Appreciation post: A customer brought in a 1980s Peugeot that had been sitting in a shed for 20 years

It was a complete mess, but the owner just wanted it rideable for his kid. After a week of cleaning, new cables, and a lot of penetrating oil on the freewheel, I got it shifting smoothly. The look on his face when he picked it up was worth the whole frustrating process. Anyone else get a weird satisfaction from bringing an old bike back from the dead?

2 comments

2 Comments

ruby_murphy14d ago

That old freewheel gunk is the worst, but you nailed the method. Penetrating oil and letting it soak overnight is the only way to win. Sometimes you gotta tap the cogs with a mallet after the soak to really break it free. That feeling when the chain finally drops onto a fresh gear is unbeatable. What was the kid's reaction when they saw it?

sandrap4014d ago

Totally agree with @ruby_murphy, that kid's huge smile made all the oily mess worth it.