Old bikes benefit from being occasionally ridden. Left to sit, their tires go flat, grease can dry up, and oil can migrate to one area. That's not to mention the dust and other junk that accumulates when the bike sits.
Here's an example. I took my 1958 Raleigh Sports out for a nice ride a couple of days ago. It rides as nicely as ever, and the four-speed FW hub gives a nice, low gear ratio for climbing hills. I haven't ridden this bicycle since probably May or June. Much of my summer has been devoted to repairing bikes and then riding the newly repaired bikes on the road. This allows me to iron out any final adjustments. The downside is that long-time favorites like this 1958 Sports tend to sit while I'm getting work done on more recent bikes.
My clean-up routine:
- Wipe down the bike with a clean rag. A little water on the rag helps clean the bike but is still pretty gentle on the paint and graphics.
- Airing up the tires, inspect for cracking or damage.
- Add a few drops of oil to each hub (don't overdo it).
- Add a drop of oil to each brake caliper.
- Make sure that any battery powered lights have good batteries.
- Make sure the bulbs work too...
- Once per season, add a little Proofhide or similar to leather saddles.
- Check that any frame pump has a good seal and pushes air.
- Once per season, check and clean/lubricate the chain.
Thankfully these bikes don't need a lot of involved maintenance - just the basics will do usually. Once you have a routine like this down, it only takes a few minutes.
Rather than stashing a bike away for months and months, it's good to take a refresher ride on the bike every so often, even if it's not an everyday rider.
