Problem

My friends and I needed another bicycle to ride out in an area where we could not rent one, especially given the location’s rougher terrain. My friend had a bike, but it had extreme corrosion, wear, and age.

Method

I took it upon myself to undertake my second bike restoration. I made in-depth rebuilds of complex components while using concepts of material science to reduce rust nucleation spots. This was done by treating many components with evapo-rust, and heating upon removal. Then, I sealed components from oxygen which greatly improved lifespan. Components with low efficiencies were either replaced or rebuilt to their optimal efficiency, especially bearings. The full list of repairs is included below on this page. Additionally, I adjusted the bearing preload to improve the lifespan while improving performance. The total cost, excluding time, was only $48.44, as I made use of tools and equipment already on hand.

Result

The restoration brought a bike that struggled to cross a flat street to outperform higher priced bikes on complex terrain. Shifting was restored, allowing for good use of all 12 speeds, and the total efficiency of the bearings and power transfer were substantially improved.