, so you need a way to shorten it. That's where the "chain breaker" comes in. Its a tool for pushing out the pins in the chain links, so a chain can be gotten apart. But if you get the chain from a shop and bring the old one with you, there's a chance they might be willing to shorten it for you.
The bike looks 100% salvageable in my book, and might be closer to being rideable than it appears at first glance. Best of luck and happy riding!
Now for an unorthodox idea. I have done this on old bikes with rusty chains. I drip some mineral spirits into the chain, and try to get each link to bend freely with my hands. If I can get the chain so it's flexible, than the bike can be ridden as-is, at least long enough for you to decide if the bike needs any other work, and possibly until the chain is absolutely hopelessly worn out. Single speed bikes are much more forgiving of the condition of the chain.
If you get a new chain, it will hopefully come with a master link, or you can ask for one with the chain. Now, chains typically come with more links than you need, so you need a way to shorten it. That's where the "chain breaker" comes in. Its a tool for pushing out the pins in the chain links, so a chain can be gotten apart. But if you get the chain from a shop and bring the old one with you, there's a chance they might be willing to shorten it for you.
The bike looks 100% salvageable in my book, and might be closer to being rideable than it appears at first glance. Best of luck and happy riding!
11-23-18, 05:30 PM
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A library? Is that like YouTube? I didn’t see a master link, maybe I missed it. I’ll look again. I looked on amazon and I can get a chain for 6bucks and a chain tool for 10. I don’t know how to fix it yet, I’m just sayin...no opinions on if upgrading the fixed gear cog could be worthwhile?
11-23-18, 07:56 PM
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There are lots of good tutorials on basic bike maintenance at the Park Tool website. I'd leave the cog as-is. I've worked on a lot of old bikes, and grew up in a neighborhood where most houses did not have garages, so bikes were left outdoors. A little bit of surface rust is really not a problem -- it will rub off upon the first ride. If I'm working on a bike that has faced total neglect for many years, I assume that the bearings will need to be lubricated, but that's something you can tackle after you confirm that the bike basically works, which it probably does.
One tip: Anything that you reassemble, put some grease on it first. This will protect from further corrosion, and will make subsequent maintenance a lot easier.
One tip: Anything that you reassemble, put some grease on it first. This will protect from further corrosion, and will make subsequent maintenance a lot easier.
11-23-18, 10:54 PM
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Alright thanks for the advice...just one more question. It appears the rear wheel has a slow leak in its tube.
I aired it in the morning and now it’s quite flat this night, without any use. Seeing as how these are non standard sized tires...32 inches...I have to order new tubes online and they’re at least 15 bucks. Do you see another way like patching it, or perhaps maybe it could even use 700c or 29” tubes?
I aired it in the morning and now it’s quite flat this night, without any use. Seeing as how these are non standard sized tires...32 inches...I have to order new tubes online and they’re at least 15 bucks. Do you see another way like patching it, or perhaps maybe it could even use 700c or 29” tubes?
11-24-18, 05:15 AM
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If you are not salvaging the chain, you can just cut it with a pair of bolt cutters
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11-24-18, 05:18 AM
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Alright thanks for the advice...just one more question. It appears the rear wheel has a slow leak in its tube.
I aired it in the morning and now it’s quite flat this night, without any use. Seeing as how these are non standard sized tires...32 inches...I have to order new tubes online and they’re at least 15 bucks. Do you see another way like patching it, or perhaps maybe it could even use 700c or 29” tubes?
I aired it in the morning and now it’s quite flat this night, without any use. Seeing as how these are non standard sized tires...32 inches...I have to order new tubes online and they’re at least 15 bucks. Do you see another way like patching it, or perhaps maybe it could even use 700c or 29” tubes?
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Slime-Tub...20271/49455296
I usually pick these up in bulk as I give them out to my clients
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11-24-18, 05:35 AM
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Here’s the deal:
- rust is harder than steel. A chain that rusty on the outside is likely to be rusty on the inside. If you get the links moving again, you’ll have a chain packed with abrasive slush.
If you use it w/o extensive rinsing, it’ll ”stretch” real fast. Possibly doing damage or become a poor match to the chainring or sprocket quite soon.
Replace and be done with it.
And ”better” sprocket...
Sometimes there’s no functional difference between ”good enough” and ”better”.
The bike worked for you earlier, right?
Matted paint and a little surface rust isn’t a functional issue for a sprocket.
Sure, you can get a shinier sprocket, but unless you have an idea about how you’d like to change the ride characteristics of the bike, it really won’t be a ”better” sprocket for you.
A 29” tube will work fine. It’ll take a little more effort on install to avoid pinching it, that’s all.
- rust is harder than steel. A chain that rusty on the outside is likely to be rusty on the inside. If you get the links moving again, you’ll have a chain packed with abrasive slush.
