Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with bicycle and maintenance

Touching up a relic bicycle

backseatpilot — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:58:14 -0800

I bought a bicycle that's twice as old as I am and it needs some cosmetic work. The beauty in question is a 1966 Raleigh Superbe, in the green color. It's in incredibly good condition for its age (even has the original Brooks saddle with very little damage), but there are a few corrosion spots on the fenders and chainguard.

I would like to remove the corrosion as well as possible and fix the paint on those spots, but I'm not exactly sure how to go about it. I'm not interested in repainting the entire bicycle; I'd like to keep it as original as possible. So, I think I need to know a few things:

-the best way to remove light rust off the steel bits
-what type of paint to use (I was thinking of the acrylic paint I used to use for building models when I was a kid, and I've also seen suggestions to use nail polish. Thoughts?)
-how to repaint it. Primer coat? Brush type? I'm pretty bad at painting things, so use small words.
-any other suggestions or cautions you've got, or any other tips for keeping this bike looking in tip-top shape

Thanks!

What are the best (free) online resources for bicycle maintenance?

kingtaj — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 11:11:29 -0800

What are the best free online resources for bicycle maintenance? I'm looking for those "hidden treasures" of bicycle maintenance. Sites, free manuals, tutorials, videos, etc. If you know of any "best in class" resources, please share them!

Bicycle Needs Repair, Badly

god particle — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 16:01:05 -0800

After riding today, a couple things started going wrong with my bike, and I'd like to fix the problems myself, if possible. I ride a somewhat old Trek mountain bike and use it as my main form of transportation. Today I took it on an relatively long ride and started running into some problems.
When I pedal, there is a very loud creaking noise; it can be felt throughout the entire bike. I usually pedal standing up, so I'm thinking this is probably a result of me putting too much pressure on it. However, sometimes the creaking noise comes up even if I am just coasting. Can anyone diagnose exactly what is wrong with it? Could I fix this problem myself, and if so, how?
The second problem is that the back wheel has started to become wobbly. If I lift up the bike, I can shake it back and forth a bit. How do I go about tightening the wheel (or doing whatever needs to be done)?
If possible, please direct me to some online repository of bike repair information so I know where to start in the future.

Get me on my bike

papercake — Mon, 18 Apr 2005 13:18:28 -0800

The sun is out and I want to be riding my bike. Help me get it ready to roll. I usually drop my mountain bike off at a local bike shop and have them clean it, oil the chain, check the breaks, etc. This year I was thinking maybe I could finally learn how to do this myself. Any suggestions of books to read, sites to visit to learn maintenance basics?