Hugh`s bicycle blog

Thrasher Fixie Finished! And under budget as well.

2012-01-28T09:54:00.005-05:00

Hello and Welcome,
Things have been hectic around here these past few weeks. We are having one bath-room fixed-up and another completely remodeled. And in the midst of all this my wife's car broke-down. So between cleaning-up after the tradesmen and dealing with the car, there has been little time for this project. So after the first bath was finished the builder needed a week to line-up the tradesmen. And we decided to park the car for a while. This gave me most of this week to take care of some other things.

I have been very eager to see what the new crank-set would look like on the Thrasher. So let us pick it up the project there.

Above: First step is to loosen the rear axle so we can move it forward.

Above: After removing the dust cap I remove the crank retaining bolt. I do not use an extension on the ratchet. And I use the smaller ratchet. For me this makes it easier to keep the socket snug on the bolt head. I don`t want to round off the bolt head by letting the socket slide off while putting torque to the ratchet. It is equally important that the socket have the same number of points as the retaining bolt head.

Above: Here after removing the retaining bolt I have threaded the removal tool into the crank. I am very careful not to cross thread this. To avoid cross threading I start screwing it into place by hand.
I put this in snug but not over-tightened.

Above: Now I have moved the wrench handle out to the nut on the threaded post. As I thread this in using the wrench handle it will contact the end of the bracket axle or spline. As I tighten the post it will pull the crank off the spline. I also have a Park crank removal tool. But on the Park the handle is fixed so it can not be used to screw the tool into to crank. And you can not remove the wrench handle and change the position to get better torque on the wrench. I would say "in my opinion" the Park tool is very well built. But the Sun-lite wrench again "in my opinion" is a better design.

Above: When I installed the crank it went on a little too easy for my liking. So I removed it and took it out to the shop to check the bracket splines I had on hand for fit. I found one I liked so I went back in and removed the bracket spline or axle. I compared the two for length then checked the bearings to see that they rode on the spline the same. After I re-assembled the bottom bracket it was actually smoother than the original. So I went ahead and installed the new crank. The arm on the left side removes exactly the same way as the drive side. I did not expect I would find such a perfect spline or bracket-axle match. Sometimes it`s better to be lucky than smart.

Above: A close-up of the new crank and a look at the new Avenir Dual-Sport pedals with old style toe-clips and straps. I think the new crank looks great! And I still think the Avenir pedals are the most bang for your buck you will find anywhere.

Above: I have chosen to re-use the stock saddle. I like the narrow nose and the over-all design. But of course the real test will be the feel after a decent ride.
Not that I am planning any long fixed gear rides, but you never know. Also you can see the micro-adjust post is installed. As those of you who have followed this blog for a while already know. A micro adjust seat post is one of the best "inexpensive" up-grades you will ever make. Not only better "performance wise" but it looks 100% better too. And I`m not even going to say "in my opinion" It is just better.

Above: Being that I have no brake levers to tape around,I use these extra pieces to create a little more padding. I have used these type bars on about three or four bikes now. So I know this has been a problem area for me in the past. I have also done this on the flats of drop bars and found it works fairly well. In this pic the front brake is mounted "just to check for fit". I will remove it and give it the full treatment latter.

Above: I taped the bars in the modern way from the bar end towards the center or stem. Usually the end of a flop and chop is not perfectly round. So be prepared to
work a little bit to get the plugs in place. You might even want to go to a smaller pronged plug. In this case I was able to use the plugs that came with the tape. But I did have to snip off a few burs on the prong side of one of the plugs.

Above: I have borrowed some of the bits (small parts) off the original brake to dress-up this old caliper brake a little. I am using the acorn nuts and barrel adjuster and the shoes. I will now remove the brake and take it apart and polish the whole thing.

Above: Every original part of the brake caliper has been cleaned-up. As always I used Mothers on the cast alloy arms and Turtle-Wax Chrome Polish and Rust Remover on the steel. And the small pieces were brass brushed with a fine brass wheel-brush on the low-speed drill. I only did the assembly in the house the rest was done in the shop.

Above: Here the caliper brake is re-mounted on the bike, complete with smudge marks from my greasy hands. Now it is time to run the cable and cut the cable housing.

Above: The barrel shaped end of the cable fits into the corresponding hole in the inner brake lever. If you look closely you can see I have not lined up the grooves or slots in the barrel adjuster and nipple.

Above: Here with the slots lined up I am able to swing the brake cable into place. Once in place I screw the barrel adjuster in so the slots no longer line up. You always want the adjusters screwed in all the way when you install the cables. This is so you will have plenty of adjustment to work with latter on when the cable stretches.

Above: After I have cut a piece of cable housing to length I check the cut end with a small nail or wire. In this case I did have to cut off a little bur with side cutters. And before running the new cable through I give the inner housing one drop of cable oil.

Above: Here with the cable properly connected at the lever I route the cable through the housing down through the caliper adjuster and through the cable clamp or anchor. I hold the brake caliper closed with one hand then pull the slack out of the cable. Before I tighten the cable anchor I check to see that my cable is inserted into the barrel adjusters at both ends. If all looks good I just tighten the anchor bolt. Then test the brake. There are cable pullers available that will make this job easier for you. (if needed)

Above: Once I have tested the brake and checked both ends of the cable and I am satisfied with the amount lever pull. It is time to trim off the excess cable. I like to use this particular pair of pliers / side cutters. You will probably want to use cable cutters.

Above: After trimming off the excess cable length you will want to crimp on a cable end right away. If you are a beginner, you might want to leave a little extra length just in case you have to make an adjustment latter. Then when you are 100% positive all is well, you can cut-off some more excess cable.

Above: Because I like the cable routing better, I chose to install my front "and only" brake lever on the right side. If you are accustomed to it being on the left side you might want to just go with that. Even if you have to relocate the lever position to do so. NOTE: Rear Breaking is done by skidding the rear tire. Check-out the video section to see how to properly skid your fixed gear bike.

Above: Finally the kick-stand. I know some do not like them. But for my needs it works out fine. If your friends tease you, you can always remove it latter. Personally I almost never "give a rip" what other people think. I have seen people really stress-out over what other people will think of them. That is no way to go through life.

Above: Drive side view. All finished and under budget. I make it to be $174.50 not including taxes and delivery. But there is one other thing to consider. I will get to that in a minute.

Above: A view from the front left side. I can`t wait to get some pics of this bike outside.

Left: A view from the front. I`m thinking about removing or modifying the graphics.

Above: Here is the other thing to consider. What is the value of these take-offs?
I will probably use most of this stuff eventually. Except for the plastic grips that I cut-off with a razor knife. And there is also a good set of handlebars that no doubt have some value. So all things considered I would say this was much cheaper than the first conversion.

Above: Just before the Holidays I picked-up this rolling tool box. I thought it would be handy when I need to take some tools with me. It has already worked-out well for bringing tools in the house. That's when I have some not so dirty work that I can do indoors.

Thrasher Fixed Gear Bike (Walmart) Rebuilt and Upgraded for 200.00 Total Investment?

2012-01-20T19:29:00.003-05:00

Hello and Welcome,
I am not a huge fan of Walmart. Or at least I like to think I am not.
But after hearing from a friend that they had seen exercise bikes on display there. I thought to myself, what can it hurt to look? Well after not being able to find an exercise bike that I wanted, I decided to wander over to the bicycles... Just to get a look at the latest in Department Store bicycle offerings. I had no intentions of making a purchase. Then I spotted the last thing I ever expected to see, a single speed bike with a flip-flop rear hub. However the brakes looked really cheap as did the crank, seat-post, pedals, handlebars and grips. But the frame looked like it could get the job done. And the wheel-set looked entry-level. But they did spin fairly straight, well the rear one did anyway. I`m thinking, this could possibly work with a few improvements. Then I saw the price tag $99.00!!

Above: Oh God forgive me! I have sercombe to temptation! ok seriously, I was doing the math in my head. How much did it cost me to build the Schwinn lugged frame fixie? How much will it cost me to make this thing reliable? Then I came up with the perfect excuse. It was as if the Devil himself were whispering in my ear. "You can make this a really cool bike for under 200.00 Then you can blog about it!" Well There you have it, that is how I came to purchase this department store fixed gear bike. I am reminded of a line from the movie Tombstone when Doc Holiday said "That's what I love about Wyatt. He can talk himself into anything."

Above: A shot of the rear hub and sturdy looking 1/8 chain. The rear rim is yellow with a red tire and the front red with a yellow tire. I would have preferred they both be the same. I decided to switch the tires so they match the rims. My hope was it would give it a taller look, and to a degree I think it did just that.

Above: A shot of the "cheesy looking" front brake. ˈCHēzē Adjective: cheap, unpleasant, or blatantly inauthentic. Yeah! that is the word I was looking for alright. I have some vintage alloy (side-pull) caliper and center-pull brakes in the shop. I think I can polish-up something that will get the job done and look good doing it. I will not be installing a rear brake. And the resin pedals are going to be replaced with Avenir dual-sport pedals with old style clips and straps.
I can just see me trying to perfect my skid with my feet sliding of the plastic pedals. Did you ever notice how many other names they have for plastic?

Above: The seat-post and clamp will be replaced. In fact I just received the "your order has been shipped" e mail this morning. I think I have spent about 75.00 or 80.00 so far. The only purchase left is the handlebar tape. Which I now need since I have decided to make a set of flop and chop bars for the fixie. So I should be right on target when finished.

Above: I stripped the bike down to the frame and upon closer inspection the crank and head-set were both set too tight. But what really bothered me was some of the grease. It looked like it had been scraped-up off a dirty floor. And there were little pieces of dirt or scrap from the manufacturing process. It appeared that nothing was cleaned-out before greasing.

Above: This photograph of grease wiped off the bottom bracket bearings was an after thought. This pic by no means shows the worst of it. The little bits of grit on this paper towel are barely visible in the photograph so I have marked them for you. Basically I needed to clean all the bearings, races and cups then I re-greased everything. And of course reset the bottom bracket to the proper tightness (or lack there of). The headset was the same story just clean everything off and regrease and re-assemble to the proper setting (no play/no grind)

You have seen me do enough bottom brackets and headsets on here for a while. So let`s start with the front wheel axle (ABOVE) with the free bearings. The first thing I need to do is break this over tightened axle loose.

Above: Here I am loosening the front axle using two adjustable wrenches. Once the cone nut breaks loose only one side is going to be removed easily. But that is no problem. We only need one side to be loose to grease both sides. I will hold the bottom nut (tight side)so the axle does not spin as I and loosen the top side (by hand) to expose the bearings for greasing.

Above: At this point you want to keep the exposed bearings facing upwards. You do not want these all over the floor. You also want to keep the opposite side on a table or bench-top. You also do not want the axle sliding out of there. I greased these bearings in place, buy just putting a little grease on my finger tip and packing it into the bearings. I would only do it this way with a new bike.

Above: Here after greasing the bearings I am replacing the cone/nut by hand,leaving the lock-nut off for now.
Once I screw the cone into place (snug not tight) I just wipe-off the excess grease with a paper towel.

Above: Now I have flipped the wheel over and loosened (unscrewed) the top side which is now backed-off enough for me to wipe-clean and re-grease the bearings. I am careful not to back it off so far that the opposite side cone comes off the threaded axle. With a finger on the end of the axle, I can feel when I have backed the top side out to the max. I just stop when the bottom end is flush with the axle cone-nut.

Above: Once I have wiped and re-greased the bearings I can now screw it back down into place. As always not too tight (no play no grind) Afterwards I can flip the wheel over again and replace the (thin) lock nut on the opposite side. When replacing the lock-nut I can use a cone wrench to hold the adjustment on the cone while tightening the lock nut. I suspect this is where the factory screws up and the axles end up being set way too tight. Give it a spin when finished holding the axle at each end. If it feels too tight or too loose try again. Remember "No Grind and No Play" is what your looking for. Now I am ready to move on to the rear wheel bearings.

Above: Removing the fixed gear cog`s lock-ring using a lock ring tool. The lock-ring is reverse threaded. So turn it clock wise to loosen it.

Above: The fixed cog is normal threaded (righty tighty - lefty loosey.) So using a Chain-Whip crank it counter-clockwise to remove it.

Above: This is not how you would want to remove a freewheel unit normally. (single or multiple cog) But there are no slots for a freewheel removal tool. So I will take it apart and remove it in pieces. If I do use a freewheel unit on the bike it will be a freewheel with slots for a removal tool. I`ll save these parts but I doubt I will ever use them.

Above: The remnants of the single freewheel unit. I`m not sure why it was made this way (no slots for a removal tool) Maybe they figured it being a 99 dollar bike, it would not last long enough to ever need a new single freewheel cog. Maybe someone can enlighten me about this design. I did not bother installing a freewheel unit on the other fixed gear bike I built. I do not plan on climbing any big hills on it anyway. It only bothers me because I think it is a stupid design. So lets move onto the rear axle bearings.

Above: I loosened the cone/nuts in the same way I did the fronts. Here I have added some fresh grease and I am ready to screw the cone back into position.

Above: I am now screwing the threaded cone back into position. Like on the front I will set aside the lock-nut for now. I am now ready to flip the wheel over and grease the bearings on the free-wheel side.

Above: Again just like the front axle I will back this side out while holding the bottom side of the axle. And I will be careful not to back it out too far. In this pic you can see I have already greased the bearings and am ready to close it back up.

Above: This pic really shows how the tight side is undisturbed. When I screw this back in I am actually turning the axle. And this side is being drawn back in by the other side being tightened back up. This is why I have set the lock nut (the thin nut)aside for now on the other end. Once it is all closed up again and not to tight or loose I will then thread the lock nut back into place. And I can hold the cone in the proper position by using a cone wrench to hold the cone from tightening while I tighten the lock nut. Again like the front you will need to check this for grind or play before installing the wheel on the bike.

Above: Here is the rear wheel back on the bike for testing, the fixed cog is working fine. I have temporally re-installed the original crank for testing. The new crank and post should arrive in a few days. I had already ordered grips before I decided to change the handlebars. I will be wrapping the new bars. But I`m sure I will use the grips on a future project.