If you use it w/o extensive rinsing, it’ll ”stretch” real fast. Possibly doing damage or become a poor match to the chainring or sprocket quite soon.
Replace and be done with it.
And ”better” sprocket...
Sometimes there’s no functional difference between ”good enough” and ”better”.
The bike worked for you earlier, right?
Matted paint and a little surface rust isn’t a functional issue for a sprocket.
Sure, you can get a shinier sprocket, but unless you have an idea about how you’d like to change the ride characteristics of the bike, it really won’t be a ”better” sprocket for you.
A 29” tube will work fine. It’ll take a little more effort on install to avoid pinching it, that’s all.
Last edited by dabac; 11-24-18 at 08:17 AM.
11-24-18, 06:37 AM
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Here is a EVO Bikes, High Life, Tube, 32 x 2.125", SV Bicycle Inner Tube on ebay if that helps for $9.09 shipped
https://www.ebay.com/itm/EVO-Bikes-H...keIV:rk:2:pf:0
https://www.ebay.com/itm/EVO-Bikes-H...keIV:rk:2:pf:0
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11-24-18, 04:01 PM
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Alright I just patched the tube, and am feeling pleased about how easy it was to do. Thank you for that eBay link, I never would have found that. Still a 5$ 29” tube from Walmart sounds convenient if it works. Next I need to get a new chain and a chain tool to remove the old one and install the new one. I’ve no experience with this so I’m a bit nervous.
When end the bike was working however there was a click noise per pedal rotation that I never could identify the source of. Remember this is a Walmart bike that was 99$ and an unusual bike at that. You can’t buy this bike any more. So maybe I should change the chainring and the cog? I’ve been learning about gear ratios and such. My chainring is 36 teeth and my cog is 16 teeth so that’s a gear ratio of 2.25, meaning a pedal revolution turns the rear wheel 2.25 times, correct? Is that something I should consider changing? If I don’t does it matter if the cog is rusty?
also, that orange umm I think it’s called a cable lock? The key doesn’t work for it any more. Any strategies on how to remove it?
When end the bike was working however there was a click noise per pedal rotation that I never could identify the source of. Remember this is a Walmart bike that was 99$ and an unusual bike at that. You can’t buy this bike any more. So maybe I should change the chainring and the cog? I’ve been learning about gear ratios and such. My chainring is 36 teeth and my cog is 16 teeth so that’s a gear ratio of 2.25, meaning a pedal revolution turns the rear wheel 2.25 times, correct? Is that something I should consider changing? If I don’t does it matter if the cog is rusty?
also, that orange umm I think it’s called a cable lock? The key doesn’t work for it any more. Any strategies on how to remove it?
Last edited by Guywithbike; 11-24-18 at 04:53 PM.
11-24-18, 09:11 PM
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Well I just went on a ride. Rusty chain and all. And it flew. Thanks for all the help. Maybe if I strike it rich one day I’ll get a modern type of bike built for distance. For now I’m quite happy with my cruiser. It flies on flat ground, but uphill is painful. Oh yeah, I realized that it does do coasting, so it’s not a fixie but a single speed? Does this mean it has coaster brakes too?
11-25-18, 01:57 AM
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Once again a pair of bolt cutters or a good hack saw
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11-25-18, 05:36 AM
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Well I just went on a ride. Rusty chain and all. And it flew. Thanks for all the help. Maybe if I strike it rich one day I’ll get a modern type of bike built for distance. For now I’m quite happy with my cruiser. It flies on flat ground, but uphill is painful. Oh yeah, I realized that it does do coasting, so it’s not a fixie but a single speed? Does this mean it has coaster brakes too?
Here's a link to a video on how to use the chainbreaker tool, for when you buy a new chain.
11-25-18, 01:19 PM
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If it coasts and then stops when you back-pedal, it has coaster brakes.
Jon
Jon
11-26-18, 04:12 AM
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Looking at his pics, it does look like he has coaster brakes
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11-27-18, 08:35 AM
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The trick to cutting a cable lock with a hacksaw is to clamp the cable in a vise to hold it steady. If you have a stout pair of electrician's pliers, you can probably cut that cable by clamping down hard on it with the wire cutter portion and rotating the pliers back and forth.
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11-27-18, 08:49 AM
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I prefer a piano wire graded side cutting plier. And then simply nibble my way through.
11-30-18, 05:22 PM
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I don’t know how I’m gonna get the cable off. I tried an old rusty saw but it only cut the plastic. I’ll try again soon. Im mainly posting again because well I have a second bike which is nice, I got it from a thrift store for 20 bucks, and I was wondering what parts of it I could salvage and put on my bike. I’m uploading a pic below of the bike I want parts from, cause it does seem like it is nice. I just did some research on the crank arms and it’s more complex than I anticipated. I had to research how to use a socket wrench. I didn’t quite understand it though, but I still managed to get the scores off, but the cranks won’t budge. Anyways, please help me pimp my bike.
