[rideSATX]

couple months ago I purchased a 1984 raleigh grand prix off of Craigslist. the bike is in generally good condition, I had to replace the front for with a modern chrom-oly fork, but it looks just like the old one. anyway, the spokes and rims don't shine like the rest of the shiny parts of the bike do and I have noticed some tiny spots of rust on the chrome.

the red paint is chipped exposing chrome underneath it in a few places, but that doesn't really bother me. what should I do to get rid of the rust. polish it? what else should I do to maintain it? thanks!

I can post more close-up pictures if needed

[zero3one]

Nice bike! My first "real" bike was a 1990 Grand Prix! It was waaay too big for me, but it was fun as hell and got me started in cycling!

[katz]

That is a great looking bike! I love "old school".

If it were mine, I would simply go over it like I used to when I was a kid; I would get my mom's steel wool pads out from under the kitchen sink & polish all the chrome on the bike.

Did a real nice job back then. Afterwards, rinse/dry it well & then maybe spray with some silicone spray/similar & rub in/dry off.

I'm sure there is a much more professional way to clean/polish the chrome, but if this is to be a "daily driver" bike I would just have at it with the SOS pads as mentioned.

[Industry_Hack]

Steel wool on chrome? Did you WD-40 your chain after?

I heard lemon juice and aluminum foil removes rust, but that can be abrasive too. Any time you're dealing with paint, or chrome (which is multiple layers of thin metal), I prefer a chemical, rather than mechanical solution. Go find some naval jelly. It eats rust like Homer eats donuts.

[rideSATX]

a little phosphoric acid huh. and I can just rub this on the rusty spots and it won't mess up the chrome or red paint?

[rideSATX]

Originally Posted by katz

"daily driver" bike I would just have at it with the SOS pads as mentioned.

SOS pads like this? I used these for taking off a polyurithane finish on a bass guitar neck

[katz]

Steel wool on chrome? Did you WD-40 your chain after?

Of course! I've used chemical rust eaters in the past, but that can get on the paint & I would rather shine with sos pads. To each his own...

[gopromiller]

yeah,Nice bike! My first "real" bike was a 1995 Grand Prix! It was waaay too big for m