Funkywheels63

Hello all, just purchased a used bike on craigslist. however there are a few minor issues with the bike. one, being that there appears to be some oxidation on the handle bars. any tips on how to get the stuff off? Thanks. here's a pic.

sch

Best bet is to remove the handlebar from the bike. Use 3M type scrubbing pads to remove most of the
crusted stuff. Careful use of a modest washing soda solution will remove the rest in combo with the
scrubbing pads. Note washing soda is quite alkaline and concentrated solutions can do significant
damage to eyes so dilute solution only and use vinyl gloves and eye protection. You can follow up with
a metal polish depending on how pitted the aluminum is. You can make small amounts of washing soda
by baking a tablespoon or so of sodium bicarbonate for a few hours at 400°F, stirring occasionally.

Sanding is not a great idea, first because the sandpaper will rapidly load up with powdered aluminum
and unless very fine paper is used with eg WD40 or mineral spirits as lube the scratches will look
worse than the pits. Very fine means 320 or higher grit. Note that if significant pitting is present
the bar is weakened and a broken bar on a bike can lead to major facial injury.

Funkywheels63

Thanks for responding. There isn’t any pitting. Used some metal polish that I had, and it seems to work. Have to use more elbow grease. I forgot to mention about the broken shifter. Are they all compatible? Here’s a pic. what type of shifters are these, they also have a lever on the bottom. Thanks

sch

Something like Shimano ST-EF500 shifter set would probably be a suitable replacement.
3x7 R+L shifter set on amazon for $40 with cables but no housing. Probably
best to replace your housing as well. Bar looks good enough with a bit of polish.
Measure bar diameter as EF500 assumes a 7/8" diameter.

Funkywheels63

Thanks for the info. will measure.

MarcusT

For the oxidation, I've used water, baking soda, scrubbed with aluminum foil. It's safe, requires some elbow grease and it works