Above: Here I have the wheels back on with the temporary crank. Lets move on to the handlebars.

Above: I have marked the spot where I want to make my cut and locked it into the vise for cutting. I am not cutting into the vise :) I had to let go for a sec to take this pic.

Above: To get the bars cut evenly I use the first cut piece as a templet to mark the other side.

Above: I think these flop and chop handlebars are going to work fine. And once they are all taped-up I think they will look good too. I think I will mount this front brake lever differently so I can compare the two.(this one to the Schwinn fixie)

Above: I think this looks fine, but I think it will look better if I shorten-up the reach on the adjustable lever. I just need to remember to do this before I trim the cable.

Above: A hack saw can leave razor sharp edges and burs on the freshly cut surfaces. It is best to file these off right away. Not only can these sharp edges cut you, they can also cut into your handlebar tape.
My parts order has not arrived yet, So I`m going to close for now. I will get back to work on the Fixie as soon as the parts are delivered. Look for the "Thrasher Fixie Finished" post within a week. Until Next Time, Please Ride Safe and Remember to Always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE Cheers, Hugh

2011 The Year in Bikes and Honerable Mentions

2012-01-14T10:41:00.000-05:00

Hello and Welcome,
Once again it is time to review the past year in Bikes. First I would like to thank everyone who visited this blog in 2011. The blog went over the 100,000 views mark! Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think this was remotely possible. Also thanks to everyone who has supported the Face-Book page. You can check-out the Face-Book page by clicking on the Link/Logo which is located in the right side column. (near the top) If you do visit the Face-Book page, Please click on "Like" to show your support. I hope you have found something useful on the blog. Thanks again, Hugh

January: (Above) The 1973 Raleigh Sports 3 speed step-through. Sorry the weather prevented me from getting any out-of-doors pics before this bike went to it`s new owner.

February:(Above) The 1980`s Schwinn Le-Tour Mixte. A reader and loyal follower "Gail" liked this bike so much she duplicated it. And if I may so myself "She did a fine job"(see below)

Above : Gail`s Mixte. Well Done Gail!

March: (Above) This Fuji Thrill was one of my favorites. I like to call this style an Urban Commuter/Campus Bike. I love the practicality of this type of bicycle.

April: (Above) I am very proud of this Raleigh Pursuit. I really enjoyed building it. It was quite a transformation, and a great learning experience.

May:(Above) A Sears Free-Spirit "Physio-Fit" and a Department Store Schwinn and some Old Ten Speed parts and some internet shopping. Mix it it all together and you get the "Physio-Phat". Latter some of the good stuff was used on a better Schwinn frame.

June: (Above) The 1969 "Parliament Custom-Built Made in England" I have tried to keep it as original and period correct as I possibly can. It is still a work in progress. I promised myself that I would take as much time as I needed to get this bike exactly like I envisioned it. which means I will eventually use Brooks leather handlebar wrap on it.

July: (Above) The Giant Attraction Urban Commuter/Campus Bike is the bike I ride the most. I think I am going to up-grade the crank. I am not quite ready to part with this bike. It is a very comfortable ride!

August: (Above) The 1972 Motobecane Nomade. I probably paid too much for this bike. So I may have to keep it for my self to avoid taking a loss :)

September: (Above) The GT Avalanche. An insane amount of touch-up went into the paint. I love the triple triangle frame and the Rock-Shox are really strong and smooth.

October: (Above) My first fixed-gear build. I used the stars and stripes theme to cover-up the badly scratched frame. I call it my "Harlem Globe Trotters Tribute Bike". I`m hoping to find a 57 or 58 cm frame with much better paint.

November: (Above) The Ross Adventurer. This was my first crank conversion. The Ross also received better brakes, stem, handlebars, levers, kickstand, handlebar wrap etc. etc.

December: (Above) More work than parts went into this Gary Fisher Mt Jam. I am currently touching-up the paint and plan to add a Ze'Fal under saddle clip-on bag.

Above: 2011 One I should have kept. The Schwinn Hurricane

Above: 2011 Favorite kids bike, the Raleigh Rowdy. Where was this bike when I was a kid?

Above: 2011 The fastest Sale, men`s Brittany 3 speed. It sold while I was photographing it.

Above: 2011 Favorite Project. Ross Adventurer one piece to three piece crank conversion.

Above: 2011 The most unusual bike "hands down" the CSA Auto-Bike

Above: 2011 Best Head-Badge and company name. The un-restored Golden-Sports by ZebraKenko. Ryan nailed it, it does look like a door knocker!

Above: 2011 April The most dramatic transformation. The Raleigh Pursuit

Above: 2011 I saved the best for last. My favorite bike of 2011 the Raleigh Technium 460. This was my first bonded frame "road" bike. Like all great bikes the frame was the wrong size for me. So it goes...

Before I close I would like to say a special Thank You to my son John. Without his help I would be lost. Thank you Son, Your the Best!

Until next time, Please Ride Safe and Remember to Always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers, Hugh

Gary Fisher "Mt Jam" finished

2012-01-08T18:14:00.008-05:00

Hello and Welcome,
I am feeling much better since throwing my back out Christmas day (evening). I am back in training as well. Today (Jan 7th) was my first real day back working in the shop. I did manage to do a little bike hunting earlier in the week which resulted in me purchasing yet another unicycle. It looks almost exactly like the Landis I sold, except it is a 24in wheel size and has a different saddle. I believe I left off with the rear derailleur on the Mt Jam, so we`ll pick up the over-haul / detail-job there.

Above: The Shimano SIS derailleur cleaned-up nicely and looks good re-mounted on the bike. For now I am leaving the derailleur guard off. I did not replace the derailleur cables as they look like they had been replaced recently. I did trim the end of the cable and install a new crimp-on (cable end). I really want to avoid messing with the grip-shift type shifters if possible, so far so good.

Above: The front derailleur which is mounted on the (sealed) cartridge type bottom bracket assembly. I removed the crank for cleaning and to get a good and first look at this type of front derailleur mount. This generated a little bit of chatter on the face-book page as I suspected it would. Thanks to John Fink and others who commented on the unusual front derailleur mounting system. As I suspected it locks the height in when this mount is used. The drawbacks are, there is no height adjustment. Which would really limit your chain-ring size options that you could use with this set-up. Also it looks rather bulky and is probably heavier than a typical clamp or braze-on mount. But it is interesting none the less. And it does have it`s advantages as well. For instance, No guessing at the derailleur height. And I would think it is very sturdy as well, No small thing on a mountain bike.

Above: Being this is a cartridge type bottom bracket that is still very smooth, there is no point in taking all this apart. So I`ll attempt to clean-up the derailleur and outer bottom-bracket on the frame. I place a drip catch beneath the bracket and derailleur. Now I spray the derailleur and bracket with Clean-Streak. Before it has a chance to dry I brush it with the parts brush and re-spray. It was necessary to repeat this a few times to get it really clean. And I keep the spraying to a minimum and try to keep my distance as much as I can to avoid inhaling the fumes. I will spray a light coat of Tri-Flo on both derailleurs latter on.(out side)

Above: The chain-rings appear to be riveted together with rivets that look like inset screws. It`s not "all that dirty". So I will spray the chain-rings and polish the arms with Mother`s Mag and aluminum polish. I have some nice take-offs I can use for pedals. As the originals are very small.

Above: Here is the crank-set or chain-rings and arms all cleaned and polished. All I need to do at this point is re-mount the clear bash guard. I cleaned the bash-guard with the Simple-Green biodegradable de-greaser.

Above: Here is a better shot of the front derailleur mount that attaches to the bottom-bracket assembly. What appears to be a collar-clamp is actually a brace. I am guessing this is to give it more strength or rigidity when cable pressure is applied during shifting. Now I think it`s time to move on to the the front wheel.

Above: The front wheel-hub, spokes and rim all cleaned using only Armor-All cleaning wipes. I even used them to clean the outer spacer/cones on the axle.
The front hub was set a bit too tight. So after checking the grease, I re-set it a little looser. (no grind, but no play as well) As my friend Mike A taught me so many years ago, Tighten the cones until you feel the slightest grind then back-off the cone nut about an 1/8" then check.

Above: The front wheel had about 1/8" of wobble in three or four spots around the rim. I trued the wheel down to a 1/16" or less wobble at any point around the wheel.
These were all very slight adjustments to the spokes. I don`t think I turned any spoke more than about an 1/8th. If the wheel does not re-act when you tighten a spoke an 1/8th (for slight wobble) and if the spokes feel tight on both sides. Try loosening the spoke on the same side that the rim is rubbing the pin about an 1/8th". Truing wheels is something you can practice on any old wheels you may have laying around.

Above: Unlike the derailleur cables, the brake-cables were in rough shape. Here you can see where the cable has frayed at the clamp or anchor point. This tells me they have been adjusted one to many times and need to be replaced. Quick Tip* To remove this frayed cable, pull back the rubber boot and cut the cable on the inside of the clamp or anchor. Frayed or not, I always cut a brake cable here that I know I am going to replace. This just speeds up the process of removing the wheel and the cable at the "lever end" of the cable. Obviously you do not want to do this if you plan to re-use the cable.

Above: Here I am removing the cable at the lever end. You can see I have loosened the barrel adjuster and aligned the grooves or slots so I can slide the cable out. To remove this type cable you will need to open or squeeze the lever exposing the harness that holds the barrel shaped cable end. You just aline the cable with the slot in the harness and then you can work the cable free.

Above: Despite the blur, If you look closely you can see the slot just to the right of the cable. Once I swing the cable (right) over to the slot I can now easily work the barrel shaped cable end out of the harness. Another Tip. When you replace the cable (starting at the lever end of course) Make sure you have the barrel adjuster screwed in all the way and that the slots no longer line up. Also if you have "adjustable reach" levers and you want to adjust the levers inward (for smaller hands) do this now. If you do it afterwards you will need to loosen the anchor or cable clamp and re-adjust. Also make sure all your cable ends are in the cable guides before tightening the anchor clamp. If you miss one of these,you will have to loosen and re-adjust the cable to fix it.

Above: You always want to add a drop or two of cable lubricant (inside) before you insert the cable into the housings. I like to use (Polaris) snowmobile "cable and clutch lubricant" because I live in a colder climate. I use one drop in the short housings and two in the longer ones. Same goes for derailleur cable housings as well.

Above: The original Velo Saddle was split along the bottom edge on both sides. I decided to replace it with a Ze'Fal Saddle. This way the new owner or I can add a clip on Ze'Fal under-seat bag for a mere 9.99 US. The original saddle was quite small. But being we are the "fattest country in the world" I am not at all concerned about the replacement saddle being much larger.

Above: The finished project. I did clean the original chain and it looks really good. I used Park citrus chain cleaner and it did a wonderful job. I also re-used the micro adjust seat-post, after removing the scratched-up black paint finish. The pedals are some slightly used Well-Go resin take offs.

Above: Here is a shot of that rear brake all hooked-up and ready for action. When I attach the brake cable, I just close the brake all the way by hand. Then let it open just a little. Then I give it a spin, and if it does not rub I just tightened the cable anchor (clamp) up and she`s "good to go".

above: A shot of the rear derailleur, wheel, free-wheel and chain. Notice how new the derailleur cable looks. Trimming the end of the cable allowed me to disconnect it so I could lube all the derailleur cable housings as well. I did not want to assume that who ever replaced the cables, lubed the housings.

Above: A shot of the crank assembly and front derailleur. All that is left to do is the paint touch-up and lubing the chain. The derailleurs were lubricated with Tri-Flo just before these pics were taken.

Above: A shot of the handlebars and twist grip type shifters.

Above: A shot of the front brake. I love these tires, not too aggressive but a fairly smooth ride on paved surfaces. A true on/off road tire. Viva Le Bontrager!

Above: The port side. A nasty looking scratch on the head and upper down-tube. I will start the paint touch-up tomorrow. These pics were taken Jan 7th. I have never seen it this warm for this long in January. Kind of worrisome.

Above: Back on the stand for touch-up and final adjustments.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday Season. My back is feeling 100% better and I am back on my stationary bike and doing a "light weight" upper body workout and doing bunches of mini crunches. Thanks for all the well wishes. They really helped me get motivated!

Until next time, Please Ride Safe and Remember to Always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers, Hugh

Gray Fisher "Mt Jam" Overhaul / Detail

2011-12-14T19:09:00.002-05:00

Hello and Welcome,
My P.C. and I are awaiting the arrival of some new card of some sort. I think it is the wireless or internet card. I mistakenly referred to it as a "video card" but have since been corrected. I am not what you would call "computer savvy".
So today I am updating from my lap-top for the very first time.

Above: Here is the Boys or Girls Gary Fisher "Mt Jam". I say boys or girls because it has 24in wheels. I am very pleased with this purchase, having paid a mere 7 dollars and 9 cents US. I looked it up and I believe it sold for about 329.00 US originally. It has been banged up a bit during transport or storage but shows very little if any wear at all . That seems to be typical around here anymore. I guess it is just a "Sign of the Times" (If you now have that song in you head, your either English or Old or both) LTMS More fun to surf the net than ride the dirt I guess.

Above: I won`t call this a restoration as the bike is mostly just dirty and scratched up. I guess an overhaul and detail-job should be an accurate enough description. By the way, "as I sometimes do in the winter" I have cleaned the entire frame and wheels and hubs and spokes etc. etc. with Armor-All Cleaning wipes. It`s a little cold for the bucket of soapy water bit right now. However I am using Clean-Streak on the free-wheel and both derailleurs. And will use it on other parts as well.

Above: The Armor-All cleaning wipes did a bang-up job on the inner and outer hub, spokes, rim and pie-plate. I did go over it twice to get it looking really clean and shiny.

Above: The Free-Wheel cleaned up wonderfully with a little spray of Clean-Streak and a little brushing. I touched up the axle nuts and outer spacers with a brass detail brush. Keep in mind, This bike was not filthy like many of the ones I have done in the past. However it is in need of some clean-up and tuning, especially if I expect to get a good price for it.

