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Best way to clean a bike after being left in a shed for 15 years

A

avole

The wise never post on Internet forums
My old Peugeot, bought in around 1995, and languishing under an occasional cover ever since. It is still covered with road grime, the front tyre doesn't appear to be perished, just filthy. The wheels seem OK,but I'm a little concerned about what to use to clean the hub up.

Chain? no problem, assuming degreasing agents haven't changed much.I'll take it off the bike, if only to check the rust is only surface rust. I seem to remember there was a school of thought that sad you shouldn't use one of those chain link removing tools, but why I'm a touch unclear.

Anyway, any advice? Most of the dire on the frame should come off with a soapy rag, it's the bits that turn/contain ball bearings/stop the thing that concern me.

Anyway, wish me luck. The bike served me well even if the purple/silver colours were bought to keep the thieves away.
 
As does M Propre, as I found out. Took the wheels off, cleaned them, put on the new tyres, changes front quick release to Campagnolo (OK,OK, so I broke the original) got the chain off, cleaned the bottom of the frame, wheels returned, bike inverted - and I saw the two bike locks I'd ordered with the bike. One is/was the classic Dutch lock, as in you can only get the key out if you lock the bike, which is a U shared affair that become an O when you push the lever down. The other looks like a standard extended D.

I would have finished this afternoon, had my student neighbours worked out how to jump start their car, but thereby stands another tale...
 
Blow up the tyres, check them for cracks. Oil the chain. Spray some wd40 on the derailleurs f and r, ride it. The other bearings are greased, you can ignore them if they work.
 
I'd degrease it properly with a chain cleaner. Junk the tyres and change them. Check the headset and other contact points for loosened bolts.

There's no particular reason why the chain would be junk if it hasn't been thrashed over thousands of miles. Chain wear is usually grime+lube+mechnical wear.
 
I'd bung new tyres on whatever, otherwise, if it hasn't rusted and it was fine when laid up, douse the whole bike in degreaser, give it a good wash and lube and if it goes, stops and changes gears, it goes, stops and changes gears. If not, you might want to free up the brake and gear cables a bit.
 
I've got 15 yr old tyres on a couple of bikes. 20 years even. Inspect them, if good, carry on.
Oh, 15 yr old brake pads might not be very grippy. They go hard and are less effective, read useless, after a while, just as tyres eventually do.
 
stevec67 said:
I've got 15 yr old tyres on a couple of bikes. 20 years even. Inspect them, if good, carry on.
Oh, 15 yr old brake pads might not be very grippy. They go hard and are less effective, read useless, after a while, just as tyres eventually do.
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The problem is that if they've been left through temp changes in one position, they may have developed spots or faults.

I've had more than one blowout at 35mph to feel differently I'm afraid. Road tyres are far more resilient than they were 20 years ago, but FWIW my experience (having barely survived racing crashes) is that they can't be completely trusted.
 
Tim Jones said:
The problem is that if they've been left through temp changes in one position, they may have developed spots or faults.

I've had more than one blowout at 35mph to feel differently I'm afraid. Road tyres are far more resilient than they were 20 years ago, but FWIW my experience (having barely survived racing crashes) is that they can't be completely trusted.
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So inspect them. You can see when they start to break up. This is what the MoT tester does for cars after all. There's no maximum age for tyres, even on a ca car weighing 2 tonnes and capable of 100+ mph.
 
avole said:
I seem to remember there was a school of thought that sad you shouldn't use one of those chain link removing tools, but why I'm a touch unclear.
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What on earth is wrong with a chain link removing tool, so long as you're not a complete numpty and push the link all the way through. Then take a bit of care when you're pushing it back in to ensure that there is the same amount protruding on each side and Robert's your Father's Brother. Never had a problem. I'm referring to a tool that slowly pushes the link across as you turn a bar, thus giving you a chance to check on progress.

Unless of course the chain is made of carbon fibre composite and titanium to save a gramme or two. Then all bets are off.
 
2ManyBoxes said:
What on earth is wrong with a chain link removing tool, so long as you're not a complete numpty and push the link all the way through. Then take a bit of care when you're pushing it back in to ensure that there is the same amount protruding on each side and Robert's your Father's Brother. Never had a problem. I'm referring to a tool that slowly pushes the link across as you turn a bar, thus giving you a chance to check on progress.

Unless of course the chain is made of carbon fibre composite and titanium to save a gramme or two. Then all bets are off.
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Depends on the chain, older chains are designed to be split and rejoined in this manner. 9-12 speed chains use quicklinks or special, and rather finicky, joining pins that should not be reused. Personally, I if I have to split and rejoin any chain with a chain tool, I get it replaced ASAP afterwards, it always weakens the chain and I've had quite a few chains snap on me over the years. I also replace chains religiously once they measure over 0.5% wear, which prevents having to replace the chainrings and cassette so often.
 
stevec67 said:
So inspect them. You can see when they start to break up. This is what the MoT tester does for cars after all. There's no maximum age for tyres, even on a ca car weighing 2 tonnes and capable of 100+ mph.
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Are you sure about that? I thought tyres did have an expected life span.
 
A new chain will be pennies, tyres a bit more & it may need to be recabled.

No way would I ride a bike without switching out the key components which keep you safe.
 
foxwelljsly said:
Depends on the chain, older chains are designed to be split and rejoined in this manner. 9-12 speed chains use quicklinks or special, and rather finicky, joining pins that should not be reused. Personally, I if I have to split and rejoin any chain with a chain tool, I get it replaced ASAP afterwards, it always weakens the chain and I've had quite a few chains snap on me over the years. I also replace chains religiously once they measure over 0.5% wear, which prevents having to replace the chainrings and cassette so often.
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The march of progress :rolleyes:
 
Woodface said:
Are you sure about that? I thought tyres did have an expected life span.
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Yeah, if I'm inflating a tyre to 90 PSi, I would rather it didn't explode. I wouldn't even try it with 25 year old tyres. Bike tyres are a lot thinner and designed to run at higher pressures than car tyres - totally different things.
 
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