Just bought a vintage road bike

Question

I just bought a road bike. The chain is a bit rusty and needs some oil. It has a manual shift (two medal bars in the center of the handles). Getting up hills is impossible. The bike completely stops mid-hill. How can I learn to shift properly to get up hills? Is it possibly the chain/oil? It is a Raleigh from the 70s.

Answer 1

A good dose of oil on the chain and derailleurs would be a good start.  This reduces friction in the drive and so more of your energy goes into getting you up hill.

Second thing is learning how to put the bike into low gear.  The lever on the left should change between the two front gears and the lever on the right should do the back gears (probably 5).  You need to be in the smallest front gear and the largest back gear for going up hill.  Try it on the flat first to get some practise.

Another thing is things like the bottom bracket and wheel hubs will be open bearings.  These need to be regularly opened, cleaned and repacked with grease, again to reduce friction.  You may even find that these are badly worn and need replacing.  Get hold of one of the pedals and pull it towards and away from the bike.  If it moves the bottom bracket needs replacing.

I'd forgotten how hard things were in the "good" old days.

Good luck, I hope you enjoy your cycling.

Answer 2

You probably won't like this answer, but here goes.

I strongly recommend that you take it to a bike shop for a complete overhaul. If you can, ask if you can watch them while they do it... figure about 3-4 hours. Ask questions and pay attention. See what you can do to maintain the bike on your own. While it is being worked on ask the mechanic about your shifting concerns and other stuff you might be curious about.