Above: Although it was already within an acceptable range, I went ahead and trued the wheel. I like to use the truing stand for cleaning up the wheels as well. I had to remove the tire from the rim anyway. As the tire had over rotated on the rim just enough to make the stem crooked. Usually I can let the air out of the tire, then brake the seal and slide the tire by hand till the stem is straight. In this case that was not happening.

Above: There it is with the stem nice and straight. I have gone-over the side walls with the Armor-All cleaning wipes as well. These are "better quality" tires in excellent condition, showing no wear. There is no way I am going replace these tires, they are fantastic! I may try some Armor-All Tire Cleaning Wipes on the side-walls to bring out the black a little more. I think that might be worth the extra effort.

Above: The Shimano SIS rear derailleur received the usual basket cleaning with Clean-Streak. This time I wedged the derailleur open using the post part of my little chain tool. This allowed me to be able to spray the hard to reach areas of the derailleur. I also used a typical parts cleaning brush on the derailleur. I use much less Clean-Streak when I combine it with a good brushing while the part is still wet. I regret I did not get a picture of the wedge, but I`m sure you can figure that one out on your own. But I will try to get a pic next time.

Above: I have not removed the front derailleur for cleaning yet. I did give it a quick wipe-off. But as you can see, it needs to be removed for a proper cleaning.
I just wanted to show this, so you can compare the difference after it is cleaned properly. That is where I will pick up this overhaul on the next post.

Above: Here is the original chain. I could probably soak it and dry it off and lube it up. But I think for the cost I will just replace it. It`s not like I will be spending much on parts for this bike anyway.

Above: Here I have put one coat of enamel paint on a very bad scrape on the left seat stay. As you can see the scrape is still showing through. I will let this dry for a day or two (longer than usual because it is cold here now) And then I will add another coat. I know the color is a good match, so I just need to be patient. After the second coat I might have to lightly wet sand and then apply a third coat. But if I take my time and stick to the program, I know it will come out fine.

Above: Update on the "Parliament Custom Built Made in England". This is the finished project. However, having never been satisfied with the touch-up paint on the fork blade. I have decided to store it for the winter. And in the late spring I will remove the fork and paint it white, possibly leaving the crown green. I had the idea after painting the fork white on the fixed gear bike. So this is the last you are going to see of the Parliament this year.
Until Next Time. Please RIDE SAFE and Remember to Always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers, Hugh

Ross Adventurer Finished with Many Up-Grades

2011-12-05T17:48:00.003-05:00

Hello and Welcome. Below is the Ross Adventurer as I found it.

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Above: Judging by the lack of wear to the original equipment, my best guess would be that this bike was ridden a few times and then parked. The pristine condition of the frame and paint made this bike a "near perfect" candidate for a single to three piece crank conversion. Although I would have preferred a better quality American ten-speed. However this bike did give me the opportunity to make several improvements because it IS such a low-level bike.

Above: This is about as cheap of a stem as you will find anywhere. It is a rolled steel, chrome plated stem. Typical original equipment on a cheap department store retro-cruiser bicycle. The drop bars were also cheap and heavy steel chrome plated, also department store quality. The handlebars had foam covers instead of handlebar tape. Very popular in the 1980`s. (when I was riding motorcycles) I pretty much missed the whole foam handlebar wrap era. (lucky me) The original Shimano shift levers were plastic. And finally the brake levers were such cheaply made generics that the manufacturer did not bother putting their name on them. (probably a wise choice) So basically the original stem and everything attached to it was garbage. (even by "Department-Store Bike" standards)

Above: Here we have the reconditioned SR stem installed with Ross engraved lighter weight handlebars. (bars off a Ross Carrera) The Brake-levers are vintage "Schwinn Approved" with the quick release feature. The tape is white Avenir basic cork tape (nicely padded) The slightly over-sized stem-mount alloy shifters are vintage Shimano of a much higher level. I also replaced the front head-mount reflector bracket with a cable-guide bracket for the center-pull caliper brake.

Above: A Ross "plastic mount" (no rails) saddle. I have only seen these on other Ross bikes of the same era and also once on a TONKA "tyke-bike". Do I really need to say anything more, like what a POS I think this saddle is.

Above: The Origin 8 "Aero" Saddle is the cheapest white saddle I could find. And in my opinion, it is still a huge improvement. Because of what this bike is, I have to watch every penny. No matter how many changes and improvements I make, it is still a Ross Adventurer. And I`m only going to get so much for it when it is sold.

Above: I took the rear brake cable-guide off the upcoming Schwinn Varsity project bike. Apparently the Schwinn Varsity also received a brake caliper up-grade at some point along it`s journey. I`m hoping I have another rear brake-cable guide stashed-away somewhere. As you can see the caliper arms are just barely long enough for the shoes to clear the tire. I may still trim-off about 1/8th inch of rubber from the top corners edges of the brake-shoes.

Above: As it turned-out, the Ross Carrera came with the exact same Shimano derailleurs that are on the Ross Adventurer. Both front and rear derailleurs received a good cleaning, lube and adjustment.(Clean-Streak and Tri-Flo)

Above: The finished project. The Ross Adventurer now sports a reconditioned set of "Continental Style" pedals. And a new Schwinn chain as well. The paint touched-up "the wee bit that there was" has been completed at this point.

Above: The left side of the bike. I do have a better Avenir alloy kick-stand for the bike. Here it is shown with the original kick-stand. I regret the weather has not cooperated and I have not been able to take any pics out of doors.

Above: One last shot of the three piece crank with the front derailleur all cleaned-up and mounted and with the new Schwinn chain in place. I only regret that I could not find a matching set of lighter wheels laying around the shop. But due to the value (or lack of value)of this bike, it was just not worth purchasing even a cheap new aluminum wheel-set. Had it been a "keeper" or a "build to order bike" then maybe I could have made the wheel change.

We have had our first taste of winter for this season. For those of you who live in warmer climates. When the rain turns to snow, the snow sticks to the trees. To see an entire forest painted white with snow in the morning light is a beautiful thing to behold. It did however knock-out the power which also knocked out the well and the boiler. Fortunately the power was not out as long as expected. And we got through it just fine.

Above: All I know about this bike, is that it once belonged to the Schwinn family. I just thought you might enjoy seeing it. Till next time, Please RIDE SAFE and remember to Always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers, Hugh

Ross Adventurer Update / Polishing Brake Levers

2011-11-28T17:16:00.002-05:00

Hello and Welcome, I hope everyone had a nice Holiday. We have not seen any "real snow" here yet. The temps however have dropped back down to a more normal range.(Highs in the 30`s - 40`s Fahrenheit ) I`m guessing that the snow will be here soon. I have done a few posts about cleaning-up brake calipers, so this time I think I will talk about cleaning-up the brake levers.

Above: This is my product of choice "Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish". I started using this stuff years ago on my motorcycles and it carried over into my bicycle restorations. I have only heard good things back from people who have started using Mothers on their bicycle projects. I will be cleaning-up a set of vintage "Schwinn Approved" levers (dated 12-83) for the Ross Adventurer.

Above: Here is the comparison pic of the levers. The unpolished lever does not look bad at all. That is until you compare it to the polished one. It`s all a matter of how good do you want them to look?

Above: Step one is removing the "Safety Lever" I think that is what Schwinn originally called these. Now they are commonly referred to as "Suicide Levers".
Personally I think they got a bad rap. When the the wheels are true and the brake-shoes are adjusted in as close as possible, these actually work "fairly" well.
But if the brakes are not set tight, due to the wheel(s) being out of true. And if the levers are not positioned properly, then they do not work so good. Back on topic, You want to always use the largest screwdriver that fits. This will minimize the chance that you will damage the slots in the screws.

Above: Once the screw is removed the safety lever will pull-off the mounting post easily. Remove the bushing from the safety lever and make a mental note of the order in which the washers are placed on the mounting screw. And be careful not to loose the little spring! If this is the first time for you, you might loose the little spring without ever even knowing it was there.

Above: This is where the little spring is located. If it does not fall out, just tap the frame with the screw-driver handle, that usually will do the trick.

Above: Apply a light coat of Mothers on the area. Then wipe off and buff with a clean rag or paper towel. Aluminum bleeds-out quite a bit over the years. So you will likely see a lot of black residue on your rag. You may need to repeat this two or even three times depending on the condition of the aluminum. Because of the black residue I like to use paper towels. It is important to use the clean-part of the towel when polishing the part. Or you just end-up smearing the residue back on to the part. I will re-use the dirty paper towels latter to "line the pot" I use for spraying /de-greasing parts. Then I will use them again to wipe-out the pot. I do not use rags because of the chemicals. I do not want to wash them (rags) that would just spread the chemicals around more. So by using the paper towels for three purposes I fell like I am minimizing the amount of waste I am creating.

Above: The difference is dramatic! I will polish the rest of the frame in the same manner.

Above: Due to the indentations I usually have to clean/polish this part of the lever three or four times. But the finished product is well worth the effort.

Above: Now that the safety lever part is all polished up, all I need to do before re-assembly is clean-up the screw-head and the washer and plastic bushing.

Above: I do NOT recommend you hold the parts like this when brass wheel brushing.
I am using the low-speed rechargeable drill. And as always this is a "fine" brass brush. You will probably want to hold the smaller parts with a pair of pliers. When polishing the screw head you may want to thread it into the post while brushing. Your fingertips will thank you latter.

Above: The wheel brush is probably the most important tool I have for restoration work. Second only to having a good work-stand. In a matter of seconds it can make old bolt and screw heads look like new. And also too many other applications to list here.

Above: To clean the bushing I just spray it with Simple-Green and wipe it clean with a paper towel. Actually in this case I used Castrol "Super-Clean" bio-degradable cleaner. Both very good products. Although I suspect the Simple-Green is cheaper.

Above: Here is the same bushing after cleaning it up using the Castrol Super-Clean.
Is it really necessary to clean the bushing? Probably not, But that has never stopped me before (:

Above: Basically it goes back together the same way you took it apart. Just don`t forget the little spring. After the brakes are hooked up you can adjust the tension on the safety lever. I tighten it until the lever hangs-up or sticks, then I just back it off a little. It should spring back to position when the lever is released.

Above: The levers mounted and hooked up to the refurbished Vintage "Made in Switzerland" Weinmann Center-Pull brakes. The cables are new Jag-Wire and the new cable housings are Jag-wire L3. and I finished it off with new Jag-Wire brake shoes.
These brakes and levers will be a huge improvement over the original generic side pull brakes with generic levers.

Above: I did the paint touch-up yesterday and wraped the handlebars. The only thing left to do is remount the rear wheel (removed for paint touch-up) and shine it up and take some pictures. I should be able to have all that done tomorrow.
Till Next Time, RIDE SAFE and Remember to Always RESCUE, RESTORE and RECYCLE
Cheers, Hugh

Ross Adventurer Update / What you might want to try when your caliper arm is bent

2011-11-20T01:13:00.006-05:00

Hello and welcome, Once in a while I mount a caliper brake after polishing and installing new shoes, only to find one of the arms is bent. This causes the brake shoe to make uneven contact with the rim's braking surface. If I have a spare caliper I can replace it or just salvage the needed arm for the fix. But what if I don`t have a spare?

Above: Here you can see that the brake-shoe is not making contact with the rim except on the front part of the brake shoe surface. Now I have read that some folks think it is ok to just "bend it back". Well if it is a cast part as most caliper arms I run across are. I would not recommend bending it. It was already fatigued when it was bent the first time. Bending it back will just weaken it more. I decided that a shim made more sense to me. Get the shoe back in the proper position without causing further fatigue to the cast alloy arm.

Above: For my shim I chose to use a typical brake-shoe mount washer. I decided to fold it using two pair of pliers (one normal the other needle-nose) I figured if it was too thick I could try using a thinner washer. As it turned-out the thickness was perfect. But what is the "O ring" for?

Above: Before I crush the fold closed with my pliers I put this O-Ring in place. This will give me a little insurance that the shim will stay in place when I`m installing the shoe. Also it should hold the shim in place should the nut loosen during use. Not likely to happen, but who knows?

Above: Here is the shim on the shoe. held in place by the O-Ring. At this point I`m thinking "this might actually be a good idea". A little over-kill? Maybe, but lets see the the result anyway..

Above: Now the shoe is making excellent contact with the braking surface on the rim.
As you can see the calipers are a little pitted or oxidized. But still a huge improvement over the cheap side-pull calipers that were original to the Ross Adventurer.

Above: I was unable to locate a match for the Aluminum back wheel off the Ross Carrera. So I have decided to go with the original steel wheel-set. I did brush and polish them up a bit. I also trued them-up a bit as well and cleaned the spokes and polished the hubs. I replaced the rim-strips with new ones and greased the bearings.
For tires I tried the cheaper gum-wall from Niagara. I am actually quite pleased with them so far.The line between the gum wall and the black rubber tire is much neater and straighter than on the Kenda tires I have been using. The only down side is 5 lbs less on the max inflation of 85 lbs psi. But I will gladly give up 5lbs for a neater looking tire. Which by the way is well under 10.00 US per tire.

Above: Here is a shot of the rear brake. The brake shoes are maxed out as far as how low I could position them. I may have to go with a different shoe or shave a little off these for a proper fit. I might just drill a new hole lower on the mounting brace / plate. I may just leave them alone if there is no shoe contact with the tire. It`s awfully close to rubbing the tire though, we`ll see.

Above: A shot of the rear wheel, free-wheel and tire. The free-wheel is Shimano and the hub is a Mallard. (front hub was stamped Ross) And as usual I have installed Jag-Wire brake-shoes.

Above: This is where the bike is at as of right now. It should be finished by now. But I have had some "other things" I needed to get done before the real cold weather gets here. So far the coldest it has been was +18 F wind-chill. I don`t think the actual temp has been much below freezing so far.

Above: When finished the Ross will have white handlebar tape and a white saddle and white cable housings. I think I have some old "Continental Style" two-way brake levers off a Schwinn World. But I`ll check and see if I have anything else that might look better laying around.
Till Next Time Please RIDE SAFE and Remember to Always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers, Hugh

Bottom Bracket Conversion American-to-Euro

2011-11-12T16:04:00.005-05:00

Hello and Welcome,
I was hesitant for a long time to attempt a "one piece" to "three piece" bottom-bracket conversion. And honestly a few years ago my skill level was probably not up to doing the job. And even if I was ready to attempt one, my tool-box was not.

