Any idea what this could be? beginners question

[wise_old_elf]

Hi All,

I'm a novice when it comes to bicyles.
My husband got given a bike which has just been sat in a garage unused for a while. My questions is, does anyone know what the sticky waxy/lubricant like substance is that's just above the rear wheel?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Doobiesis]

Looks like really old oil or lube of some kind.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Rotting rubber? What does it taste like?

 

[Hugh Manatee]

It could be the elastomer suspension unit dissolving/breaking down.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

It could be the elastomer suspension unit dissolving/breaking down.

You must work in PR, don't you? My explanation, even though it means the same, looks so crude against yours.

 

[wise_old_elf]

It could be the elastomer suspension unit dissolving/breaking down.

Ive no idea what one of those is lol
Any suggestions on how to fix it?

 

[ufkacbln]

In ye olde days, long before some of the youngsters here were born, bikes came wit a very rudimentary suspension ..... basically a bit of rubber

It was called "Elastomer" so that it sounded posh!

It was also known as the "Boingy bit"... a technical term


Although a different design... it should look something like this:

The efficiency of the suspension was varied by using the bolt to "pre compress" the bit of rubber elastomer.

You could also swap the bit of rubber elastomer for one with lower or greater density to give the ride that you wanted. There was a fashion at one point of using two narrower bits of rubber elastomers to improve the ride ... as in the picture

Some ancient designs like the Brompton still use this system

I wouldn't worry about this too much, just remove the whole "blob" and chuck it

But before you do... measure the distance between the two plates...

You can then either replace with a similar size bit of rubber elastomer..... or if the fit is right go for a spring instead:

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I don't think you can fix it or should even bother to fix it. It is two pieces of rubber (elastomer) between two plates and is a crude form of suspension. It never worked then and with love and care, won't work now either. If you can, just clean it off. If you can't, wrap an old sock around it. If you really, really want, you can remove them and go to a shock-absorber/tyre place and ask them if they have two similar rubber doughnuts that will fit in there. Those black rubber doughnuts will be too hard to make a difference but it will look better.

 

[wise_old_elf]

Thank you all for your replies, very helpful.

 

[lpretro1]

You will not get the parts for repair nowadays. new bike time

 

[Gravity Aided]

Couldn't you just get a rubber(elastomer) stopper or two?