Oxidation Removal

A few weekends ago, Andrew Zimmer and Casey Arbuckle came to visit Tiffany and I, and brought their bikes.  Andrew and I set about cleaning the bikes, while Casey and Tiffany did whatever girls do during such times.  I shall now recount what Andrew and I have learned about cleaning rust off a bike.

First, it's best to avoid rust in the first place.  Don't ride your bike on the roads when road salt has been recently put down.  Whenever you get your bike dirty, rinse it and let it dry.  Keep it well oiled (we'll cover that a little further down).  But eventually, your bike will begin to rust anyway.  Here's how to clean some of the major areas.

Assemble your necessary tools.  I use CLR for the tough rust, PC2000 for a "penetrating lubricant" (your local bike shop should have something similar that dissolves surface rust and lubricates), and Tri-Flo for a light oil.  I also used a bucket, a scrub pad, and a wire brush.  (I also used a bike multi-tool, but forgot to put it in the picture).

To begin working on the bike, I don't have a bike stand, so I just turn my bike upside down, resting on the seat and the handle bars, so that the wheels can spin freely.  Here is a picture of the drive train while the bike is upside down.

There were several parts o f my bike that got rusty and needed cleaned, but the chain was what I was most concerned about, and I wanted to soak it in CLR, so I took it off first.  Having the chain off also makes it easier to clean most of the other parts I needed to clean.

There are two types of bike chains.  Normal chains have links that are all exactly alike, and require a chain tool to remove.  Fancy chains have a special link that is easy to remove with a pair of pliers.  I have a normal chain, so I'll show you how to use a chain tool.  You can get a good bike multi-tool for about $15, and if you do, make sure that it includes a chain tool.

To use the chain tool to remove a chain, first unscrew the point of the tool until there is room for a link to fit between the point and the end of the tool, and place the link in the gap as shown below.  The point should line up with the pin that holds two of the links together.   Slowly tighten the point so that it pushes the pin most of the way out of the links.  It is VERY IMPORTANT that you don't let the pin go all the way out of the links, because it is very hard to get it back in.  You want to push it far enough so that it is only in the far side of the outside link.  When you get close, you should feel the pressure it takes to push the pin increase slightly, because the pins are made slightly larger on the ends (this is to make it less likely for the pin to come all the way out, but it is also what makes it hard to get them back in).  A good technique is to push the pin out unti it is almost all the way out (you can tell when it the amount showing is almost as much as the width of the chain), and as you approach, periodically remove the chain from the tool, and see if the links will come apart yet.  You can wiggle the links side to side a little, but don't do it much because you don't want to bend your links.

Once the links are separated, pull the chain through the gears and remove it from the bike.  Then, put it in the bottom of a bucket.  Pour enough CLR into the bucket to cover the chain, and let it soak.  I also like to shake it around vigorously to help shake the rust off.  I've been told that an empty 2-liter pop bottle also works well, because you can put the cap on and give it a good shake.  A drawback would be that it would take more CLR to cover the chain while it soaks.

After the chain has soaked for a while, take it out and use the scrub pad to scrub at any lingering rust spots on the chain.  Then, if you like, you can soak the chain in CLR for a second time to get it really clean.  When you're done, rinse the chain off under a hose, and make sure to get all the CLR off.  Then dry the chain.

This method should easily remove surface rust from your chain.  Andrew's chain had some pretty deep rust, and still had some links that wouldn't move well even after a few soaking sessions.  He worked on these with the pliers, and even tried putting some pins in and out using the chain tool, was able to get the chain into a working condition.  If your chain is really bad, remember that chains are not meant to last the entire lifetime of your bike, they are replaceable and not too expensive.

While your chain is soaking, look for other rusty spots on your bike.  Pay special attention to areas that get wet or are near your chain, and areas that need to move.  I found that all my gears needed some work.  I've got pictures of my rear derailler and my disc brake system, which I found needed some cleaning.  To clean the rust off these, I put a little CLR on a scrub pad and scrubbed the area, then rinsed off the CLR.  For areas with only light rust, I used the penetrating lubricant, and that seemed to do the job well.

To clean my disc brake pads, I took my rear wheel off, then removed the pads from their housing.  This picture is the housing with out the pads.

Here is one of my brake pads.  I scrubbed it with CLR on a scrub pad, and got it shiny like new.  Again, make sure to rinse it off well.  If you remove your brake pads, make sure to put them back in before riding your bike.

The actual discs of my disc brakes also had some rust spots, and these took some intense scrubbing with the scrub pad to get clean.

Both my front and rear gears had heavy rust, and this is where the wire brush came in.  I dipped the brush in CLR, then scrubbed hard with the wire brush.  The bristles were good to get down in the grooves of the gears, especially on the rear ones.  I followed this with the scrub pad, and a good rinsing.  (In this picture, the chain is on because I forgot to take a picture of the gears while the chain is off.  You really want to clean the gears with the chain off.)

Once you're satisfied with how clean everything is, it's time to put the chain back on.  Make sure that all the CLR is rinsed off of all your bike parts, and they've had a chance to dry out.  Then, get out your chain tool.

Thread the chain back through your drive train.  If you don't remember exactly how your chain goes, you can refer to the second picture I showed you.  Bring the two ends of the chain together, and put the links together.  Place the chain back in your chain tool, with the pin pointing towards the point of your tool.  It may take a little adjusting to get the pin to line up correctly, so if you have a friend, now is the time to ask them for a hand, and have them hold the chain together while you line things up.  Then, tighten the chain tool so that the point pushes the pin back into the links.

With your chain back on, check to make sure it passes through everything correctly, turning the pedals a few times to make sure everything is working properly.

Now it's time to lube up.  Everything you cleaned is now free of rust, but it's also free of lubrication, which your bike needs in order to run well.  I used the PC2000 penetrating lubricant to lubricate most areas, because it is in a spray can and has an applicator tube, making it easy to apply.

From what I understand, the penetrating lubricant is good for getting rid of rust, but it doesn't last as long as a light oil like Tri-Flo.  (I'm told the PC2000 would last 4-5 days of riding, and the Tri-Flow about a month of riding.)  So, for the areas I could reach with the Tri-Flo bottle, especially the chain, I used the Tri-Flo.  I tried to put a little dot on each link.  It's important to do this when everything's as dry as you can get it, so that the oil goes deep.  Once you've got the chain lubed up, turn the pedals several times to let the chain work oil into the gears as well.

After you've lubricated you bike, it's important to wipe each area to remove any extra oil or grease.  Your bike needs the lubrication to function smoothly, but too much will actually make your bike collect dirt and grit faster, clogging up the works.

Once your bike is clean, flip it over and ride!  Taking the time to keep your bike in good shape will be a great benefit in the long run.

grace and peace,
J