Restoring my mountain bike
I finally decided to tackle the second bike that needed care: the mountain bike I have had since I was ~14 years old. I used this bike for everything: from going to school, to meeting with friends, and exploring mountain trails. Unfortunately I could not take it with me in Sweden, so it sat in my parents’ garage collecting dust and cobwebs for a few years… The frame and forks were still in good conditions, but I didn’t have much hope for the suspensions and the drive train. Only one way to find out: start disassembling and cleaning everything.
The shifter mechanisms were actually in really good shape, all they needed was some thorough cleaning with lots of degrease, some new grease and voilà. The rear shock, while horribly grimy, is a cartridge type preloaded with (deadly according to the sticker) gas - this meant that it was actually only dirty on the outside, but still worked perfectly fine. The joint between rear fork and frame surprised me a little: I was expecting to find bearings keeping it nice and smooth, but I found some robust bushings instead.
Having disassembled the most “superficial” parts I started the process of cleaning and degreasing everything, keeping track of where all the screws, bolts, bearings and bushings came from. As expected, the cassette was thoroughly covered in dried oil and dirt, but the cogs were in really good shape, a testament to Japanese quality. The wheel axles, including the ball bearings and cups, were also in surprisingly good conditions - once cleaned.
I was starting to run out of space on the balcony and jars and lids to keep all the parts, so I started a partial reassembly of the components that had been cleaned. I could not find ABS shims of the right size at my local bike mechanic so I ended up fabricating some out of a piece I recycled from a broken kitchen mixer. With the balcony in better shape I finally had the courage to open the front fork for inspection… and water had found its way in one of the two arms. Luckily nothing was actually damaged, it just needed - you guessed it - a good clean up to remove the crystallised oil, and some new suspension oil of course.
With all the parts cleaned and degreased I started reassembling the larger components as well, starting from the rear fork and suspension, which received a generous amount of fresh grease before being mounted back onto the frame. I spent a tedious, but somewhat satisfying, hour dishing and trueing the wheels before finally mounting them back on with some fresh tires.
And with new cables and brake pads, this bike was also successfully restored! I promise I will eventually post a nicer photo than this one shot in the cellar. Only the bike will definitely not look as clean, as I have already covered it in mud while having lots of fun with my friends in the hills around Zurich.
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