Hey y’all, I could really use some help/expertise on fixing a ***really*** rusty bike.
A friend left their bike at my place last night; we left it on my porch because there are no bike lockups in my apartment complex. Lo and behold, I wake up and it’s been stolen.
My friend doesn’t have a license so that bike was their main way of transportation to classes/work. I feel guilty and somewhat responsible for what happened so I’m trying to do all that I can to get them a working bike(while on a budget mind you, we’re college kids after all).
Overall bike: [https://imgur.com/a/KsjKDiZ](https://imgur.com/a/ksjkdiz)
Rusty Chain: [https://imgur.com/a/87wANkt](https://imgur.com/a/87wankt)
Rusty ‘Gears’: [https://imgur.com/a/wl1jEIb](https://imgur.com/a/wl1jeib)
This is where you guys come in. I’ve got this thing that I might be able to fix up. The chain seems to be completely shot, and the different ‘gears’ (sorry I don’t know the terminology) seem to be pretty rusted. With all of this in mind, a few questions:
1. Is this bike serviceable? I’d like to come out of this as cheap as possible, so if elbow grease can save money I’m all for it.
2. If it is serviceable, do you notice any other issues at a first glance other than rust?
3. Do you have any helpful resources to restore bikes and/or fix bikes in this condition? Any links are always appreciated.
4. I know the chain is beyond saving, how would I go about determining the correct size chain to buy?
5. Are there any tutorials you recommend for changing a chain? Are any extra tools needed?
6. Is there some de-facto ‘bike health’ checklist I can go over to make sure the bike is in tip-top shape before handing it off?
I really appreciate any/all help you guys provide! I know I could spend hours researching everything and figuring it out on my own, but sadly between school and work I just don’t have enough time; the only way something like this happens is with you guys’ help, thanks again!
by softwarepleb38