Can this rust be removed easily ?
I’m just looking to atleast restore its function.
Edit: I didn’t expect this many replies, thanks everyone.
As for budget for this repair. I was at most looking to replace the chain, and thought about restoring the rest. Seems like a lot of work from what i read in comments.
This bike has been sitting out for a couple years now, hence the damage.
I was looking to maybe restore and sell it for some money, but since it may be unsafe to use, i’ll look to dispose of it properly.(or maybe hand it to spongebob x)
Thank u everyone again.
by MrSfaxiano
29 Comments
Just looking to restore function?? Hose it down in wd-40 and pray. It might work in one gear… don’t expect reliable shifting.
DON’T hose down your brakes or rims in wd-40 though. That will ruin your braking, you need that to be safe!
Overall, it’s not worth your time to remove the rust. If you need a functional bike, start replacing parts or just find a new one. If you just want to get it to spin… I’ve seen worse come back to some form of life. This isn’t what I’d recommend but sometimes necessity strikes…
Are you handy? This can be restored to usable with some time and effort, sure. I’d recommend a new chain at least, as well as new cables and cable covers.
Everything is restorable with enough time and effort. Is it worth it to you?
Depends how you specify “function”. If you buy a new chain and cables, spray penetrating oil on joints that dont move and grease all the bearings and replace the brake pads … you might get it to a point when you can ride it and shift gears. But its still gonna be rusty af.
There are many ways to remove rust but you are looking at removing it from like the whole bike ;-; everything ia rusty. It probably will be more work and money than just buying a new groupset/used in good condition.
Can it be done? Most likely.
Easily? No.
It looks really rough. Everything needs to be cleaned and lubed and/or replaced. You could do it all yourself as a project, but it will take a lot of work. There no way it’s worth taking to a bike shop unless it’s more valuable than it looks.
😂😂😂
No. Throw it away and buy a new bike. Don’t spend a lot of money on the next one if you’re going to neglect it like you did. That one.
SpongeBob SquarePants lives in a pineapple under the sea
Chain replacement is routine, and today’s the day. Cables and housing next. Then assess what you have working.
Surface rust isn’t a dealbreaker. Evaluate the parts that spin for function.
At least you need new chain, new cassette and new crankset. Also new cables. And tyres and brake pads.
But the worse is what you can’t see. I guess hubs are gone, also bottom bracket and headset.
Bike seems cheap too. Probably easier to just buy a used bike instead in good condition.
The cost replacement parts (chain, cables & housing, tires, maybe tubes, brake pads, probably more) will easily exceed the bike’s value. I can tell from the brakes that this is a very cheap bike. If you want to learn and have access to tools like cone wrenches and a freewheel remover, I still would not bother, but it could be interesting. Otherwise, that’s what I would consider scrap metal now. A decent used older mtb that’s not decaying from rust is a much better option.
That thing is wrecked, get a new one.
From the looks of the derailleur and the stamped steel brakes that bike was probably 100 to 150 brand new. Not worth fixing.
Looking at those brakes where they look to be made out of stamp metal. You could buy a nicer bike in better condition than the cost of rehabbing this bike, let alone the time and effort.
Honestly I don’t think it is as bad as it looks, trash the chain, if possible change the cassette or at least remove it and clean it thoroughly to remove the rust
Then, the front derailleur should be salvageable too, same as the cassette. For the brakes, the rust is superficial, but for safety it could be good to change the cables and pads.
Lube the chain, grease all the bearings, put penetrating oil on all the other moving parts and it’s probably going to work.
Yeah I think its doable. The chain will need replacing, but the other parts look okay. Provided you have bike-specific tools to remove the freewheel/cassette and the other parts.
There’s an excellent diy rust remover remover recipe that I use that is a sodium citrate solution made by mixing citric acid powder and baking soda together in the appropriate amounts with a drop of dish soap to break surface tension. [Here’s an excellent youtube video on the recipe.](https://youtu.be/fVYZmeReKKY?si=yNB0hEj6pXtIeT7n)
It will take a shit ton of work including a lot of watching of YouTube and reading Park Tool blogs and things. It would be a really awesome learning experience if you are currently in a place to come at it with that perspective. Its not worth it from a financial perspective or anything.
find a bike for 30 bucks at Goodwill you’ll be able to replace it with within a couple of days
I would have to really like this bike to justify the work and materials involved to get it running again. £10 will get you a used bike in better condition than that one.
You’re probably looking at £40-60 of materials to bring that one back to a safe condition, maybe more like £150 to get it ‘nice’, and literally days of labour.
Make sure it’s properly recycled and take a moment to say goodbye.
Edit – That said, great way to learn more about spannering on bikes, strip it down to parts if you can’t decide, you might find that you can salvage more than you think, but replace the chain and cables and check your brakes work before you go fast.
just a little bit oil. 😄
How much money are you working with? Do you live in an area with a decent used bike market?
I don’t it was salvageable when it was new.
Few hundred dollars for a new groupset
I wouldn’t ask you to watch my dog!
Scrap man 😁
take it to a bike co-op! a place where you have open access to a shop, and teachers available to help tech you to work on your bike for a daily shop fee.
You are going to waste so much time and effort (and money) on what looks to be a Walmart bike. It’s not worth it.
It’s a crappy bike to begin with but you can probably slather a lot of that with oil and work it loose. It probably won’t operate that much worse than when it was new lol.
If you dont want to be “fancy”.
Spray the rusted parts with WD40 or similar. Let it sit. Use a brush to get most of the gunk off. Rinse and repeat. Then lube every part with bicycle lubrication (WD40 is not lube). And get a new chain. Will probably work ok unless the deraillers are completely rusted stuck.
This was crap when you bought it and now it is scrap 🤷