Above: The infamous Ashtabula One Piece Crank also know (by some) as The Boat Anchor. For many many years this type of crank has been the standard for entry level bikes in the US. It is still used today, but mostly on single speed retro style bikes.

It bothered me the most that these were used on the Schwinn Continental(ABOVE) and also some of the early (Made in Japan) Schwinn 10 speeds. But especially the Continental. I mean here was the "flag-ship" of the Schwinn line sporting Weinmann center-pull brakes, (which by the way were really cool back in the day) and then you look down and see this Gawd Awful Monstrosity of a crank. I am sorry I don`t mean to offend any Schwinn purists. Hey I love them too, But What the Heck were they thinking?

Above: I don`t have a Continental right now so I decided to use this Ross Adventurer. This by the way is the third one of these I have restored. All of them the same color and all with the Ashtabula style crank. OK time to Fast-Forward.

Above: The first order of business is to remove the crank bearing cups. These are pressed in so you have to punch them out. You punch these out from the opposite side, I`m using a large screw-driver. Something with a blunt-end would be better than using a screw-driver. You want to tap them out evenly as possible. So tap a few times then move your driver or punch-out tool directly across from there. Do this top and bottom and side to side if necessary.

Above: Now clean-out the bracket-shell and check for damage or rust. Sand or file off any burs you feel, Do this the same depth as the thickness of the conversion piece. You may want to sand off the paint the same depth as well.Now you are ready to check the conversion pieces for fit. These are also press-in parts, if they were not you would need to get the bracket shell threaded.

Above: This is the conversion kit I will be using. Notice it is marked L-left and R-right. Before I continue: You probably should have these pressed in at your local
bike shop.Installing these without the correct tools it is likely that the kit and or housing will be damaged. Having said that, My next step is to take the kit apart. This particular one has 4 long bolts. Some have only three.

Above: In my case the conversion kit was a little too big to fit my bracket shell. I used my Dremal type tool to grind it till I felt it was workable. Before pressing it into place I check the position of the piece. I do not want to run-into any tubes with any of the four bolts. This kit has arrows on it, I note the position of the arrow when I have the cup-adapter in the correct position. After applying a very light coat of grease inside the bracket-shell where I did the grinding. I am now ready to press in the piece. I start the cup by gently tapping it into place with a plastic head mallet. This is tricky, It has to be flat or going in evenly.I do not want it tilted. This took a few attempts. I only tap it in far enough to hold it in place probably about 1/32nd to 1/16th of an inch.

Above: After experimenting with a Vice with blocks of wood then a Giant C-Clamp with wood blocks I finally came-up with this.

Above: My improvised press made with a piece of threaded rod two nuts and various size washers. Note: I took this pic after I started tightening the clamp/press. You would never want to tap a piece in this far. For the first side I used a larger washer on the opposite side (bigger than the housing) When I pressed in the second piece I used the brass colored washers on both sides. Making sure that the bolt holes lined-up first. I was fortunate to have the correct size brass washers on hand. They actually fit in the adapters inset perfectly. And being brass they are less likely to do any damage. They were in with some of my Dads tools I inherited.
Once again, it pays to save as much stuff as you can.

Above: After pressing in the first side I noticed one of the "excess' tubes inside the bracket shell was partially blocking one of the bolt holes. I managed to grind it down with my "Dremal like" tool. Funny thing, When I first got the Dremal like tool I thought to myself "This thing is going to be useless". Wow was I wrong about that, it really saved me on this installation.

Above: A top view of the second piece being clamp/pressed into place. To tighten the press, I just hold a wrench on the back-side nut and tighten the front nut with a another wrench. A gear-wrench works best for this part.

Above: Obviously with all the grinding and sanding going on I had to keep cleaning out the bracket shell. You certainly do not want a bunch of metal shavings anywhere near your bearings. I used Simple-Green cleaning wipes to keep the shell clean. Now the bracket conversion is complete. Now I am ready to install a lighter, better-looking and more modern three piece crank set.

Above: While searching the shop/garage I found a Ross Carrera mixte that I had purchased basically for the wheel-set.I eventually used the front wheel on the fixed gear build. I am pleased that the donor bike is also a Ross, I will be able to make some up grades while staying true to the brand. Here I am getting ready to de-grease the bottom bracket bearings, cups and spindle. After that I will polish-up and assemble the crank.

Above: I start with the drive-side wrapping the threads with Teflon. This will help prevent creaking and make for a tighter fit. And of course protect the threads from
moisture and contaminants. There is absolutely nothing different about this three piece crank install at this point. Except that the threaded cup pieces are now recessed into the conversion pieces a little. They will be a little harder to tighten, but not real difficult.

Above: Now that the drive side cup is in place I will turn the frame around and install the bracket spindle from the left side. I read somewhere that one restorer had trouble at the next point because the bracket shell was not square. This has been in the back of my mind since I started this. Hopefully that will not be the case for me.

Above: The left side went together without a hitch. As always I lightly coated the entire bracket spindle with grease. Then I packed the bearing cartridges with grease. After that I placed the drive side bearing on the longer end of the spindle
with the exposed side of the bearings facing outward. Then the left side bearings go on facing me. Next I slide the spindle into place. When the bearings make contact with the outer cup I always twist the spindle a little to make sure the bearings are riding in the cup smoothly. Then I carefully slide the left side cup into position while keeping the spindle in place. After I start screwing the cup into place I stop and wrap the threads with Teflon. Then just tighten until I feel no play or grind. Then screw the lock-ring on to hold everything in place.

Above: As I mentioned before the lock-ring and cups are now recessed a little. So I have to finish tightening it with a screw driver because it is in to far for the lock-ring wrench to work properly. It`s not a big deal, we did them all this way when I was a kid. Before I turn the frame around I will install the left side arm.

Above: For good measure I put a little thread-lock on the threads before screwing the retainer nut on tightly using a socket and ratchet. You might find it easier to put the thread-lock on the nut threads.After installing the dust cap it is time to turn the frame around so I can finish this up.

Above: At this point I have polished-up the crank and re-assembled it. It goes on the same way with a little thread-lock on the threads.

A Quick Tip: Use a penny and needle nose pliers to remove and tighten dust caps. I have never found a better way to do this. The cheapest tool I own, it only cost me a penny!

Above: A nice comparison shot. As you can see the old Ashtabula one piece crank on
the floor. Anyone want to buy a good anchor?

UPDATE: The Above < BB Conversion Bp American-To Euro by Bulletproof > can be ordered on Amazon dot com. It will actually come from Niagara Cycle. The cost is about 15.00 US.

Until next time, Please RIDE SAFE and Remember to Always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers,Hugh

Specialized RockHopper FS 1993 model

2011-11-09T22:06:00.003-05:00

Hello and Welcome, We are in the middle of our fall clean-up here. I think we are finally getting ahead of the leaves. We have mature Oak trees, and while they are nice in the summer. In the fall they are nothing but work. But now that the clean-up is under control I can start spending more time in the shop/garage. To all who have been using the blogs face-book page Thank you and Thanks for all the "Likes" as well. If you haven't checked it out yet, The Face-Book link/logo is in the right hand column. Please check it out when you get a chance.

Left Click on Image to Enlarge. Click on the X top right to return

Above: This is pretty much how I found the bike. except for a quick cleaning nothing else had been done at this point. My first concerns were the Handlebars and Saddle. I did not find either one very comfortable. Other concerns were, all the rusty looking cables and the resin pedals. My shoes seem to slide all over the resin pedals, especially when it is damp. I also want to be sure to spray and lube and adjust the derailleurs.

Above: My choice of saddle for this bike is the WTB Speed V Comp. The nose is a wee bit wide for serious road bike use. But for mountain-bike and hybrid bikes and even road bikes "for short commutes" it is a very comfortable saddle. The stock micro-adjust seat-post is great, no change needed there.

Above: The handlebars are Avenir. I originally purchased them for the GT Avalanche.
One thing you might want to think about when considering a change to riser handlebars, is cable length. The stock cables and housings were all to short for the higher bars. Since I had already planned on replacing the cables it was not a problem for me. As "almost" always I went with Jag-Wire brake and derailleur cables and housings. The grips are just an old set that were laying around the shop. They will do fine for now.

Above: These are Avenir dual-sport pedals. I use these a lot, they run about 20.00
And for 20.00 they get the job done fine. I like the old style traps and straps probably just because I am accustomed to them. (and I`m cheap)

Above: This is an experiment. I had this left-over dark cork tape laying around, so I thought I would try using it instead of grips. I think it looks cool and being free "it is right in my price range". I can not say how well it works or how long it will last as I really have not ridden this bike much. But the grips feel fine
so far.

Above: The Cannondale under seat bag is great. Under the Velcro-flap is a draw-string closure. I just cleaned it up with some Simple Green "cleaning wipes" and now it looks like new!

Above: The Specialized wheel-set is very good quality and needs very little truing.
I cleaned them up quickly with Mother`s Mag and Aluminum Polish. I used Armor-All cleaning wipes on the spokes and a little Mother`s on the hubs and flanges. Also the tires are in wonderful condition. Not the least bit brittle and almost all the nubs are there. I would not be surprised at all if they turned out to be replacements. But due to the style, I will assume they are the originals.

Above: The Shimano EXAGE rear derailleur. I did re-use the short rear cable housing. It is in fine condition and being the length is perfect it just seemed silly to replace it. Being an index derailleur I decided to view the same video
I recently posted in the "video of the week" section. My first attempt at adjusting it was not quite "in tune". So after watching the video I re-adjusted it following the proper order of adjustments, and now it is Spot-On! Imagine that. Thank You Tony wherever you are!

Above: The front derailleur was easy, I just cleaned and lubed it. Then I installed the new Jag-Wire cable. No adjustment whatsoever needed. I am however having a problem with the front derailleur on the GT Avalanche. I might do a post about how I go about correcting the problem.

Above: I cleaned-up the crank-set and arms with Clean-Streak and Mother`s on the alloy parts. The bottom-bracket is a sealed unit and it is clean and super smooth so I left it alone.

Above: A nice shot of the front end. That tire (and the rear as well) shows absolutely no signs of wear. The Suspension fork is smooth but not quite as strong as the Rock-Shox fork on the GT . This is a smaller frame, and I weighed about 205 lbs last time I rode this bike.(I`m down to 200 already) So I`m thinking the fork is probably fine for someone about 175 lbs max. And the brake-shoes also show no wear and are not squeaky. And are stopping the bike really well. So I just cleaned those up and I have no plans of replacing them any time soon.

Above: I have never been a huge fan of index shifters. But I will say this, I am
now "beginning" to understand them and how to adjust them. And now they don`t seem so bewildering anymore. I have learned that it is very important to do the adjustments in the correct way and in the proper sequence. Again I refer to the video I recently posted on the video of the week (Rear Derailleur Adjustment/Index)
One of, if not "the best" instructional video I have ever seen. I gotta find his front derailleur video.

Above: As awesome as these tires are, for my type of riding they are way to aggressive. Tires like these on pavement feel like an endless wash-board road. And with the softer suspension I have ruled this one out as my keeper. So now it is down to the Giant or the GT. I am leaning towards keeping the GT. The "triple triangle" has always been my favorite mountain bike frame design. And the GT was in really rough shape when I got it. Am very pleased (considering the condition) how nice it turned out. And I deeply regretted parting with the last GT that I owned. So it looks like I`m going to keep the GT Avalanche for a while.

Above: Here is the finished project. I should mention the paint color it is a "dark plum" color. I have not done the paint touch-up yet. But thanks to my wife for locating the color. Revlon # 799 Plum Night. I am sure it will be a near perfect match.

Above: Here is a shot of the Ashtabula single crank conversion kit installed in the Ross`s bracket shell. It looks like it went in there real easy, does it not? Well it did not go in there easy at all. And I promise you will hear all about it real soon. Until Next Time Please RIDE SAFE and Remember to Always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE,
Cheers, Hugh

Stem-Pad, How to Make Your Own

2011-10-28T13:00:00.001-04:00

Hello and Welcome,
Before I begin, I would like to remind you to check the "Video Of The Week" section from time to time. I have added a couple very good videos in the past week. One is a tutorial about adjusting a rear index derailleur. The other is a video showing the proper way to skid your fixed gear bike. As of late I have been learning to ride my fixed-gear conversion. "The Skid" is a lot tougher than it looks in the video. This post is a direct result of my learning to skid experience.
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Above: Probably not the best stem for a fixed gear bike. Especially as the frame is about 5 or 6 cm too big for me, as is my belly. OK so I watched the "Skid Video" and thought "I can give this a shot". How hard can it be? Answer: Really Hard. As I pushed my considerable girth forward to take some of the weight off the rear wheel. I got this bugger poking me in my lower abdomen. I did manage a few really short (and painful) skids. Afterwords I knew I had to do something about this "Stem in the Gut" situation.

Above: This is a 6ft piece of foam pipe insulation, cost under 2.00 U.S. It is available in different sizes, So you should be able to find a good fit for your stem.

Above: All you need to cut this stuff is a fairly sharp pair of household scissors.
First bend it while holding it next to your stem and cut-off an approximate length piece. Don`t worry if it is a little long, you can trim it latter.

Above: The foam comes already split length wise. Centering the split towards the front of the bike cut a notch right at the point where the stem turns. You notice I cut the top angle different than the bottom. This is so the foam will will fit properly after it is folded and placed onto the stem.

Above: As you can see here I cut another notch in the foam tube so I could continue it all the way over the top of the handle-bar clamp. You can end yours where ever you want. If you don`t get it right the first time, No Worries, You still have another 5 feet of tube left.

Above: You can now tape it into place "as is" with electrical tape if you like. I`m going to coat mine with 3M Trim and Detailing Tape. Notice I have not taped over the fold area, I will do that last.

Above: Now I start applying the Trim Tape from the opposite end. I leave the area where the fold is un-taped till last. Then I folded the tube and placed the last pieces of tape in place while keeping it folded. When finished it should hold it`s shape.

