Tackling the Great Outdoors : De-Rust Your Bicycle

You hardly use your bike and last time you went to go for a ride, you found it was rusted and full of squeaks. It's getting so bad you have trouble changing gears.

A simple mixture of salt and lemon juice can rub out the rust. Mix on part lemon juice with three parts salt and apply the paste to a smooth rag. Rub the bike down where it's rusty and rinse with water.

The citric acid found in the lemon juice reacts with iron oxide (or rust) and dissolves it. The salt adds texture to the juice helping it to penetrate the rust covered areas without damaging the good metal.