How do you clean "Gum Wall" glop from rims?

I have a friend who has an old Schwinn Collegiate. He wants to ride it
again after leaving it hang in the garage for decades. The gum wall
tires have degraded and most of the residue has stuck itself to the
inside and outside walls of the rims. I tried cleaning it off with
mineral spirits and scraping it with a plastic scraper. After an
hour's work the front rim was clean enough to accept a new front tire.
What ideas do you have to save some time/work in getting the rear rim
nice and clean without damaging the chrome of the steel Schwinn rim?
Thank you in advance for any helpfu ideas.
David Ornee, Western Springs, IL


--
daveornee

daveornee wrote:

I have a friend who has an old Schwinn Collegiate. He wants to ride it
again after leaving it hang in the garage for decades. The gum wall
tires have degraded and most of the residue has stuck itself to the
inside and outside walls of the rims. I tried cleaning it off with
mineral spirits and scraping it with a plastic scraper. After an
hour's work the front rim was clean enough to accept a new front tire.
What ideas do you have to save some time/work in getting the rear rim
nice and clean without damaging the chrome of the steel Schwinn rim?
Thank you in advance for any helpfu ideas.
David Ornee, Western Springs, IL

--
daveornee


Your description matches what I faced with a long-stored bike that was given to
me. It's also a Schwinn but with alum. rims. While the tire rubber was dry and
crumbly, for the most part, a significant amount of goo adhered to the rims. I
tried a little laquer thinner, rubbed on a small affected area with a flat piece
of pine. A new wooden paint stirrer would probably work as well and is easy to
acquire. Thinner didn't work as fast as I had thought it would, so after a
short time I decided to abandon it and use just the wood and water. The water
acted to keep displaced goo from re-adhering. There's probably a better, faster
method but what I describe here worked in the end. That was 2-3 years ago and I
don't remember how long the job took but I'd guess a couple hours per rim.

Michael

On May 26, 9:34 pm, daveornee daveornee.2r8...@no-
mx.forums.cyclingforums.com wrote:
I have a friend who has an old Schwinn Collegiate. He wants to ride it
again after leaving it hang in the garage for decades. The gum wall
tires have degraded and most of the residue has stuck itself to the
inside and outside walls of the rims. I tried cleaning it off with
mineral spirits and scraping it with a plastic scraper. After an
hour's work the front rim was clean enough to accept a new front tire.
What ideas do you have to save some time/work in getting the rear rim
nice and clean without damaging the chrome of the steel Schwinn rim?
Thank you in advance for any helpfu ideas.

Steel wool soap pads work fine, as chrome is pretty hard. That said,
the best thing to do would be to re-rim with alloy rims and some nice
tires. I've mentioned way too many times how pleased I am with the
Alex X404s shod with Vittoria Zaffiro 27x1 1/4 tires on my Sprite,
probably because I ride it in flip flops a lot this time of year, but
I'll mention it again. Only about $50 to do the switch, and it'll
brake great and ride wonderfully. This of course depends on the inside
diameter of the rim being a close enough match. Once thing I
especially like about the profile of the X404 is that it has a bit of
a Westwood rim style, a bit of an obscure homage to those geeks in the
know.

daveornee wrote:
I have a friend who has an old Schwinn Collegiate. He wants to ride it
again after leaving it hang in the garage for decades. The gum wall
tires have degraded and most of the residue has stuck itself to the
inside and outside walls of the rims. I tried cleaning it off with
mineral spirits and scraping it with a plastic scraper. After an
hour's work the front rim was clean enough to accept a new front tire.
What ideas do you have to save some time/work in getting the rear rim
nice and clean without damaging the chrome of the steel Schwinn rim?
Thank you in advance for any helpfu ideas.

We spin the wheel and use a screwdriver as if it were a lathe tool
agains the rim. quick and dirty but solvents take forever - more shop
time than a Collegiate is ever worth.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

daveornee wrote:
I have a friend who has an old Schwinn Collegiate. He wants to ride it
again after leaving it hang in the garage for decades. The gum wall
tires have degraded and most of the residue has stuck itself to the
inside and outside walls of the rims. I tried cleaning it off with
mineral spirits and scraping it with a plastic scraper. After an
hour's work the front rim was clean enough to accept a new front tire.
What ideas do you have to save some time/work in getting the rear rim
nice and clean without damaging the chrome of the steel Schwinn rim?
Thank you in advance for any helpfu ideas.

landotter wrote:
Steel wool soap pads work fine, as chrome is pretty hard. That said,
the best thing to do would be to re-rim with alloy rims and some nice
tires. I've mentioned way too many times how pleased I am with the
Alex X404s shod with Vittoria Zaffiro 27x1 1/4 tires on my Sprite,
probably because I ride it in flip flops a lot this time of year, but
I'll mention it again. Only about $50 to do the switch, and it'll
brake great and ride wonderfully. This of course depends on the inside
diameter of the rim being a close enough match. Once thing I
especially like about the profile of the X404 is that it has a bit of
a Westwood rim style, a bit of an obscure homage to those geeks in the
know.