Above: Here you can see I cut the tape long enough to wrap the edges on the foam-tube. This should help it last longer and not soak up moisture on the edges. I did not worry about covering the bottom facing edge.

Above: Here I am checking the fit. Now I will pop it into place and secure it with pieces of the same trim tape.

Above: Here is the finished stem-pad. This one is literally "over the top" just like the graphics. Remember you can make yours any size and color you want. With the left-overs you can make stem-guards for the kids BMX or Mountain Bikes as well.
If you consider how many stem-guards you can make with a 6 ft piece of foam pipe insulation and one good roll of plastic trim tape. Well the cost per guard has got to be ridiculously low.

Enough with the Stem-Guard pictures already! That`s the last one, I promise.

***UPDATE*** Yesterday I removed the pad and lowered the stem. Then I trimmed the pad to fit. Why is it the simplest solution is sometimes the hardest one to find?
While the frame is still to tall for me, this is a huge improvement. I even managed to do a little skid in my driveway!
Until Next Time Please RIDE SAFE and Remember to always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE ..... Cheers, Hugh

Coming Soon! The Rock-Hopper FS gets some badly needed attention.

Fixed Gear Bike # 1 Finished

2011-10-24T17:15:00.005-04:00

Hello and Welcome,
Before I start I would once again like to thank everyone who has checked-out the new Face-Book page for this blog. Considering the short time it has been up, I think it is doing pretty good. If you have not seen it yet, the link is in the right column. Just click on the logo "Hughs Bicycle Blog on Face Book" and you are there. Please show your support and click on "Like" while you are there.

Left Click on Image to Enlarge. Use Back(<)Button to Return.

Above: A reader asked me recently where I found the white replacement hoods for the aero levers on the Centurion. I told them I can`t find them in white either. I just clean-up the old ones and re-use them. I have had this old set laying around here forever. I had to cut-off the top to make it non-aero. I then used an old brake lever mud-guard off a mountain bike to fashion a cable end that would hide the cut and keep out the debris/rain.

Above: The handlebars wrapped with Specialized S Tape. The cork tape behind the lever are actually 3 separate pieces, tucked under the hood. This works better with an adhesive backed tape. Then I wrap the tape from the flat about (4&1/2 centimeters from the stem) to the lever. Then finish with white electrical tape.
To keep the black cable end or (dust cover)in-place I used a little bit of 3M automotive emblem adhesive under the flap. This adhered it directly to the hood.
It would have been much easier to just use the correct hood, but unfortunately I did not have one on hand.

Above: The very inexpensive White Origin 8 Track/Road Bike Saddle looks great. Although I need to experiment with finding the correct height and pitch for me.
As it is right now, it is very uncomfortable. Even though it has the "comfort groove" and a narrow nose and seems to be well padded. I mean it looks like it would be reasonably comfortable. But it is not and I`m not sure why. So this time I will make an honest effort to adjust it to my needs or comfort zone. UPDATE: I decided to move the saddle forward and pitch it down in front just a hair. What a difference feels 100% better. I still think the WTB Speed V Comp is a little more comfortable though. But I`ll give it some time before I make a change.

Above: The TEC-9 single fixed-gear crank set with 170 mm arms and 46 tooth CNC machined chain-ring. Which like my 14 tooth cog takes a 1/8 chain. This was kind of a hassle to install, as the square-taper hole in the crank arms is a little too small. I could only thread the retainer nut on about 1/2 way. I decided to file the taper down a little. The hand file did not work at all, so I decided to use an mini angle grinder. I was careful to not flatten-out the pitch on the tapered bracket spline ends. Also I was careful to grind each of the four sides for the same time approximately. After each time around I would test fit the crank. After about four attempts I was finally able to tighten the retainer nut. I still have a little flaw or curve in the chain-line. But plenty of unused thread left on the bracket spline end to work with. I will most likely give it one or two more times around with the grinder. It is extremely important not to grind off too much from the bracket spline. Grind it too much and it will bottom-out and the bracket spline will be useless. That is why I test fit it each time after grinding. When I am finished I want it to still require lots of torque to secure it. And I want to make sure I still have some depth left. In other words I do not want the crank flush with the flat surface on the end of the spline. When I check it I still want to have some depth there.

Above: After it was finished I decided to replace the pedals as well. So I returned the old pedals the the Rock-Hopper FA. And took these new ones off the Rock-Hopper. It just looked so good I needed to finish it. I`m probably going to sell the Rock-Hopper FA in "as is" working condition. I have not had much luck in "getting my money back" on mountain bike builds. I really need to re-think what I will and will not replace on a Mountain bike build.

Above: I think re-painting the fork was really the only way to go. It was so badly scraped there was no way any amount of graphics was going to make it look acceptable. And with the white piping on the seat stays, I think it gave the whole
thing some balance. I may have gone a little overboard on the graphics. But that's the great thing about vinyl. If you don`t like it, just warm it up and peel it off and try again.
Ok enough about all that. Lets see some pics of the finished project.

Above: A nice shot of the drive side with the morning sun filling in the back drop

Above: A shot of the left side of the bike. And yes it does have a kick-stand.

Above: A shot from the right rear of the bike

Above: I found the stem very uncomfortable as I pushed my weight (200lbs) forward to practice my skid today. I managed to skid the bike three times. The first two times I picked an area on the paved path that was covered with wet leaves. I figured I needed all the help I could get. The third skid was on a damp sandy spot in the parking lot.

Well that's about all there is for now. After a brief search of the internet for a suitable stem pad. I decided to make my own. It actually came out "pretty fair" especially for my first attempt. I remember what a disappointment the last stem pad I purchased was. It was "all logo and not much padding", or as they say in Texas "All Hat and No Cattle". I will be posting the "Do it yourself Stem - Pad" real soon. Till then, RIDE SAFE and Remember to Always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers,Hugh

P.S. Please check out the new "Video Of The Week" on How to Skid a Fixed Gear Bike.
You will find it in the right column near the top right under the Face-Book link. I think you will find it interesting.

"Building Fixed Gear Bike # 1" Using Giant Built, Schwinn World (Tiawan) Lugged Frame

2011-10-19T16:37:00.002-04:00

Hello and Welcome,
Before I start I would like to thank everyone who has checked-out the new Face-Book page for this blog. For the short time it has been up I think it is doing pretty good. If you have not seen it yet, the link is in the right column. Just click on the logo "Hughs Bicycle Blog on Face Book" and you are there. Please show your support and click on Like while you are there.

Please Left Click on Pics to Enlarge. Use Back(<)Button to Return

Above: I was able to purchase the track wheel, 14 tooth 1/8 cog and lock-ring and the 1/8 chain for 83.00 including delivery. Except for the chain which I picked-up locally.

Above: After a quick bottom-bracket rebuild, in which I had to replace both cups and bearings. I mounted this 2 chain-ring, 3 piece crank. (after I removed the small chain-ring of course) It is a 3/32 width so the original 3/32 chain worked fine in front. But rode on top of the 14 tooth fixed cog. I had two choices, a wider chain and new crank or just order a 3/32 fixed cog. Being the 3/32 crank is bent, it was a no-brainer. So I ordered a 1/8 single crank and picked-up the 1/8 chain locally. Besides I think the 1/8th set up is the correct way to go. And I don`t know enough about fixed-gear bikes to be "cutting corners". (pun intended)

Above: In this pic with the new 1/8th chain, the chain -line looks pretty good. But the chain is sloppy "side to side" on the crank. This is because a road bike chain-ring is made to fit a 3/32 road chain. I rode it like this after a quick mock-up and it seemed ok. Although at this point I had not yet rebuilt the head-set. I just gave the head-set bearings a quick smear of grease for now. I wanted to make sure this thing is going to go together ok before I do the total rebuild. It also has used tires on it for the mock-up and at this point I had not trued the wheels either. I am also using a scrap saddle and no tape on the handlebars.

Above: This pic is how I discovered the problem with the road crank. After examining all the pics carefully. I noticed in this pic the chain-line looks terribly bad. The problem is that "the crank is bent". When the drive-side arm in about the One o'clock to Three o'clock position the chain moves away from the frame. So that is how I discovered the bent crank. Once again taking digital pics of the job in progress has proven to be very helpful.
So I ordered a "Fixed Gear Crank Set" 170mm (arm length) 46 tooth w square taper.

Above: The frame is scratched much worse than it looks in this pic. And the fork is even worse. All the graphics (decals) are in rough shape as well. So I decided to make my own graphics that would cover-up the damaged graphics and most of the paint scratches as well. Being a blue bike, I decided to go with a patriotic red white and blue theme. And by placing stars all over the frame in a random "non-pattern" I will able to hide countless nicks and scratches.

Above: Not bad for my first attempt. But the huge "Schwinn like" red graphic on the fork looks awful. And still does not hide enough of the scratches and scrapes. So to match the white piping I did on the seat stays I decide to remove the fork and paint it white as well. I drew all the stars by hand on 3M trim tape and razor cut each one myself. The first ones were a little rough, but after a while they improved.

Above: As Roadie Ryan suggested I flopped and Chopped the handlebars and did the road brake-lever top mount thing. Being a true fixed wheel conversion, it will only have a front brake. *And I Do Not Advise Anyone To Do The Same* This time I cut the bars with a hack-saw. I think I was able to do a better job with the saw over the pipe/tubing cutter. Being that I was cutting right in the center of the curve where the bars are not always perfectly round. And using a pipe-cutter on an out of round pipe is tricky at best. Well, I opted for the hack saw and it gave me a better cut while not affecting the roundness of the bar pipe in a negative way.

I sanded the fork down right after Michigan lost to Michigan State in football Saturday. It was a good way to get rid of my aggression. Before spraying the primer I was careful to remove all the dust possible from the metal. I used a cleaning wipe followed by a dry wipe. And gave it a little time to air-dry before spraying.
In the cool weather I always allow extra time for the paint or primer to dry.

Above: The following day I was able to spray the paint outside, despite having to spray in between wind gusts. After spraying I moved the fork and stand back into the shop and turned up the heat for a while. About 7 hours latter I moved the fork into the house to cure over night. At this point it was no longer tacky but the paint did not feel totally dry either. At some point during this process the tires arrived. I could not be more pleased at how it is coming together so far.I did degrease the bearings and cups and re-built the head-set properly before installing the fork. I also trued the wheels, polishing and greasing the front. The front wheel is a good match even though it is salvaged.

Above: I think the white fork gives the color scheme some balance. I will be removing my blog sticker from the top tube and adding some graphics,possibly some white piping. And I`m not 100% sold on the brake lever type or location. So you may be seeing some change there as well.

Above: While I had the front-end apart I cleaned-up the reflector mount bracket with the fine brass wheel brush. Afterwords I gave it a quick coat of Turtle Wax Chrome Polish / Rust Remover. The white saddle has just arrived and I did exchange the black cork tape for white. The only other hold-up is the crank. But I have been told it is en-route.

Above: These pedals are used take-offs. I like the way they feel, I think I will be
keeping them on the bike permanently. And, It does not hurt that they were free as well.

Above: I did not take this brake caliper apart before polishing it, like I normally do. Can you see the difference? I sure can. Please, Let me know what you think.
That's all I`m going to show you until I get this thing 100% finished. But that should be real soon. Until Next Time.. Please Ride Safe & Remember to Always RESCUE,RESTORE & RECYCLE.
Cheers,Hugh

Motobecane Nomade Restoration Part 2

2011-10-11T23:54:00.004-04:00

Hello and Welcome,
First I would like to say Thanks to the folks who have been using the blogs face-book page. If you have not checked it out yet, Please do. The link is located in the column on the right. (just click on the logo) I look forward to seeing more of your projects and favorite rides.

Left Click on Images to Enlarge, Click on Back(<)Button to Return

Above: While taping the handlebars on the MotoBecane I had an idea. Why not just roll the tape out to the end of the roll. Then tape the end into place with a small piece of tape. Then I can do the end wrap (elictrical tape) where I choose, then cut off the excess with a razor blade. I think it might be easier for some "like myself" who struggle with making the final cut then taping it into place.
The tape I used was slightly adhesive(Avenir) So there was no need for a small piece of tape on the end to secure it while I did the end wrap.

Above: Here I am cutting off the excess tape after getting the finish electrical tape in place. All you need to do is use the tape edge as your guide. Of course you will want to measure the other side to match before applying the finish tape. In this case I decided 4-1/2 cm looked about right. UPDATE: Anonymous said...
Be aware that if you score the handlebars when you trim, you run the risk of weakening the bars there. This is more likely with alloy, rather than steel bars.

Above: I think this method makes it easier for almost anyone to get a nice clean finish cut on the tape ends. You will need to be very careful cutting with a razor blade. I used a single edge blade. To ensure the best cut, I would recommend using a fresh blade each time. You can still use the blades for something else so your not really being wasteful. If you are not confident using a sharp razor blade, then Please get someone experienced to help you.

Above: I always thought of Jenson USA as a high-end supplier. I was pleasantly surprised to find this very affordable saddle on their site. And the delivery was extremely fast. So check them out next time your shopping online for components. You may be pleasantly surprised too! I picked this Avenir 100 Series saddle for style and price. If your building a road bike for resale you might want to consider this. A saddle is a very "personal preference" kind of thing. To me it does not make sense to invest too much into a saddle that is likely to be replaced anyway. Of course if your building a bike "to order" that is a whole different ball of wax.

Above: This is the best part of the build, getting some pics of the finished project out in the light of day. And this is my favorite angle to photograph a bike from, shooting slightly downward from the front drive side.

Above: Shooting the bike from down low close-up will make it look larger than life.
Susan from Segar Studio taught me that. I was able to scrounge up the corresponding front wheel reflector and the matching rear reflector as well. I hit the screw heads on the wheel reflectors with the brass wire wheel brush. And I cleaned them up with Armor All Cleaning Wipes. It really makes them pop!

Above: A nice shot from the port side. Looking at this pic I notice I did not put a dust cap on the left side of the crank. Opps! The dust cap on the left pedal is not correct. I crimped a larger MKS cap and popped it on there just for these pics.

