As above I’ve inherited a fairly tidy DeVinci Hardtail from my neighbour its been outside his house in the elements for 3 years.
I’d like to get it going as cheaply as possible but the chain is in a bit of a state. is there an easy fix to get it back to usable condition? (its a seven speed bike from the late nineties so replacing the drive train will triple the value of the bike.)

I wouldnt bother trying IMO the chains never become full workable again and just end up snapping. A new chain can be had for £10!

Put the chain in petrol or white spirit for a while, give it a going over with a wire brush and then lube it.

You could try just replacing the chain and see if you get away with not changing the cassette and chainring. 7sp cheap is gonna be really cheap.

jamjar of petrol. maybe add some ball bearings to help knock crap off.

the ol’ petroliolio cocktail shake.

Do that a few times an hour for a few hours.

remove chain, hang from a nail in your man cave. wipe with a rag and remove any other dirt with a tooth brush if you need to.

Allow to dry.

then add a non-viscous lube at the top of the hanging chain until it’s wetted the rollers all the way to the bottom (I use something gold or something purple). let it sit for a while before wiping off excess.

EDIT

purple:

cant fin the gold one which is a pity as its my favourite.

cheers, i had a feeling a jar of petrol might be the go. i realise 7 speed is cheap but i thought i’d try to bodge it for a while to see if the bike is worth holding onto. if not it’ll become a donor bike for my 95 Pine Mountain.

A jar of petrol is probably worth nearly as much as a new chain! 😉

but you cant drink a new chain.

True, true…..

😯

ignore external rust – cosmetic only

if the jamjar of petrol (or diesel/paraffin, esp if you’re the “unlucky” type !) gets it clean enough internally that the links aren’t seized/stiff, you’re OK

outside for 3 years… I’d say you’ll be lucky.
Though if you can get ‘all’ the links to move (which I still feel to be unlikely), I’ve always found using the chain will clean most of the rest of the crap off.

£6.99 for a new chain

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=38332

30 pence for a bit of white spirit and effort.

Light rust then I’d clean it,leave it in a tub of white vinegar for a couple of days and all the surface rust will be eaten off.

Heavy rust then I’d bin it and buy a new cheap one if moneys tight.

I had a Yumeya chain which was on top of a car all the way from Stafford to Hawkshead and back (oh, and used for 3 long days riding inbetween) during the snows last December. A couple of weeks later I took it off (I tend to rotate 2 or 3 chains) and when I came to replace it, there was just a solid lump of rust in its place. I struggled for days to bring it back to life but I couldn’t get it to work right. Eventually I took it down the tip, with a heavy heart.

Asda do chains for 4 quid.

Yeah, Fenwicks degreaser is amazing, not to mention fun (comes out like silly string), but £7 – may as well get a new chain