Collegiates are EA1 (597mm) not 27-inch

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

A Muzi Wrote:
daveornee wrote:
I have a friend who has an old Schwinn Collegiate. He wants to ride
it
again after leaving it hang in the garage for decades. The gum
wall
tires have degraded and most of the residue has stuck itself to the
inside and outside walls of the rims. I tried cleaning it off with
mineral spirits and scraping it with a plastic scraper. After an
hour's work the front rim was clean enough to accept a new front
tire.
What ideas do you have to save some time/work in getting the rear
rim
nice and clean without damaging the chrome of the steel Schwinn
rim?
Thank you in advance for any helpfu ideas.

landotter wrote:
Steel wool soap pads work fine, as chrome is pretty hard. That said,
the best thing to do would be to re-rim with alloy rims and some
nice
tires. I've mentioned way too many times how pleased I am with the
Alex X404s shod with Vittoria Zaffiro 27x1 1/4 tires on my Sprite,
probably because I ride it in flip flops a lot this time of year,
but
I'll mention it again. Only about $50 to do the switch, and it'll
brake great and ride wonderfully. This of course depends on the
inside
diameter of the rim being a close enough match. Once thing I
especially like about the profile of the X404 is that it has a bit
of
a Westwood rim style, a bit of an obscure homage to those geeks in
the
know.

Collegiates are EA1 (597mm) not 27-inch

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971
I thought it was BSD 597 too, but after a second trip to the local
bicycle shop that sells tires for older Schwinn, I found out they are
630 BSD on this Collegiate. I have a Collegiate of about the same
vintage (mine has chrome fenders) that is 597 BSD. My friend's
Collegiate has matching green fenders, rim wall generator, front/rear
light, but his rims are 630 BSD and 27" tires fit perfectly.
I wish his Collegiate were worth more, but I will see what he does with
it. He is recovering from his 3rd heart surgery. He thinks that
bicycle riding will extend the qualtiy of life. I want to encourage
him without raising to many expectations or spending too much more time
and money. $44 for new tires and tubes was sticker shock for him.
I was hoping someone would tell me that they used fingernail polish
rmover (Acetone) or "Goo-Gone" and the goop came off in a minute
without scratching anything.. Oh well, so much for those hopes.'
We tried the steel wool and Brillo Pads too, but didn't see much
happening to the stuborn goo.... but the chrome looked brighter.


--
daveornee

daveornee wrote:
I have a friend who has an old Schwinn Collegiate. He wants to ride
it
again after leaving it hang in the garage for decades. The gum
wall
tires have degraded and most of the residue has stuck itself to the
inside and outside walls of the rims. I tried cleaning it off with
mineral spirits and scraping it with a plastic scraper. After an
hour's work the front rim was clean enough to accept a new front
tire.
What ideas do you have to save some time/work in getting the rear
rim
nice and clean without damaging the chrome of the steel Schwinn
rim?


landotter wrote:
Steel wool soap pads work fine, as chrome is pretty hard. That said,
the best thing to do would be to re-rim with alloy rims and some
nice
tires. I've mentioned way too many times how pleased I am with the
Alex X404s shod with Vittoria Zaffiro 27x1 1/4 tires on my Sprite,
probably because I ride it in flip flops a lot this time of year,
but
I'll mention it again. Only about $50 to do the switch, and it'll
brake great and ride wonderfully. This of course depends on the
inside
diameter of the rim being a close enough match. Once thing I
especially like about the profile of the X404 is that it has a bit
of
a Westwood rim style, a bit of an obscure homage to those geeks in
the
know.

A Muzi Wrote:
Collegiates are EA1 (597mm) not 27-inch

daveornee wrote:
I thought it was BSD 597 too, but after a second trip to the local
bicycle shop that sells tires for older Schwinn, I found out they are
630 BSD on this Collegiate. I have a Collegiate of about the same
vintage (mine has chrome fenders) that is 597 BSD. My friend's
Collegiate has matching green fenders, rim wall generator, front/rear
light, but his rims are 630 BSD and 27" tires fit perfectly.
I wish his Collegiate were worth more, but I will see what he does with
it. He is recovering from his 3rd heart surgery. He thinks that
bicycle riding will extend the qualtiy of life. I want to encourage
him without raising to many expectations or spending too much more time
and money. $44 for new tires and tubes was sticker shock for him.
I was hoping someone would tell me that they used fingernail polish
rmover (Acetone) or "Goo-Gone" and the goop came off in a minute
without scratching anything.. Oh well, so much for those hopes.'
We tried the steel wool and Brillo Pads too, but didn't see much
happening to the stuborn goo.... but the chrome looked brighter.