Above: This is where taking the brake calipers apart and polishing them with Mother`s really pays off. The bolt head on the cable hanger was cleaned-up with the brass wheel brush. And the hanger itself and straddle cable were cleaned-up with Mother`s. I really love that stuff!

Above: Everything I said about the brake caliper holds true for the crank as well.
Looking at this crank makes me want to wrap the whole thing up and keep it clean.
But they are made to ride.

Above: A nice shot of the non original Araya front wheel. The correct reflector gives it a more authentic look. I do have a (sort of) set of Motobecane wheels. Front 1972 Rear 1976. I made this choice deliberately. I`m not a huge fan of the dimpled braking surface on the original wheels. Or the "electric motor sound" they make while braking. I did the same thing on my MotoBecane Special Sport. That`s how I ended-up with two usable Motobecane wheels. I know they will be put to good use somewhere down the road.

Above: The rear wheel and the beautiful Suntour Superbe derailleur. It is a thing of beauty. I also opted to remove the pie-plate while servicing the hub and free-wheel. I have in the past changed the free-wheel from a five to a six after removing the pie-plate. I did not do it in this case, I just thought I would throw that out there FYI.

Well I think that about covers it. Right now I am building a fixed gear bike. (trying to anyway) I did not have much to choose from in the frame department so I chose a tall blue Schwinn Sprint (Taiwan lugged frame)that has been hanging on the wall forever. I think I need to pick-up a single-speed chain as the ten speed chain is not quite wide enough. I should have something to report on that soon.

Above: There it is in the top left corner. Actually the blue Schwinn might be a Schwinn World not a Sprint. I`ll get back to you on that.
Till Next Time, RIDE SAFE and Remember to Always, RESCUE,RESTORE & RECYCLE!
Cheers, Hugh

Motobecane Nomade Restoration Part 1

2011-10-06T16:10:00.002-04:00

Hello and Welcome,
I found this Motobecane Nomade about 35 miles from here in my hometown of RoyalOak Mi. I paid considerably more than I normally would for this bike. However it is not that often I run across a mid 70`s Moto. in this condition.

Above: As nice is this bike is, it does have a few issues. Most notably the pedals are missing. Common these days, but not so in the mid 1970`s (at least not here). Also the front wheel has been replaced with a generic steel wheel. The rear derailleur has been up-graded to a SunTour Superbe Tech. I will be posting a link to an article about the Suntour Superbe Tech on the "Bicycle Related Links" list.

Above: The chain stay accounts for about 94% of the paint touch-up. In other words, the paint is in wonderful original condition. There is also a little paint touch-up to do around the seat tube collar (about 5%). The other 1% is in a few spots around the frame. "All in All" One of the cleanest mid 70`s frames I have seen in quite a while.

Above: As always I rebuilt the bottom bracket and took the crank/chain-rings apart. Each part "including the spacers" was cleaned and or polished. I like how the plating on the ring-guard was done to match the aluminum alloy chain-rings and arms.

Above: The bearings, cups and bracket are all in very good shape. I de-greased everything and re-assembled it."after re-greasing of course" I did add a plastic protector or shroud to protect the bracket when I re-assembled the unit. I left the drive-side cup in place. To clean the drive-side cup, I just loosen the work-stand clamp on the frame (top tube) and tilt the frame a little. Then I can spray the Clean-Streak right inside the bracket housing holding the cleaning pot underneath to catch the drippings. Before screwing the left side cup into the shell I wrapped the threads with Teflon Tape. I thread the cup into the housing about 1/8 inch before I wrap the threads with the Teflon. It is just easier for me to do it that way.

Above: Before sliding the crank into place and tightening the retaining nut, I put a little blue "Thread-Lock" on the threads. I think the three piece crank looks really good. Looking at it now, I guess I should have installed a new dust-cap before taking the pic. I`ll try to remember that next time.

Above: Some of the bearing cups had stubborn grease rings after spraying them with Clean-Streak. To clean these and the crown-race I used the Mother`s Mag and Aluminum Polish. Note: I always lightly grease the "Steerer" Tube and lower Stem (below the insertion line) and wedge-nut before assembly.

Above: The Stem all polished-up with Mother`s. I used Turtle Wax Chrome-Polish / Rust Remover on the Stem bolt. There was also some light rust on the wedge-nut and lower stem-bolt. As well as some "rust-staining" on the lower stem. The fine brass "wheel brush" on the 18 volt rechargeable low-speed drill made quick work of that.

Above: As the wheel-set was miss-matched, I decided to replace them with this Araya wheel-set. The rear wheel has a Sun-Tour 5 speed free-wheel, which is a good match with the upgraded Sun-Tour rear derailleur. I am pleased that the Araya front wheel has a quick-release skewer. I will also replace the rear axle nuts with (M) nuts off the original rear axle. That should bring it all together nicely.

Above: Here is a shot of the rear wheel with the Sun-Tour Superbe Tech derailleur cleaned and mounted. As you can see I have also installed the new chain. I like to establish a basic drive train as soon as possible. The tires are Panaracer Pasela Tour-Guards 27 x 1 (ISO 25-630) 115.0 psi. Yes, they are small and fast. And I got a fantastic deal on them as well.

Above: I had to include a close-up of this beautiful Superbe Tech derailleur. I bet they "snatched these up" in the early 1980`s when they hit the market.

Above: This is an older model of basically the same Huret derailleur that was on the bike. The original functioned fine but had some deep pitting on the chrome. So I cleaned-up this one (left-over from the Special-Sport build) and it works and looks fine. I almost installed an old Simplex, just because I like the mechanism. But I just could not "get past" the dull finish on the Simplex. Besides the Old Simplex makes an interesting knick-knack.

Above: The front brake, broke down and ready for cleaning and polishing. On all the alloy parts I used Mother`s. As for the chrome parts I used the Turtle-Wax. And for the plastic parts I used Simple Green (bio-degradable de-greaser) The Mother`s also works well on the straddle cable. And all the nuts and bolts were cleaned-up with the brass wheel brush. As always, I did the calipers one at a time, using the other caliper for a reference. To wheel brush the nuts it is easier to brush them if you screw then onto a bolt. Keep the nut flush with the end of the bolt and the brush will do a better job.

Above: The front caliper all cleaned-up and re-mounted on the bike with a new set of jag-wire shoes. It is possible to clean-up calipers without breaking them down.
But to get them "as clean and shiney as possible" you really need to take them apart. Besides, There is "no better way" to learn how something works, than to take it apart and put it back together again. Even if you "get stuck" and have to go to your local bike shop for help, You will still learn. If you do have to go to the local bike shop, tell them you want to watch the assembly. Most techs and shop owners are happy to share their experience. If not, Go somewhere else! However, You should call ahead (ring them up).And ask "what would be the best time to come to the shop when you would have time to show me what I need to do". I know I would appreciate that. And be more likely to help that person out.

Above: The rear brake incorporates the rear reflector mount into the installation. This is a little trickier but no big deal. I am not happy with the pitting on the mount bracket. I will try to locate another chrome one in the shop. I`m sure there is one around here somewhere.

Above: I have cleaned-up these vintage English road pedals. I think they were on the old Team Raleigh Record. Who`s frame still hangs from the shop rafters, waiting for me to be inspired. I am considering using it for my track bike build. But I think the old girl deserves better than that. And there is another matching dust-cap on the way! A Special Thanks to John Fink for that.

Above: I have polished-up the original 25.5 seat-post. I was considering a micro adjust post. But the only one I could find was anodized orange with a sleeve. So for now I`m going with the original. I am also going with the original handlebars.
They are in good shape and cleaned-up real good. I also polished-up the original levers and cleaned the black hoods. When finished she will have black hoods and black cork infused thick handlebar tape. And all black cable housings and a sleek black racing saddle. And all new jag-wire cables as well.

Above: The Simplex shifters. In a perfect world I would install Sun-Tour shifters and a Sun-Tour front derailleur to complete my Sun-Tour drive-train. But as I paid too much for this bike going in, I have to be realistic. But I will say this, I do like the Simplex "adjust on the fly" shifters. Who knows? maybe I`ll run across another donor bike. Well that`s about all I have for now. The saddle has been shipped by Jenson USA. I ordered this saddle Sunday night and received my item has been shipped e-mail Monday! You can`t beat that with a stick! So Thanks to JENSON USA! Well done! I should have "The Nomade finished" post up by early next week, if not sooner.

And I have come-up with a simple technique that I think might make cork handlebar tape finishing (cutting and taping) easier for the beginner. So watch for that on my next post.
Until Next Time, Ride Safe and Remember to Always... RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers,Hugh

GT Avalanche gets the full Zefal treatment

2011-09-29T22:20:00.005-04:00

Hello and Welcome, I`m not going to mention that Hugh`s Bicycle Blog now has a Face-Book page. And I`m not going to mention that the quick-link is right there in the right column. Having not said that, Let me tell you about the Zefal make-over the GT Avalanche recieved, and why. I was at the local Meijer Store the other day and I spotted a Zefal saddle. I noticed it came with a bracket for a wedge bag. Then I spotted the Zefal wedge bag that fits the saddle. I`m already a big fan of the Zefal water-bottle cages for both style and value. As I looked around I saw a few other Zefal products. That is when I decided to do the full Zefal treatment on the GT.

Below: Some of the Zefal products I will be installing. From left to right. The Zefal light-set, under 20.00 (non rechargeable batteries included). The Zefal Comfort Saddle, under 18.00 (including wedge bag bracket). The Zefal water-bottle cages (under 8.00 each). The Zefal Wedge Bag about 10.00 (designed to attach to the saddle, right out of the box). The Wedge Bag also includes a sewn-on strip to hang the tail-light on. And Not Shown. I also purchased a Zefal mini frame-mount pump for under 15.00

Below: The Zefal comfort saddle is quite comfortable. Although wide in the the rear, the nose is narrow enough not to be bothersome. And it`s a good looking saddle as well. As you see the wedge bag is clipped on and the tail light is hung onto the strap.

Below: The Zefal wedge-Bag is just that easy to remove. You will want to make sure you feel it click into place when re-attaching it to the bracket. While the bag is not expandable, I have loaded it with a full patch kit (including multi-tool flat bar) a replacement tube and three Allen wrenches. And with the frame-mounted mini-pump, I should have everything I need to fix a flat.

Below: The Zefal front light has three settings, constant on - fast flashing and slower flash. I do not ride in the dark. But as a "be seen" light it works great. A few friends who have seen me out riding have already mentioned that is is a great attention getter. (I have the same light-set on my daily rider) Also it is easily removed and can be used as a flashlight or emergency signal light. In a cold climate you will want to bring the lights inside with you. That is no big deal as the front and rear lights both remove easily. The tail-light has the same three settings as well.

Below: The stylish Zefal water-bottle cages. As more mountain bikers are using the hydration packs these days, maybe cages are not "as necessary" as they once were. But for a short ride they are still very handy. And not everyone (including me) owns or uses a hydration pack. And a "Big Plus" for me, My favorite size Gatorade bottle fits the Zefal cage perfectly. Also Below: The Zefal frame-mount mini-pump. The included Velcro strap is for bikes that do not have the bottle-cage mount holes. I used it anyway for "extra" security. I have not used the pump so I won`t comment on the performance. But I will say this, Zefal has been making frame pumps for a very long time. I have no doubt that "although not as quickly as a full size frame pump" it will do the job more than adequately.

Below: The Bell removable mud-guard. The GT frame is a perfect match for this 5.00 add-on. The set is 10.00 But since I used the front guard on the GIANT, we will call it a 5.00 investment. And because of the triple triangle frame`s design that exposes seat tube just above the rear tire, the mud-guard fits this bike better than any other I have seen. That is one sweet mud guard for five bucks!

Below: The GT with all the Zefal accessories, including the "Bell" mud-guard. You are looking at an investment of about $83.00 US + tax. I know these are not "Top of the Line" accessories. But for the casual rider or someone who is on a tight budget.. They are the most "Bang for you Buck" that you are likely find anywhere.

Below: The Giant Attraction is now sporting a new Avenir rack and the Bell 5.00 front mud-guard. This bike has been a joy to test-ride. I`m gonna miss this one when she is gone. I think the only thing I would do differently if I were starting this build tomorrow.. Is go with a higher pressure tire. These max-out at 35 lbs psi. Although I could probably sneak a few extra pounds in there. But next time it is going to be Kenda for sure! Oh wait, The GT was next time! And it has the Kenda Kross Plus which I think hold at least another 20lbs psi. That was a good choice, and they were on sale too!

Below: The Motobecane Nomade is coming along fine. I should start posting the restoration real soon. It has been great working on a vintage road bike again. I have more experience with these, so it is less challenging and also a lot less stressful. So I might slip in a few more road bikes before working on the Specialized Rock Hopper FA.

Until Next Time Please RIDE SAFE and Remember to Always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers, Hugh

GT Avalanche Restoration Finished / Saddle, Brakes, Pedals & Kick-Stand

2011-09-24T00:06:00.010-04:00

Hello and Welcome,
First I would like to mention that there is now a Face-Book page for this blog. It is called, strangely enough "Hughs Bicycle Blog". I think it will be good for you to have a place to post your bicycle projects. Also if you have a question, a close-up picture might make it easier for myself or other readers to give you a correct answer or accurate instructions. And you can also use it to show-off your finished projects or new bikes. And I am hoping it will be a place where we can share our ideas and knowledge. There is a logo "Hughs Bicycle Blog on FaceBook" in the right column just click on it and your there.

ABOVE: I went with the "Tempo z1 Saddle" It is both comfortable and affordable. I also recommend the "WTB Speed V Comp" Saddle and the "Charge Spoon" Saddle. And I
just (today) installed my first Ze'Fal Saddle. (I will talk more about that latter)

Above: I re-used the Shimano SLR controlls. I say controls because they are shifter and brake lever units. The shifters are the two-lever click-up & click down type. I like these a lot, but they do take up a lot of space on the bars. So when making the switch from flat-bar to risers or touring bars you need to measure for that. I did not measure and ended-up having to use a salvaged set of handlebars off a parts bike. I`m ok with the fit and feel, but I would have preferred black.

