Novice Numpty Questions

Hi All,

I'm new to Retro as I've just bought an old Peugeot 5 speed, steel framed bike as a runaround. I want to renovate it a bit. The derailleur (Simplex) still works, as do the brakes, though the brake pads are perished. I've replaced the perished tyres. There's some rust on the steel, most of which looks like it will come off with some sanding. The frame also has some rust - I don't want to respray it as I love the colour so will try to sand, treat and paint each spot!

My question is, what tools do I need to do the basic work? So far I have very little:

Multi tool with Allen keys
Hexagonal spanner
Pump
Cassette cleaning brush
A couple of screwdrivers
Penknife
Oil
WD40
Chain cleaner and lube

I'm guessing I'll also need:

Chain tool
Spanners

What else? Is it worth getting tools to remove the pedals and cranks to regrease the BB bearings? Servicing bikes is very expensive here but I don't want to spend money on something I'll only use a couple of times. I also have the mechanical skills of a pot plant.

Recommendations of particular tools/brands greatly appreciated. Is there a basic starter kit available?

Also, the pedals are knackered and the cranks are very rusted so I'll want to replace them, together with the plastic coated brake and gear cables. Can anyone recommend a good place to look, other than on here!?

Cheers,
Steve

The park tools web site would be a great help with step by step pictures of what to do

To be brutally honest I'm not sure it's worth spending much money on the bike you have. The trouble with a basic old bike is that it will often cost more to renovate than it would cost to buy a better bike. Indeed given that it's quite possible to get a reasonable basic retro bike for free (I got a nice Raleigh Elan recently from Freegle) some might say it's not worth buying a bottom end bike at all.

You say the cranks are rusted, which presupposes they are steel. That, along with the fact that it's five speed, suggests a very basic bike indeed. As such you could very easilly spend more getting the bike into a ridable state than the finished product would sell for.

Do you have any photos of the bike?

Park Tools are great, but tend to be pricey (as tintin40 says, the website is brill). If you're going to learn on this bike with a view to doing more of your own maintenance in the future, then it's worth getting a decent set of tools together.

Depending on the sort of cranks and bottom bracket, you may need particular tools to get them off/out. As for looking for new parts, ebay or marktplaats?

Thanks for the feedback, guys.

I've done a bit of research and narrowed it down to being a Peugeot PE41 from around 1972. I agree that it's probably not worth a lot, I paid 50 euros for it, but I do want to do a bit of basic maintenance, mainly to learn. For example, I know it needs new brake pads and probably the bearings need lubricating. I'm not going for the full make-over.

Does anyone know where I can get Altenburger brake pads to fit?

Thanks,
Steve