Chain Rust and Book

GerryRyan

Ok, for one reason or another (no shed / room) my mountain bike's been left outside and unused for a couple of months now. I took it out today for a fix-up (tyres, chain, brakes etc)

Two quick questions;

1st: What's the best rust remover for chains and the like?
2nd: Can anyone recommend a decent mountain bike maintenace/repair book? - cos I'm tired of getting ripped off by the local bike shop

godfather69er

ThatGuy wrote:

Ok, for one reason or another (no shed / room) my mountain bike's been left outside and unused for a couple of months now. I took it out today for a fix-up (tyres, chain, brakes etc)

Two quick questions;

1st: What's the best rust remover for chains and the like?
2nd: Can anyone recommend a decent mountain bike maintenace/repair book? - cos I'm tired of getting ripped off by the local bike shop

1.a new chain and freewheel and a waterproof bike cover
2. www.parktool.com you will need to invest in tools too make sure you get a quality set as the crap ones break. and a good sub for a chain whip is a chain oil filter remover, hal the price

GerryRyan

Ok, thanx for the reply. I went ahead and bought some wd40 and the chain's gone from bright orange (it was out of use for a good while) to brown, but I might just replace it tho - and I found an old waterproof cover.

Everything else is fixed; the buckled wheel, the puncture and the brakes, and I took it for a spin and had no probs.

Anyone have any ideas on the books ?

Johnny Jukebox

[QUOTE=
Anyone have any ideas on the books ?[/QUOTE]

This book;

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1884737471/104-6439301-9599964?v=glance&n=283155

is excellent.

randomname2005

I found the Zinn book to be very poor compared to what is available on the web, for example:
http://www.parktool.com/repair/
http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/fix/
http://www.bikemagic.com/news/listtenbytpe.asp?p=1&articletype=7&v=4
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/

I found these to be much easier to follow, with clearer pictures rather than sketchy diagrams. Maybe the newest edition of Zinn has improved but my 3rd edition is supplemented with print outs from these websites!!!
R

mockerydawg

A good fix for a rusty chain is put it in a jar of motor oil and leave sit for a day or so. The oil will work its way into the links and revitalise the chain.

If your chain is grimey, put it in a jar with petrol and shake, you'll get all the crap off and the chain will look almost brand new.

Don't use 3 in one oil for your chain, it picks up dirt like a page 3 model. Instead drop into a motorbike store and pick up a can of Motor bike chain lube, its much better for the chain and keeps it grime free for longer.
WD40 is too thin for chains, it slides right off qucikly. Teflon provides a better quick fix, but keeping the chain clean is far more important than pucping it full of oil.

For cleaning the sprockets, get a wire brush and scrub the teeth clean. If there is alot of dirt in the body, take off the block and wash it with water and Fast Orange. Not only with it be spotlessly clean and oil free, it will smell wonderfully of fresh oranges, giving your bike a real zesty feel.

To learn how to tune gears, set up chain length etc, just use the literature that comes with these parts as new. For example, if you bought a gear block from CRC it would come packaged with fitting instructions, unlike walking into a shop where they tend to hand you the block free of packaging.

I can't think of any book to reccomend, beacuse there is nothing as good as tinkering with your own setup to teach yourself everything you need to know about the bike. Just make sure that everytime you make an adjustment, you make sure to remember how to set it back to how it was. Then you cant go wrong.

Good Luck