Taking care of your bike can be tedious at times but there is one thing related to the cleanliness and overall performance of your bike that you simply have to take care of rust.
Removing rust from your bicycle is important, as it can be a safety hazard if unattended for a longer time. In this article, a couple of homebrew and official solutions for rust removal will be mentioned, in addition to how one can prevent rust from appearing altogether.
Table of Contents
Solutions That Help in Removing Rust
There are few things that can help you rid your bike of rust, we tested some of them and there are few that gave the best results.
Removing Rust With Water and Baking Soda
Step One
Mix these two ingredients in a bowl, and add the same amount of both. If you wish to make it a bit more potent, add a few drops of lemon juice.
Step Two
Put the paste over the problematic area and leave it for ten minutes.
Step Three
After the time has passed, scrub the paste away with a ball of steel wool.
The rust should be scrubbed away along with the paste, if not, repeat the process until the area is clear of rust.
Removing Rust With Vinegar
Step One
Pour the vinegar into a spray bottle, and add a spoonful of baking powder, just to make it more powerful.
Step Two
Spray the area, leave it for 10 minutes, and rinse it thoroughly with water, and it cannot be stressed enough, a thorough rinse is needed. If any trace of the vinegar remains, it can corrode the area further.
Step Three
After rinsing, scrape off the rust and dry the area of any excess water, and you are done.
Finally, You Can Buy an Official Rust Remover
Buy offucual rust remover, or even better, the drivetrain cleaners that can help in preventing the rusting of your bike.
Although it will not completely prevent the process of rusting, it will definitely postpone it and keep the frame and other essential parts healthy.
There are a lot of brands that you can use, such as “Muc Off”, “Park Tool”, or “WD-40”, you cannot make a mistake there.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are two main paths you can take when removing rust from your bike.
You can either mix a couple of ingredients and create a makeshift rust remover, or buy an official brand and maintain the good condition of your bike, keeping the rust at bay.
FAQ
Is it difficult to remove rust from bikes?
It depends on how much of an area is affected by the rust. The smaller the area, the least effort it needs, but it still needs a bit of physical effort, in the way of scraping the rust off, after applying the paste to the area.
Are these homebrew remedies harmful to my bike? Are they harmful to me?
Vinegar is known to have a corroding effect on metal, so be sure to rinse off any trace of it, if you use it to remove rust. Using water and baking soda will not have such an effect.
Are these mixes bad for me?
No, they are not, although you should be careful around your eyes when handling these mixes, and wear gloves if you have some fresh or open wounds.