After a certain amount of time, bikes need a little more than a quick fix.
At this point, many people consider doing a DIY bike restoration. Although it might sound like a daunting task, it’s actually a huge amount of fun and much simpler than you might think.
As an experienced bike mechanic and ultra-endurance racer, I’ve restored many bikes, so I have vast experience in bringing scrapyard-worthy bicycles back to life.
In this article, I’ll provide an overview of the step-by-step process of how to DIY restore your bike, with links to in-depth guides to help you through each stage of the process.
We’ll be discussing:
- Restoring Vs Replacing: How Much of the Bike Can You Save?
- Stripping The Bike Down
- Cleaning and Removing Rust
- Re-Assembling The Bike
- Cables, Set-Up, and Adjustments
- Robbie’s Video Guide: DIY Bike Restoration
Let’s dive in!
Restoring Vs Replacing: How Much of the Bike Can You Save?
Before we go into the process of DIY bike restoration, it’s important to speak about restoring vs replacing parts.
It’s rare on bikes for components to break completely. When parts stop working, it’s normally down to the fact they need maintenance or something else has gone wrong, which is connected to it.
A good example is that people often replace the rear derailleur, thinking it is broken – when it’s actually the cable inner or outer that needs changing.
Unless you’re intentionally upgrading a part, we’d suggest retaining and restoring as many original components as possible when DIY restoring a bike.
Not only does this save money and reduce waste, but we also think bringing vintage components back to life is generally an awesome thing to do!
That said, occasionally components may be beyond saving, in which case there’s no shame in finding a new replacement.
Stripping The Bike Down
The first step of the bike restoration process is to strip the bike down.
This allows you to thoroughly clean and restore all the bike’s components as well as the frame, and also get a really close look at every part of the bike so you can identify what can be saved and what needs replacing.
It’s really important when doing this to remember where parts went, and the order things came apart. This is vital with parts such as the bottom bracket and the headset. Taking lots of pictures and videos as you go along will come in handy later!
This is how to restore a bike!
Step #1. Remove The Wheels And Tires
Start your bicycle restoration by removing the wheels and tires.
This will be as simple as undoing the quick release or thru-axle, and they should drop out. If removing the tires, you must deflate them and then use a tire lever to remove them, then pull out the inner tubes.
It’s a good idea also to remove the cassette now using a cassette removal tool. You are going to want to take this off for cleaning, and you will also need access to the hub to work on any bearings if required.
Step #2. Remove The Groupset And Brakes
Next, we head to the groupset and the brakes.
Start by cutting the cables (not the hydraulic lines if your bike uses hydraulic brakes!) and then removing the chain from the chainset with a chain breaker.
This will then give you access to the crank, which next should be removed, followed by the derailleurs, derailleur hangers, brake calipers, and the bottom bracket.
Most parts should be fairly straightforward to remove with a set of Allen keys, but we have guides to a couple of the more complex parts below:
- How To Remove And Replace A Bike Chain In 6 Steps [With Pictures]
- Bottom Bracket Removal Explained: How-To Guide in 5 Steps [With Video]
Some cranks also require a specialist tool to remove them. If unsure, check with your local bike store, who will help you identify if that’s the case and which tool you’ll need. They might even let you borrow theirs if you ask nicely!
Now, remove the shifters and brake levers from the bars. If you have hydraulic lines, remove them with the brake levers and keep them all in one piece.
You might have to cut them if they are internally routed, but bear in mind that the fluid will leak if you do – and it will be a lot more effort to reinstall them later!
Step #3. Finishing Kit And Forks
Finally, we come to the finishing kit and the forks. This will be the seatpost, stem, spacers, and handlebars, which should all be removable with Allen keys.
With all that off, the forks will come out. Ensure that you take the headset bearings out and leave them in the correct order. I like to hold these together with a cable tie to make life easier later.
Then, I recommend organizing all the parts in a neat order, ready for the next step, which is cleaning and restoring. The last thing you want is to lose anything and have to order another, and it puts the restore on hold!
Cleaning and Removing Rust
Now we have a pile of parts, it’s time to start getting them ready for the rebuild. This is an ideal time to clean and remove any rust or dirt that might be on them.
Step #4. Cleaning
When it comes to cleaning the parts of the bike, there are two different processes we recommend you use. The first is scrubbing down using soapy water, degreaser, and a lot of elbow grease. I recommend this for bigger items such as the frame and forks.
