I recently bought this Miyata 512 for about 20 bucks. I think it’s in pretty ok shape, and someone else has probably tinkered with it before me. Both derailleurs/shifters work and the wheel bearings seem ok-ish, the rear one has a noise to it.
First order of business was removing the bar tape and doing a rough clean of the bike, and now I want to fix the brakes. The left brake lever is crooked (image 10), and the right one is loose (image 4), however I don’t know where to begin. How do I get the hoods off without damaging them? Do I need to have anything in mind when trying to disassemble the brake?
Finally, any tips for removing the corrosion on the aluminum and the stubborn dirt on the chain ring? I already tried WD-40, chain cleaning fluid, vinegar, lemon concentrate, some random bike cleaning agent, all combined with vigorously brushing the chain rings/pedal levers.
by Kagamex
3 Comments
I would go for new brake cables as well, cutting or dissemble the cables and you can remove the hoods, maybe even new hoods as well?
To clean the grime off the ring use a strong degreaser and a bronze wire brush, and about the corrosion, I’d live with the pitting as it is because the only way (which is not worth the effort) is to sand it off and polish it.
Too loosen, and move/re-move the brake levers; Squeeze the brake lever and in the gap that opens between the front lever and the main body of the should be a 5mm (or thereabouts, it varies) allen bolt that tightens the bar clamp around the handle bar. Loosen to move/adjust or remove. Tighten when you get the position correct. Back in the day, the “correct” position of the lever on the body was obtained by running a steel ruler along the bottom flat of the bar out front of the bike and the closed position of the lever just touching the ruler. The tip of the closed lever would align with the bottom flat of the drop handlebar. Adjust to “taste” from that starting positon.