Hmmm. Mystery bike, eh?
Generally Suburbans are 27-inch and painted mudguards. Collegiate EA1
with chromed mudguards. What year is it?

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

A Muzi Wrote:
daveornee wrote:
I have a friend who has an old Schwinn Collegiate. He wants to
ride
it
again after leaving it hang in the garage for decades. The gum
wall
tires have degraded and most of the residue has stuck itself to
the
inside and outside walls of the rims. I tried cleaning it off
with
mineral spirits and scraping it with a plastic scraper. After an
hour's work the front rim was clean enough to accept a new front
tire.
What ideas do you have to save some time/work in getting the rear
rim
nice and clean without damaging the chrome of the steel Schwinn
rim?


landotter wrote:
Steel wool soap pads work fine, as chrome is pretty hard. That
said,
the best thing to do would be to re-rim with alloy rims and some
nice
tires. I've mentioned way too many times how pleased I am with the
Alex X404s shod with Vittoria Zaffiro 27x1 1/4 tires on my Sprite,
probably because I ride it in flip flops a lot this time of year,
but
I'll mention it again. Only about $50 to do the switch, and it'll
brake great and ride wonderfully. This of course depends on the
inside
diameter of the rim being a close enough match. Once thing I
especially like about the profile of the X404 is that it has a bit
of
a Westwood rim style, a bit of an obscure homage to those geeks in
the
know.

A Muzi Wrote:
Collegiates are EA1 (597mm) not 27-inch

daveornee wrote:
I thought it was BSD 597 too, but after a second trip to the local
bicycle shop that sells tires for older Schwinn, I found out they
are
630 BSD on this Collegiate. I have a Collegiate of about the same
vintage (mine has chrome fenders) that is 597 BSD. My friend's
Collegiate has matching green fenders, rim wall generator,
front/rear
light, but his rims are 630 BSD and 27" tires fit perfectly.
I wish his Collegiate were worth more, but I will see what he does
with
it. He is recovering from his 3rd heart surgery. He thinks that
bicycle riding will extend the qualtiy of life. I want to encourage
him without raising to many expectations or spending too much more
time
and money. $44 for new tires and tubes was sticker shock for him.
I was hoping someone would tell me that they used fingernail polish
rmover (Acetone) or "Goo-Gone" and the goop came off in a minute
without scratching anything.. Oh well, so much for those hopes.'
We tried the steel wool and Brillo Pads too, but didn't see much
happening to the stuborn goo.... but the chrome looked brighter.

Hmmm. Mystery bike, eh?
Generally Suburbans are 27-inch and painted mudguards. Collegiate EA1
with chromed mudguards. What year is it?

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971
Well, maybe it's more of a my memory problem than a mystery.
I don't know the year, but I see more value in the 27" wheel situation
than my old 597 mm Collegiate. I will check my memory when I see his
bicycle again. I will also look at the Serial Number to see if I can
get the year.
I will check with him tomorrow to see if he is ready for the "scraping
steel screwdriver and spinning wheel solution". I know I wasn't ready
to use more solvent or plastic scraping after an hour.
BTW are there any nice & REASONABLY price aluminum 597 mm BSD rims?
I have been tempted many times to upgrade the old beast.


--
daveornee

daveornee wrote:
I have a friend who has an old Schwinn Collegiate. He wants to
ride it
again after leaving it hang in the garage for decades. The gum
wall
tires have degraded and most of the residue has stuck itself to
the
inside and outside walls of the rims. I tried cleaning it off
with
mineral spirits and scraping it with a plastic scraper. After an
hour's work the front rim was clean enough to accept a new front
tire.
What ideas do you have to save some time/work in getting the rear
rim
nice and clean without damaging the chrome of the steel Schwinn
rim?

landotter wrote:
Steel wool soap pads work fine, as chrome is pretty hard. That
said,
the best thing to do would be to re-rim with alloy rims and some
nice
tires. I've mentioned way too many times how pleased I am with the
Alex X404s shod with Vittoria Zaffiro 27x1 1/4 tires on my Sprite,
probably because I ride it in flip flops a lot this time of year,
but
I'll mention it again. Only about $50 to do the switch, and it'll
brake great and ride wonderfully. This of course depends on the
inside
diameter of the rim being a close enough match. Once thing I
especially like about the profile of the X404 is that it has a bit
of
a Westwood rim style, a bit of an obscure homage to those geeks in
the know.