This is a great way to remove mud and dirt and eliminate all the big clumps. It’s important to spend a decent amount of time getting into all the small gaps and places, such as the bottom bracket and the headtube.
I recommend making up a small tub of water mixed with soap for the smaller components and leaving them to soak. Then take them out and clean them with a degreaser, or even WD40 works very well.
Step #5. Rust Removal
Now the bike is clean, you need to take a look and see if there’s any rust.
If you have a steel bike frame or have scratched any components, there’s a good chance you could have some hiding under dirt or grease.
Scrunch some tin foil, spray the rust with WD40 (careful not to splash any), and scrape it down. The rust will come straight off. Then, add a light layer of lacquer to protect. Many people consider a respray on vintage bike restoration.
When it comes to the smaller components, I like to soak them in Coca-Cola overnight. Then, the next day, give them a good scrub, before washing them down. If they don’t come up great, you might consider replacing the bolts altogether for a perfect finish.
- Check out our in-depth guide here: How To Remove Rust From A Bike In 5 Steps [With Video Guide]
Re-Assembling The Bike
Now for the fun bit of bicycle restoration – building the bike back up!
This is where you need to take a lot of care and attention. The better you can build this back up, the more reliable the bike will be and the better it’s going to ride.
A key part of this process is making sure you apply the correct torque while tightening any bolts. Over-tightening is an incredibly common error that can easily damage components.
Most components will have a specified torque written on them somewhere, while there are guides on the internet that offer suggested ranges for each part if not.
The best way to ensure you hit this suggested tightness is to use a torque wrench.
Step #6. Forks And Finishing Kit
Let’s start getting everything back together. Start by fitting the headset in the frame and then insert the fork into the headtube. Here’s a Video Guide from Cane Creek to help you through the process of re-installing the headset.
You will then need to add the stem, spacers, top cap, and handlebars. Once in, tighten up and add the seatpost and handlebars.
Step #7. Add Groupset And Brakes
The second part of the rebuild is to get the groupset back on.
Start with the bottom bracket and ensure you have put some anti-seize grease to avoid it getting stuck. Then, the crank must be added along with the front derailleur, rear derailleur, and chain. Then install the brake calipers and levers/shifters.
Here are some of our in-depth guides to help you through each step:
- How To Install and Adjust Front Derailleurs In 6 Steps [With Video Guide]
- How To Adjust or Install A Rear Derailleur In 10 Steps [With Video Guide]
- How To Remove And Replace A Bike Chain In 6 Steps [With Pictures]
- How To Install and Adjust Bike Brakes: Ultimate Guide To The 4 Key Types [With Videos]
Step #8. Wheels And Tires
Next, we have the wheels and tires.
If you need to make any adjustments or repairs to the wheels, such as replacing bearings or truing the wheel, then you should do this now.
As for the tires and inner tubes, unless the existing ones are still in great condition, these are some of the parts that make the most sense to replace as they make a huge performance difference for relatively little cost.
- How To Change A Bike Tire In 5 Easy Steps [With Video Guide]
- How To Change A Bike Inner Tube In 11 Steps [With Video Guide]
Cables, Set-Up, and Adjustments
Now we have all the parts on the bike, it’s time to get them all linked together.
These last steps of the bicycle restoration process are crucial. You have to allow time to perfect the adjustments because the bike can’t work correctly without them.
Step #9. Add The Cables
First, we need to add the cables.
Allow lots of length and take time to get the routing right so they don’t get in the way of the handlebars turning or the bike working.
You can use the old cables you took off to measure the perfect lengths of the new cables. If you have internally run cables, you can use the inner cable as a guide through the frame to place the outer.
A good mantra to remember is: Measure twice, cut once!
Step #10. Make Adjustments And Test
With the cables in place, it’s now time to make the adjustments. You will need to adjust the front derailleur, rear derailleur, front brake, and rear brake.
These adjustments can be difficult to make, and it will take time. It’s important to be patient and follow our video guides for expert advice.
Finally, you need to test the bike. Go out for a ride in a safe environment and use the bike as it should be ridden. You might need to make some minor adjustments after the first few rides as the cables bed in and gently stretch, but this is expected on all bikes.
Robbie’s Video Guide: DIY Bike Restoration
Check out the BikeTips YouTube Channel here for walk-through bike maintenance guides and more!