Above: I replaced all the cables with new Jag-Wire. By the way, I did find out the bulk cables I purchase at my LBS from time to time are also Jag-Wire. As For the grips I was going to use the gray and black Avenir ergo grips that I have been using a lot lately. However I would have had to chop them off a little. I did not want to do that with the ergo design. It would have been noticeable. So I installed the "Trumpet shaped" grips that I salvaged off the Schwinn Hurricane.

Above: As for the front brake, I replaced the shoes with a low mileage used set I had laying around. (for now). I cleaned-up the straddle cable with Mother`s Mag and Aluminum Polish. I removed the little coin shaped splitter piece and cleaned it up with the power wheel-brush (fine brass). And as I mentioned I also replaced the main brake cable with a new J-W Cable.

Above: The rear brake is a Shimano U II. It is incredible! It has no springs, (unless they are internal). And after assembling and mounting the brake on the bike it had all most no return pressure. Purely by luck,I managed to get them working correctly, here is how that happened. I thought the shoes I had installed were too fat. (which they were) So I replaced them with a narrower shoe. My thinking was maybe the brake was already opened up past the limit. So I switched the shoes. But while I was doing this I decided to snug-up the mounting post-bolts. While doing this I closed the right caliper arm by hand. It was like cocking a gun. Now I had plenty of return pressure. What I "think" this is, is a type of cam system (like a compound bow) And when I closed the arms it loaded or set the mechanism. If you are familiar with this system, Please share your knowledge via the comment section or on the FaceBook page. I would appreciate it very much.
UPDATE: Special Thanks to John Romeo Alpha for posting the Shimano U II Brake info on the FaceBook page.

Above: It turns out "although well hidden" the U-Brake does indeed have springs. Thanks John for clearing up the mystery.

Above: I installed a new set of Avenir dual-sport pedals with old style "traps and straps" (toe clips). Avenir I believe is Raleigh`s accessory company. If I`m wrong, I`m sure I`ll hear about it. I like the old style toe clips because that is what I am comfortable with. One of my brothers said, He would not buy toe-clips that required he purchase a matching shoe. It must run in the family.

Above: This bike was never intended to have a kick-stand. But being it is now set-up more like a hybrid, and almost no one around here has a freak`n bike rack.
Well you get the idea. The top plate interfered with the cable to the front derailleur so much so that the derailleur would not shift properly. So I tried to move the kick-stand back behind the brace. Well the top mounting plate is not wide enough for the stand to be stable. And if tightened down it might damage the chain stays, so that was out of the question. So I placed the top-plate in place and marked it where it made contact with the cable. Then I cut a channel "on an angle" as the cable runs through there on an angle. This way I did not weaken the plate by making the cut full depth all the way through the top-plate. So far it seems to be working fine. And the shifter cable is unobstructed and functioning fine. I also cut some rubber inner-tube and used Permatex to adhere it to the mounting plates to protect the chain stays. This is the same hardening Permatex I have used to adhere the cork grips to handlebars on past restorations.

Above: Here it is pretty much finished except for a few bolt heads that need to be cleaned-up. And I accidentally messed up a little of the touch-up on the top-tube by placing it back in the work stand too soon. And I have a little polishing and paint cleaningto do. But thats all normal finish stuff.

Above: A front left view of the bike. The white paint on the Rock Shox fork is different than the white paint on the frame. I credit my wife for picking out an exact match, not only for the frame white but the suspension fork white as well.

Above: View from the right side rear of the bike. Opps! I meant Starboard side.

Well that`s all there is for now. My next post will be about, How to spruce up your old mountain bike the Ze'Fal way! Without breaking the bank. And an update on the GIANT Attraction. Until Next Time Please RIDE SAFE & Remember to Always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers!

GT Avalanche Restoration

2011-09-21T16:16:00.001-04:00

Hello and Welcome,
This GT Avalanche has the legendary "triple-triangle" frame described by many as "Indestructible". It would appear the previous owner abused this bike badly. Not so much by the way it was ridden. But by leaving it outside and never having it serviced. The rear wheel was so badly bent it rubbed the frame. The rear brake-shoes had been removed. I assume they had to be removed so the bike could be ridden home.

The Headset was an absolute nightmare. The nut over the top cup (shown below with paint removed)would not break loose. After removing the nut and spacers above the unpainted nut, I sprayed the threads with WD-40 hoping that would help. After I realized that I would probably destroy it before I could break it loose, I decided to take it to a pro and see what they could do with it it.

Above: If your wondering what you are looking at, what you see above is an inverted wedge-nut. Instead of it sliding out of the steerer when the stem bolt is loosened,the lower part is fixed. When you loosen the long stem-bolt only the inverted wedge-nut is removed. The stem fits over this. Then when the long stem-bolt is tightened the wedge expands inside the stem-collar. This of course locks the stem into place.

Above: The headset finally removed. When my old friend Joe was unable to remove the nut. He said I might have to cut if off. When I got home I left the bike clamped down on the truck rack. I decided to give it one last try. I attached a pair of Vice-Grips to the nut as tightly as I could without crushing it. I then wedged a wood hammer handle between the fork legs, near the top brace. Then I used a small bungee cord to hold the hammer handle in place. Now I was able to apply as much torque as I possibly could. When the fork turned the hammer handle pushed against my side. I gave it all I had, I felt the wrench move! My first thought was "Damn! I have stripped the bloody nut!" Much to my surprise the nut had finally broke loose.

Above: Fortunately the moisture that rusted the threads on the steerer never reached the bearings. Here is one of the bearing cartridges after cleaning and re-greasing. While they had very little grease remaining, they were in remarkably good shape considering.

Above: The headset re-assembled. That is quite a stack of threaded cups, nuts and spacers. This inverted wedge-nut quill and headset make an odd looking set-up indeed. As you can see there is going to be some extensive paint touch-up. Maybe the restoration will go smoother from here on. (Fat Chance)

Above: This is "Yours Truly" foolishly trying to re-use the original bracket bearings and cups after a real good cleaning. You would think the fact that I needed to use the power brush on the bearing cages would have convinced me the bearings were shot. Oh no, not this stubborn s.o.b. Another "what the Hell was I thinking" moment. And by the way. It took a couple hours to take the crank apart.
The left side arm retainer bolt was rusted into the threads. After trying everything I could think of, it finally broke loose. There was absolutely not a trace of grease remaining on the bearings. Only lots of rust and dust. Fortunately I did have a good set of cups and bearings that were an excellent match. I did have to re-use the bracket(axle) itself as I could not find a match. But it was in "pretty fair" shape. After re-assembling the bottom bracket the second time, everything was "good to go". I think on a scale "one to ten" the performance of the crank now is about a 9.5 or so.

Above: The three piece crank was taken apart and cleaned-up. No problems there, other than spending quite some time on the floor looking for one of the spacers.
So far I have spent way too much time on the bottom-bracket, crank and the headset.
Lesson here "Don`t leave your bike outside to fend for itself".

Above: I`m gonna guess and say this is the left side chain-stay. As you can see it has some nicks in the paint which have become rust spots. The first step is to clean the area as best as you can.

Above: The next step is to sand off the rust. QUICK TIP: I like to fold the sand paper. This way I can use the folded edge to sand just the nick. If it is rusty, I will first use a grittier sand paper then finish with a finer one. If it is not rusty I will often just use the finer sand paper. Folding the sand-paper is the best way I have found of just sanding the nick.
Remember, This is a touch-up, not a re-paint "Less Is Better"

Above: After the sanding is finished you will want to remove all the dust. On this occasion I used a damp cleaning wipe, then dried it with a clean paper towel. It would finish drying while I was shaking up the paint.

Above: Applying the lacquer to the nick. Do Not Brush! What you want to do with a paint chip like this one is just tap the nick with the end of the brush. Make sure you shake the paint up real good, and repeat often while working with it. You want to make sure you don`t over-load the brush with paint. This will take a little practice. If you screw-up, just wipe it off and try again.

Above: The same area after paint touch-up. The best advise I can offer for doing touch-up is take your time and be patient. The touch-up on this frame was extensive.
This was one of the better areas. All the touch-up really tested my patience. As did the whole restoration.

Due to the rear wheel being bent beyond proper repair, I decided to use the wheel-set off the Giant Boulder that came in recently. At this point I `m not sure what I want to do with the Giant.

Above: The Araya wheel-set cleaned up easily with some Mother`s Mag and Aluminum Polish. The wheels required very little truing and the hubs and spokes cleaned up easily as well. I topped them off with a new set of Kenda Kross Plus 26 x 1.95 "Smooth Rollers" as I like to call them.

Above: A shot of the rear wheel, derailleur and new chain. I was able to re-use both derailleurs. After a good cleaning and lube, both are working flawlessly. Being both bikes were equipped with essentially the same rear drive train, there was no need to switch the free-wheels. I knew eventually something would be easy on this bike! Hip! Hip!...never mind

Above; These are the new handlebars I was going to use. But after test fitting the lever/shifter units, I found there was not enough room. I will no doubt use them on some project down the road.

Above: I taped off the top part of the original seat-post. And after a light sanding gave it a coat of black satin.

Above: A shot of the Shimano front derailleur re-mounted after a good cleaning and lube.
That about does it for today. I will try to post the rest of the restoration in the next few days. It will include some last minute changes. And I will be giving this GT the full Ze-Fal treatment. Including some really cool new Ze-Fal products.(new around here anyway) Until Next Time, RIDE SAFE and Remember to always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers, Hugh

Brittany 3 Speed Resoration Part 3 / Paint, Wheels, Brakes and Other Things as Well

2011-09-14T11:11:00.002-04:00

Before I get started I wanted to mention that Hugh`s Bicycle Blog now has a FaceBook page. I think this will be an asset, as readers will now have a place to post their projects. And I hope it will be a place where we can exchange ideas and answer questions. The link is posted right at the top of what was once called the "Bicycle Related Links" section. For now it is called "Hugh`s Bicycle Blog on FaceBook and other Links". Please check it out and please click on LIKE to show your support.

Left Click on Images to Enlarge & Focus. Use Back(<)Button to Return Above: The front wheel cleaned-up quite nicely. I used the Turtle-Wax Chrome Polish & Rust Remover and also a brass detail brush. I also did the sides of the rims (braking surface) with the wheel brush. As for the fenders and the rest of the painted surfaces, after everything got wiped down with Armor-All Cleaning-Wipes I used Maguiare`s Cleaner/Polish. I do not usually get off this easy. But underneath the dirt and grime the paint was in wonderful condition.

Above: The rear wheel was not so easy, evidently it was in a much damper area. That may sound funny, but I see it a lot. One wheel much rustier than the other. I imagine the rear wheel was nearer a door. This pic shows two things. First, how much pitting was left behind after brushing. And second, how much rustier the bottom (the area closest to the floor) of the wheel is. If you look t the right of the brushed area you can see the rust was much less severe. If you were doing a "show bike" you would want to replace it. But this is just a fun-bike that won`t cost a fortune when finished, and will still look really good.

Above: The front caliper on the left "Barn Fresh" as they say. And on the right ,the rear caliper after dismantling and polishing each part. The chrome parts were cleaned with the wheel-brush mounted on the rechargeable drill. And "as always" the rear caliper got a new pair of Jag-Wire brake shoes. Also "as always" I only took apart one caliper at a time. This is so I could use the other caliper as a reference. These two calipers had lots of spacers/washers. So I was glad I did it that way.

Above: I decided to go with a more aggressive KENDA tire on this bike. I know that many students ride pretty much year round. And with the winters we have here, a little extra traction will come in handy. I thought I had a set of tires for this bike
in stock, but the tires ISO number was wrong. These are I believe a 26 x 1-3/8inch tire with a 590 ISO. I believe the tires I have in stock are a 597 ISO. So watch those ISO numbers especially with Old 3 speeds.

Above: Here is the other "first time used" product I installed. The first being the Kenda tires with the aggressive tread. I also installed a BELL handlebar-mounted water-bottle cage. I must admit when I first saw these, I though they looked stupid. But as my water bottles always seem to get all gritty from road spray. It occurred to me one day that having the cage mounted up high would keep the bottle much cleaner. Ok, So now I`m sold. They are not stupid. I don`t know that I would want one mounted up there on a Road Racer. That I think "might" look stupid.

Above: The finished project. I think the real cork grips give it a vintage look.
I Shellacked them to protect them from the weather. I used the Permatex (hardening)
gasket sealer to keep them securely in place. I smeared some sealer inside the grips then slid them on. You will want too wear a plastic glove for that part.

Above: The Port side view of the Brittany. I was surprised the rack cleaned-up as nicely as it did. It was much rustier than the rack on the step-through Brittany.
It was labor intensive brushing the rack, but well worth the effort.

Well that about covers it for this project. I would like to apologize for the delay in showing the finish pics of the "Parliament Custom Built Made in England". I am not 100% pleased with the paint touch-up color match . But here it is just before I re-installed the original rear wheel (shown in foreground)

Above: The unfinished Parliament. Until Next Time RIDE SAFE and Remember to Always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers, Hugh

Brittany 3 Speed Restoraton Part 2 Saddle Hardware Rust Removal

2011-09-10T14:18:00.001-04:00

Hello and Welcome,
I think I will pick-up on this restoration with the saddle. I don`t really spend much time talking about saddles. I suppose this is because I usually replace them.
I often find these adult bikes that were purchased with good intentions. Then ridden a few times, only to spend the next 25 to 30 years in the garage or basement. Many of these bikes have very good saddles that just need some intense cleaning.

However the touring saddles with chrome springs and rails usually require some serious attention. That is before they are going to look like the original 1984 saddle shown above.

Above: This is the underside of the saddle shown above. To really do the best job possible with rust removal I will have to remove all the chrome-plated hardware for rust-removal. I like to start with the seat-post clamp. Start by by removing the nut (A) and sliding the tightening bolt out the other side. Note:
Most will have a nut on both sides.(like the example used below) In which case remove both. After the tightening bolt is removed the whole thing can be pulled out.(it should fall apart)

Above: A similar seat-post clamp after each part has been brushed. Be careful cleaning small parts with a power brush. This is where a low speed drill will serve you better for brass wheel-brushing. You may want to clamp onto the smaller pieces with pliers to save your finger tips. I like to thread the nuts onto the tightening bolt for easier wheel brushing. Just make sure you run your drill in the direction that will tighten the nut and not loosen it when the spinning brush makes contact.