A Muzi Wrote:
Collegiates are EA1 (597mm) not 27-inch

daveornee wrote:
I thought it was BSD 597 too, but after a second trip to the local
bicycle shop that sells tires for older Schwinn, I found out they
are
630 BSD on this Collegiate. I have a Collegiate of about the same
vintage (mine has chrome fenders) that is 597 BSD. My friend's
Collegiate has matching green fenders, rim wall generator,
front/rear
light, but his rims are 630 BSD and 27" tires fit perfectly.
I wish his Collegiate were worth more, but I will see what he does
with
it. He is recovering from his 3rd heart surgery. He thinks that
bicycle riding will extend the qualtiy of life. I want to encourage
him without raising to many expectations or spending too much more
time
and money. $44 for new tires and tubes was sticker shock for him.
I was hoping someone would tell me that they used fingernail polish
rmover (Acetone) or "Goo-Gone" and the goop came off in a minute
without scratching anything.. Oh well, so much for those hopes.'
We tried the steel wool and Brillo Pads too, but didn't see much
happening to the stuborn goo.... but the chrome looked brighter.

A Muzi Wrote:
Hmmm. Mystery bike, eh?
Generally Suburbans are 27-inch and painted mudguards. Collegiate EA1
with chromed mudguards. What year is it?

daveornee wrote:
Well, maybe it's more of a my memory problem than a mystery.
I don't know the year, but I see more value in the 27" wheel situation
than my old 597 mm Collegiate. I will check my memory when I see his
bicycle again. I will also look at the Serial Number to see if I can
get the year.
I will check with him tomorrow to see if he is ready for the "scraping
steel screwdriver and spinning wheel solution". I know I wasn't ready
to use more solvent or plastic scraping after an hour.
BTW are there any nice & REASONABLY price aluminum 597 mm BSD rims?
I have been tempted many times to upgrade the old beast.

Probably not, as the classy Raleigh RRA, Lenton and similar tourers of
the '30s through '50s used EA1 597 aluminum rims - they are highly
desirable and hard to find.

Changing to EA3 590 will be a little better and the brake usually spans
a 590 rim; if not, a longer caliper is under $20. It's still a real
project on most Collegiates. Your 27-inch bike can use cheaper standard
K2 630 wheels, about $40 each. That's a happy situation by comparison.

I know there are better Schwinn date guides but I can never find one so
I called Richard Schwinn a few years ago and took notes:
http://www.yellowjersey.org/photosfr...chwinumber.txt

Dear Readers: that should not be construed as an invitation to call him
up and ask about a given bike - he has a pretty full plate nowadays.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

In article
,
daveornee

wrote:

A Muzi Wrote:
daveornee wrote:
I have a friend who has an old Schwinn Collegiate. He wants to ride
it
again after leaving it hang in the garage for decades. The gum
wall
tires have degraded and most of the residue has stuck itself to the
inside and outside walls of the rims. I tried cleaning it off with
mineral spirits and scraping it with a plastic scraper. After an
hour's work the front rim was clean enough to accept a new front
tire.
What ideas do you have to save some time/work in getting the rear
rim
nice and clean without damaging the chrome of the steel Schwinn
rim?
Thank you in advance for any helpfu ideas.

landotter wrote:
Steel wool soap pads work fine, as chrome is pretty hard. That said,
the best thing to do would be to re-rim with alloy rims and some
nice
tires. I've mentioned way too many times how pleased I am with the
Alex X404s shod with Vittoria Zaffiro 27x1 1/4 tires on my Sprite,
probably because I ride it in flip flops a lot this time of year,
but
I'll mention it again. Only about $50 to do the switch, and it'll
brake great and ride wonderfully. This of course depends on the
inside
diameter of the rim being a close enough match. Once thing I
especially like about the profile of the X404 is that it has a bit
of
a Westwood rim style, a bit of an obscure homage to those geeks in
the
know.

Collegiates are EA1 (597mm) not 27-inch

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971
I thought it was BSD 597 too, but after a second trip to the local
bicycle shop that sells tires for older Schwinn, I found out they are
630 BSD on this Collegiate. I have a Collegiate of about the same
vintage (mine has chrome fenders) that is 597 BSD. My friend's
Collegiate has matching green fenders, rim wall generator, front/rear
light, but his rims are 630 BSD and 27" tires fit perfectly.
I wish his Collegiate were worth more, but I will see what he does with
it. He is recovering from his 3rd heart surgery. He thinks that
bicycle riding will extend the qualtiy of life. I want to encourage
him without raising to many expectations or spending too much more time
and money. $44 for new tires and tubes was sticker shock for him.
I was hoping someone would tell me that they used fingernail polish
rmover (Acetone) or "Goo-Gone" and the goop came off in a minute
without scratching anything.. Oh well, so much for those hopes.'
We tried the steel wool and Brillo Pads too, but didn't see much
happening to the stuborn goo.... but the chrome looked brighter.

Acetone as a last resort.
Xylol, toluol, and hexane (rubber cement thinner) are worth a try.
I keep cans of all four around the house for these kinds of jobs.
Methyl ethyl ketone enjoys a good reputation
for removing stubborn stains.

--
Michael Press