How To Clean A Rusty Bike Chain And Gears

Few things look worse than rust on your bike but rusty parts don t need to be thrown out.

How to clean a rusty bike chain and gears. Rubber gloves are recommended so you don t get your hands all dirty and rusty from the bike chain. Turn the bike upside down setting it on the seat and handlebars. It doesn t take much effort to fix it but is a better option than replacing it in an economical way. Needless to say it s important that this runs well and a big part of that is keeping it clean clear and well lubricated.

Removing rust from bike gears. With a few things you ve probably already got around your house you can have rusty bike parts looking. With your bike in position apply solvent something like wd 40 or isopropyl alcohol to the chain. Pour in some lime juice and let it settle on the gears before scrubbing it off with a brush.

This helps reach tricky parts of the gear mechanism. Take a look at your chain up close. If you notice your bike chain is excessively dirty and grimy with a crust of dirt and environmental sludge it s probably time to clean your chain. Just oil the chain with good chain oil and it will transfer to the sprockets fairly readily the rust will wear off with a little use.

Align the pin of a link removal tool against a pin within a chain link. You do this by slowly turning the pedals backward to move the chain a section at a time so you can clean it by either spraying on the solvent as you wipe down the chain with an old rag or by wiping down the chain with a rag that is saturated with the solvent. Use a toothbrush or a brush with long sturdy bristles. When you change gears your bike chain drops down or lifts up onto another notch on the gearbox or derailleur.

Your gears and the rest of your drivetrain if your bike has gears of course. A little rust won t hurt the sprockets. Remove the chain from the cog and front wheel. Evaluate the condition of the chain.

Crank the tool until the link loosens and pops out. To ensure the longest life and best operation of bike chains avid cyclists should clean their chain once. More worrisome is the chain itself since a little rust can hurt a chain causing frozen links and accelerating wear. Regular cyclists will likely perform a chain cleaning every week or two or at least once every 200 miles or so depending on how much riding is being done and under what conditions.

If you notice warping imperfections in the metal or similar deterioration you and your bike will be better off with a new chain surface rust buildup and crustiness can all be removed so your chain runs like new. Again oil it with proper bike chain oil. Bike gears may take a while to deal with.