Scoping Out Your Ride

Wednesday was a day off, as work closed due to a forecast snow storm, but which turned out to be rain most of the day. I had imagined I'd have to shovel the shed clear to get the car in and out, as well as walk to and from there. However, there was no snow, only mud and water in low areas.

The road crews put some pretty nasty chemicals down before and during these events. It's a mixture of a liquid brine and salt crystals. You do not want either on your bike. There's a myth floating around that if you get it on there and leave it alone, dry, it will not harm your metal. I talked to a couple of body shop and automotive guys, and they both said that even dry, the road salts and brine will cause corrosion.

So what are you to do? I like to scope out parts of my ride on my way home from work. I can drive on these portions of road and check whether they've been treated, and if so, whether the treatment has washed away yet. A check today revealed some remaining salt and brine, but that it was largely cleared up. While I did not go for a ride, I think that perhaps tomorrow or this weekend I will be back on the road.

If you do get salt/brine on your bike, my advice is to use a damp, clean cloth and wash it off, then dry the bike carefully. Be sure to check "rust traps" like the insides of the fenders and around nuts/bolts/joints. If the road is particularly heavily treated, try an alternate route, or resort of a "beater" bike. This stuff is nasty.

The same here applies to salt water if you live near the ocean. You want to rinse and dry away salt water straight off. When I visited Chincoteague Island last summer, my nephews took their mountain bikes. The beach house's yard flooded with salt water at high tide, and they rode all through the salt water. By the third day all steel parts were rusted heavily and needed to be cleaned up.

So, the lesson I guess is to check the road conditions for salts/brine/etc and avoid if possible. If you do get some on the bike, rinse and clean as soon as feasible. Just because it's dried on does not mean it's safe for steel.

Polishing Chrome Rims

I got a little time to work on the Raleigh Dawn Tourist this weekend, though not as much as usual. I spent this weekend cleaning up the rims, polishing, taping, tubing, and tiring.

For decent chrome, I use a felt Dremel drum and Simichrome polish. I'd be inclined to work solely by hand on older plating, like nickel, or plating that is somewhat compromised or thin. There are a few imperfections in this rim and a few pits, but nothing too bad.

I start with the Dremel Drum and work all over the rim. Then, I use a clean paper towel or a soft cloth to finish the job and work any remaining small spots that need to be done. At the end I wipe it down and get any residue off. I like Simichrome the best for this sort of work, and I recommend it despite the price. The rim tape is Fond de Jante (another favorite of mine- very durable), the tubes are generic ISO 590, and the tires are ISO 590 (26 x 1 3/8) Duro white walls with the street tread.

Cleaning Rusty Handle Bars - Raleigh Dawn Tourist

Saturday was cold and rainy, so I got a chance to work on the Raleigh Dawn a bit more. My first task was to clean the handle bars. It seems the shiny, chrome handlebars are the first thing people notice on a bicycle. These bars are not in bad shape, but could use a little cleaning.

My method this time was basic: a Dremel metal rotary brush to knock off the rust, then bronze wool with a coating of WD-40 to get the pits taken care of, and finally Simichrome polish to polish off the bars (yes, I am actually using Simichrome for its original purpose for once). I also used Simichrome on the rubber hand grips, and cleaned those up a bit as well. I don't recommend hitting them hard with polish, since the polish spirits may dry them a bit. However, a modest cleaning did well.

I also began working on the insides of the rims. I removed the old tires and tubes. I then used the Dremel rotary brush and some medium grit sandpaper to clean up the insides of the rims. They were rustier than I expected, so will need some more cleaning this week. 

Sunday was warm and sunny, so I brought out the Columbia Three Star Deluxe. I swapped on a better period 1940s reflector. I took it for a brief ride to knock the dust off it.

I took a longer ride with the 1947 Schwinn New World Roadster.