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Resurrecting 1970's(?) Corsa 10 speed
I'm not sure if this is from the 1970s. I used to ride it to work, years ago. It has been in the loft or our garage for a LONG time. Oddly, the inner tubes seem to be in good shape; but I can't say the same for the tires. I pumped them up and they've held their own for about a week know. How they will hold up on the road, I don't know.
I would like to do a clean up on the mechanisms, sprockets, cables, deraileurs, axles, etc.; and am seeking advice on what will remove the dirt, grime, and old greases; and relubricate it with, I don't know what. Any help is appreciated. Image below.
...... john
On a bike like that I usually give it a good wash with soapy water, and maybe some degreaser on the tougher spots. Lube up the chain and cables and see if things are moving like they should. I usually use ATF. If the tires are still holding air and reasonably round, take it for a ride and see how it does. If you like what you have, disassembly followed by a thorough cleaning and inspection of all parts. More degreaser, and some time soaking and scrubbing will get things nice and clean. Replace worn and damaged components as necessary. Frames and painted surfaces I usually give a coat of wax. Anything chrome gets treated with some liquid gel rust converter and gentle scrubbing with tinfoil, followed up with polish. Assemble bearings with any decent quality wheel bearing grease and enjoy.
It should be a 1978 model. That was year that the Corsa was introduced and in 1979 it became the Corsa XL. The serial number will provide confirmation. It should be on the non-drive side of the seat tube, between the bottom bracket shell and the front derailleur mount.
If you asked a dozen different people you'd probably get a dozen different repsponses on degreasers and lubricants. For the latter, my preferred grease if Phil Wood Waterproof grease and Tri-Flow oil but there are literally dozens of good (and cheaper) alternatives. I don't through much degreaser. I'm still using a 4L jug of Varsol that I bought over two decades ago. A lot of peole won't use it due to the odour and toxicity but I use so little and generally in a sealed containing and with good ventilation
The stem of the bicycle looks dangerously high. It doesn't look like there would be very much inserted into the fork's steerer tube. Given the height of the stem and seat post, you really should be riding a larger frame.