Advice on repairing my daughters bike...

[totallytech]

Hey Guys,
I've got no ideas if this is the right area to put this but I'm planning on refurbishing a MTB for my daughter. The handle bars and front forks are totally rusty, the handlebars look like they should be black and the forks have suspension on them and should be chrome but have rusted completely.... The forks are straight although the wheel is buckled.

Is there a way to salvage these? I'm thinking of wirebrushing, sanding etc the 2 parts down and hopefully find the chrome again, then just laquer over the top, then the handlebars just spraying black.... I'm just going to buy a 26" wheel for the front, then replace both innertubes and wheels.

My daughter is 10, this really will get hardly any use however I just want it looking and riding nicely and properly for her.

What do you guys think?

 

[Motozulu]

You know what I reckon you'd be better served just going on ebay or pinkbike and picking up replacement second hand parts for peanuts. All that sanding and lacquering sounds a lot of hassle for minimal gain. Do the forks work? I'd have thought that being rusted they are probably seized - be amazed if they aren't.

 

[Cubist]

Amen to that. Rusted fork will not be recovered or rejuvenated, as the internals will be even worse than the stanchions. Does she intend to ride it anywhere where she needs suspension?if not, I'd be tempted to save the unnecessary weight andreplace it with a rigid chromoly fork.

 

[w00hoo_kent]

My wife runs a Guide company that does a ride out every year, the vast majority of the girls are on hard tails or full suss bikes that are unwieldy, unneeded and far too heavy for them. They also probably barely get ridden.

I'd cost up the work vs just buying a clean bike off eBay or the local supermarket for sale board and I'd look for something with no suspension at all unless she really needs it. It will make it a lot lighter, which is a big thing for that age, and so a lot nicer to ride and might get used more.

 

[Globalti]

Have a look at Islabikes. They may be out of your budget but they are the kinds of bikes kids need.

Here: http://www.islabikes.co.uk/index-eu.html

 

[sidevalve]

As above I'm afraid, unless you just fancy something to restore as a project. Can the forks be saved - of course they can - just try the classic m/cycle press and check out fork restorers. They could be stripped, hard chromed, rebuilt etc etc but at a HECK of a cost, probably ten times or more the value of the bike. My advice is to strip it for any salvageable parts for spares then buy one from E bay to ride.

 

[Cycleops]

A pic would have helped, but it sounds like it may be too far gone. Maybe left out in all weathers? At ten years your daughter is not going to be helped by what sounds like a full sus heavy MTB to lug around. There are so many bargains for kids of this age, many hardly used so I suggest you have a look eBay or Preloved or whatever where you can something much more suitable and for little money.

 

[Big_Dave]

Low end spec forks can easily be repaired, even if the chrome is fairly rusted, clean up with metal polish, more than likely the chrome will be pitted after polishing but it doesn't really matter as the forks are not oil filled, polish them up until they are as smooth as they can be, you may need some fine sand paper, The forks do come apart easily one fork leg will house the spring, in the top of the lower fork legs is plastic bushing in which the chrome legs slide up and down in, they get gunked up with dirt grease and may even have water inside them, empty if there is, give the plastic bushes a good clean, they may need some fine sand papering so that the chrome fork legs slide freely in the plastic bushes, re grease the bushing and re assemble.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

A 26" wheel suspension MTB for a 10 year old? Bit on the big side unless she's unusually tall

With far less work than you are suggesting, I've tiedied up 24" wheel bikes. Raleigh Krush bikes are ten a penny used on eBay and solid, basic, useable machines (if a little traditionally-Raleigh-heavy)

Example: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Girls-Raleigh-Krush-/331296161249?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item4d22ca3de1

Probably quite useable with a service, clean and new cables.

 

[Drago]

Clean the forks up. If the rust pitting is bad you can fill the craters with araldite and rub them smooth. It'll make a good mechanical repair if not a brilliant cosmetic one.

 

[Ticktockmy]

Frankly if the forks are in the state you say they are, and the wheel is buckled, I would scrap the forks, as you do not know what stress they have been subjected too, and if the rust has done any damage to the crown. if the forks fail when your daughter is riding the bike it could cause her to suffer some bad damage to herself, or even kill her if they collapsed in traffic.