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Got given a bike when a friend said they were going to chuck it on the verge. It's an old DH frame (an old Cycle Craft ESP). A lot of old XT running gear, Bomber z3.5 and a set of Middleburn cranks!
The cranks have a fair few scratches on, and I know nothing about metal work or restoring. How can I get rid of some of the lighter scratches - I appreciate the deeper ones will be tricky without some kind of powered tool. I'm not fussed about a mirrored polished finish just spruce them up a bit.
Also, it's a triple set up and I'm going to keep it all 3x8 and build of either my old Panetera frame, or perhaps search for a replacement for my Zaskar LE that got nicked. Is there a budget friendly replacement triple ring pack I can get?
Cheers!
You can hand polish with various grades of sand paper. Starting with 200 grit and working up to 2500+. Finally went over with metal polish. Did this with a set of alloy window winders in my Elise to remove some quite deep marks.
Is there a budget friendly replacement triple ring pack I can get?
Hit up some people on the "random spares - why?" "How long until it's useful" compulsive hoarders threads. I bet there's dozens and dozens of sets out there!
Or place a stealth wanted ad on here with some sort of retro themed hook... 😀
Would alloy wheel polish do the trick? Easy to get hold of.
If the cranks have one of the many bolt standards then I usually find either SJS Cycles or Spa Cycles have cheaper alloy rings to fit. Spa own brand or Stronglight are fine. For odd sizes (like old campag) sometimes you can only get TA rings which are pricier.
Do you have access to any power tools ? A pedestal drill is perfect but a hand held is fine. It's quite laborious with emery, a cheap polishing mop and compound is easy to use and will be nice results. Some come with a cutting mop and can take some of the shallower scratches out. Finish off the autosol or I used a meguiars alloy wheel polish which had a protective element to it.
And a pair of Middleburns on a Zaskar do deserve a bit of love
A pair I did a while back ( if the hosting pictures god's smile upon me)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/28886706@N05/2703267689/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/28886706@N05/2703267649/in/dateposted-public/
As above, wet and dry in various grades will take out any scratches, then metal polish to finish. Basso or autosol both work well.
Would alloy wheel polish do the trick? Easy to get hold of.
I'm sure there are polishes, but what you really need is sealent. It's more like car wax/paste and fills in all the fine imperfections to leave the surface shiny and then stops it dulling. Your feet will take it off quickly, but those bits stay shiny on their own from the constant rubbing.
For a different finish, have a look at ceracoat, although it'll cost as much as the cranks are probably worth.
Spa Cycles
+1, I use them on all my 'road' bikes once whatever the OEM was has worn out. Massively cheaper than Shimano, with much better shifting than FSA.