Above:
To remove the coil springs for brushing I removed screws (B) & (C) This will also remove the spreader/brace (E) I just set that aside for now. There is also a nut and washer on the top of each coil that attaches them to the seat pan.(see below)
Below: This pic shows me tightening the coil, it comes off the same way. I used a small 1/4" nut-driver for this. The outer coils clean up easily with a brass wheel-brush. As shown above I clean the unreachable inner spring with a small folded piece of automotive grade sandpaper.

Once the coil-springs are removed and cleaned-up, to remove the rails just remove nut (D). The rails and spreader / brace are easy to clean using the brass wheel-brush. You may also want to use the folded sand paper and a detail brush on the hard to reach spots.

Above: You can see the spreader / brace cleaned up and a wee bit of the rail piece as well. In this pic I am about to set the nut into place to re-attach the coil spring to the pan. If you look closely you can see the washer has already been placed onto the threaded post. After setting the nut I carefully tighten it with an open-end wrench. This takes a very steady hand. An easier way might be to stick a small piece of double-sticky tape on the nut, then place it into a socket.
Then with the nut-driver you should be able to start the nut by hand. Once started
you can use the small ratchet or a small wrench. I wish I had thought of that when I was putting it together. I am sure it would be much easier. Or if you want to "get all scientific" you could magnetize the socket.

Once the coils springs are attached to the seat pan, You have finished the hard part. The rest of the assembly should me fairly simple. Above: The hardware all back in place and looking "pretty good". You will want to clean-up the seat pan when you have all the hardware removed as well.

Above: A shot of the underside of the saddle after it has been remounted to the seat-post. I only mention this because I saw one mounted backwards recently. When you re-install the seat-post clamp the main tightening-bolt should be on the backside of the seat-post. If it is on the forward side of the post the seat-post clamp is backwards.

Above: I know I said I was not going to spend much time talking about the crank and bottom bracket. I lied < lol > I just wanted to mention this "again". The drive side of the bracket is longer than the left side. Sometimes the difference is minimal. So if they look the same, you might want to check them just to be safe. Shown above is the left side.

Above: Here is the drive side. The difference is less than it appears as the tool is a little off the lip. Hey, I was holding the camera in my other hand. But I think you get the idea. Better to "check twice and build once"

Well that about does it for me today. The sun just came out and I have work to do.
Part 3 will be about cleaning / polishing paint. I also want to talk about wheels and pitting (rust) And a first time installation of a product I have never used before. Until next time RIDE SAFE and Remember to Always...RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers, Hugh

P.S. Look closely at the first pic of the underside of the saddle. Notice the brace/spreader is mounted between the coil-spring and the rail piece. Now look at the finished pic. I have installed the brace/spreader last or on top of the rail-piece. I don`t know if it matters (I`m not an engineer) but I`m going to correct it anyway. This is a perfect example of how a digital photograph can assist you in proper re-assembly.

Men`s Brittany 3 Speed Restoration, Free-Spirit, Sold by Sears & Roebuck (Crank/Headset)

2011-09-07T19:50:00.000-04:00

Hello and Welcome, One of those "tropical storms" that have been causing all kinds of problems for millions of Americans this year has finally made it all the way to Michigan. The rain is coming out of the east today. When the rain comes from the east here, it tends to stay longer. What a nice day to stay inside and update the blog. BELOW: The unrestored 3 speed Brittany parked behind the restored woman`s 12 speed Brittany. These are the only "before pics" I could locate.

BELOW: The first order of business is to strip it down to the frame then clean-up the frame and fenders. And clean-out the bracket shell. The paint is so nice, I have decided to not do any paint touch-up.

BELOW: I am not going to go into detail about the bottom bracket which is almost exactly the same as the bottom bracket on the step-through Brittany. To see the bottom bracket rebuild go to the post dated Aug 26 2011.

BELOW: The Crank / Chain-ring before rust-removal and polishing. I used the fine brass wheel-brush on the rechargeable drill and a fine brass detail brush. Being this crank is steel I polished it with Turtle-Wax Chrome Polish & Rust Remover.

BELOW: The crank and arms back on the bike. I was pleased with how they came out. They (crank and arms) were much rougher than on the woman`s Brittany. This bike had two more years to rust as it is a 1984 model. I also suspect it was parked in a much damper spot.

BELOW: The headset, I tried something new here. I taped over the cup to protect the paint which allowed me to brush the cup with out removing it. This did not work well at all. I should have used the Mother`s Aluminum and Mag polish on it first. Actually, I think the Mother`s alone would have been sufficient.

BELOW: The Crown Race (A) cleaned and polished with Mother`s (sometimes there is a seal that fits over it as well). The upper Adjustable Race (B) (screw-down) cleaned w White-Lightning Clean-Streak. On this head-set the Gear-Toothed Spacer (C)goes over the adjustable race. (there are matching gear teeth on the top of the adjustable race) they inter-lock. The Washer (D) on this headset is not keyed. I am guessing that the two piece gear-toothed adjustable race makes the key unnecessary.(this toothed type adjustable race is sometimes called a Bear-Trap). The Lock-Nut (E) sometimes called a Cap-Nut has a little pitting.
All these parts (excluding the crown race) where cleaned with White-Lightning.
(F) Is called the "Steerer" or "Steerer-Tube". I like to lightly grease the tube
(including threads) because someday someone else will need to take it apart.

BELOW: The (headset) top bearing cup cleaned with Mother`s with the cleaned bearings (white-lightning) greased and in place. I also lightly coat the inner cup with grease.

BELOW: The lower bearings in place and "heavily greased" to hold them in place while I install the steerer / fork. I will wipe-off the excess grease as I incert the steerer. Once the steerer is in place, you just screw down the top-race (also lightly pre greased inside)Now it will hold inself together while you install the remaining spacers /washers and cap-nut.

BELOW: Now we are ready to clean-up the stem. But where is the wedge-nut? Oh yeah it is stuck in the steerer tube. I honestly forgot about that.

Below: Removing the stuck wedge nut from the steerer tube was really not a big deal. This was one of those moments I am glad I never throw anything away. I took a piece of threaded-rod with a nut screwed-on, just enough so it is flush with the end of the rod. Then I insert the rod (nut end first) from the bottom of the steerer tube, which goes all the way through the fork crown. Then a slight tap from below with the ball-peen hammer and it broke loose. Then I just pushed the wedge-nut out the top. Afterwards I cleaned-up the stem and with Mother`s. I also used the wheel-brush on the wedge-nut and "lower" stem. (lower=below the max line) I always lightly grease the stem below the max-line. And I also lightly grease the wedge-nut to protect it from corrosion. This will also prevent it from getting stuck, again.

BELOW: Here is a shot of the head-set assembled with the stem in place. If you left click on the image you might be able to see the interlocking pieces of the "Bear Trap" adjustable race.

Well, I said there would more detail about the Headset when I posted the men`s Brittany. I hope this wasn`t over-kill. I`m thinking this is about enough info for one day. I`ll pick-up this restoration where I left-off on the next post. Until then RIDE SAFE and Remember to Always.. RESCUE,RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers, Hugh

Some interesting bicycle finds / arrivals around the shop/garage these past few weeks

2011-09-02T16:05:00.003-04:00

Hello and Welcome,
For some unknown reason the "Bicycle Gods" have smiled down on me these past few weeks with the arrival of some very interesting bikes. I found this Specialized Rock-Hopper FS (Below) parked out in front of one of my "usual stops" late last week.
Left click on Image to Enlarge. Left Click on Back(<)Button to Return

Above: This is pretty much the condition in which I found this Rock-Hopper FS. At the time this pic was taken all I had done was given it a good cleaning. The asking price was $79.00 cash. I was able to close the deal at 65.00 cash . That is a little more than I would typically pay for a used bike. But this is not the typical used bike I normally run across. I have already started to make a few changes but I will save that for a latter post.

Above: I am very fortunate to have acquired this bike from my friend Rick who spotted it at a garage sale. This Fuji is almost identical to one I restored back in the spring of 2009. The finished bike was voted "10 Speed of the Month" on the Old Ten Speed Gallery. The Fuji Gran Tourer SE now resides in the Old Ten Speed Hall of Fame. I feel blessed to get a another chance to restore one of these beauties.

Above: Rick also found this GT Avalanche at the same garage sale. If your thinking I`m lucky to have friends like Rick, Your right! I am. The GT Triple-Triangle frame is legendary for it`s strength and durability. This GT also has a Rock-Shock front suspension fork. The fork is tight and smooth and no doubt has a lot of life left in it. The rear wheel is badly bent and is most likely beyond saving. And the paint is rough with some rust spots where scratches and chips were not touched-up. And the saddle is a mess, as are the grips and all the cables. But "none the less" even with the miss-matched tires, this is a legendary design, and well worth saving. I think the "Zebra Camo" paint scheme should really help to hide the paint touch-up.

Above: I purchased this Giant along with another bike from a young Lady who purchased the step-through Brittany 12 speed. She purchased the Brittany for her mum. Is that a sweet girl or what? I also purchased a Mixte frame bike from her as well. I am considering using the wheel-set on the GT and then using the crank and possibly the derailleurs on the Giant Attraction. Then I can build something out of all the left-over parts. Although it may make more sense to keep the Giant Attraction "all giant" and upgrade the wheel set on the Attraction instead.

Above: The Head-Badge on the Mixte. The Golden-Sports Zebrakenko head-badge has got to be one of the coolest I have seen in a while. I did not really need another Mixte project.(three in waiting now) But how could I resist that head-badge. Zebrakenco is all one word, and is a Japanese company. That is pretty much all I know about them.

Above: Drive-side view of the Golden Sports Zebrakenko. The color reminds me of my brother`s original Raleigh Competition. He no longer owns it. It was the bike that really got me hooked on Raleigh road bikes. I am probably swayed by my English heritage. But if I have a favorite old bicycle company it`s Raleigh.

Above: The men`s 1984 3 speed Brittany (untouched) parked behind the restored ladies 1986 Brittany 12 speed. The tires and grips just arrived last night for the 3 Speed Brittany. It is going to be too hot here "for me" to do anything the next few days. But I should have no problem finishing it Sunday.

Above: Elvis on what appears to be a Sturmey Archer Equipped 3 speed. The shifter looks to be Sturmey Archer. The fenders look vintage British to me. The piping on the seat-tube looks like it could be Raleigh. At first I thought I saw a slanted banner on the head-badge. Now I think it might just be the brake-cable shadow. Could it be a Columbia? What do you think?
John Lennon once said, "Before Elvis, There was nothing"
Until Next Time,RIDE SAFE and Remember to always RESCUE,RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers, Hugh

"Free Spirit" Brittany 12 Speed Ladies Bicycle Sold by Sears and Roebuck 1986

2011-08-26T16:19:00.002-04:00

Hello and Welcome,
This bike has made two appearances on the blog already. I thought some of you might want to see what became of it. I will not go into detail about the rust removal since we already covered that part. Left Click on Pics to Enlarge. Click on Back(<)Button to Return.

Above: A before pic of the Brittany. It is amazing how kind the camera is to a bicycle. The surface rust is barely visible in this photograph. While the rust was not very bad, it was pretty much everywhere.

Judging by the "lack of wear" on these original tires, I would guess this bike saw very little action. There are other indicators that you will see as we move on.

Above: As usual I start with the Bottom-Bracket and Crank. If you blow this pic up you can see a little bicycle engraved into the bracket along with the number 10. Also there is an arrow pointing towards the drive side. I have never seen this before. I imagine this was done for the assembly workers. It should be a 12, as this is a 12 speed and not a 10 speed. But a good idea just the same.

Above: I realize that 99% of you probably already know this. This is for the other 1%. The reason they call it "packing the bearings" is You don`t just smear grease on the bearings, You pack the area surrounding the bearings with grease.(as seen in the above pic)

Above: The drive-side bearing is in place with the exposed bearing surfaces facing out ward. Since the drive-side cup is already in place I will add a little extra grease to the outer surface before inserting it into the bracket shell. Notice I have coated the entire bracket with grease to protect it from corrosion.
The excess grease will be wiped-off before mounting the crank/arm.

Above: As some of you have (that I have heard from)I am making using the Teflon on the cup threads part of my routine. Why wait until it creaks? It makes sense to me too!

Above: Being this crank is chrome plated steel I used the Turtle-Wax Chrome Polish and Rust Remover and a little brass brushing as well. I removed the ring guard and small chain-ring for cleaning and polishing. I could have gotten away without doing that on this one. But it is always better to take it apart if you can.

Above: I did not take any pics of the Headset re-build. However if you are interested in seeing that. I did take some pics of that on the Men`s Brittany.
I will make it a point to cover that when I post the men`s Brittany.
At this point we are ready for some tires, pedals and a chain.

Above: This is important! The first set of numbers indicate the tires size, in this case 26 inch x 1 & 3/8 inch. But the second set of numbers is just as important. They are the I.S.O. numbers. In this case 37-590. The second set of numbers have to do with the inside diameter of the tire. If you have a tire that blows off the rim (modern) when inflated chances are the I.S.O. number might be incorrect. I have noticed this has to be watched carefully especially with 26 inch road tires.(37-590 vs 37-597) And also with some of the cheaper 27 x 1&1/4 inch tires. In particular cheaper tires sold at hardware and department stores. So watch the ISO numbers carefully and you will save yourself a lot of grief.

Above: I have centered the valve stem to the the inflation info on the sidewall.
Normally if there is a tag on the tire`s sidewall, I will center the valve stem to the tag. And make sure the tags both face the drive-side of the bike. It just looks more professional. But if there is no tag I center the valve to the inflation info. I actually picked this up from a reader. Never too old to learn something new.

Above: I decided to go with the classic style Greenfield kick-stand. A huge improvement over the department store kick-stand that was on the bike when I found it. As for the Wicker Basket it is a Schwinn detachable basket. I like these because the bracket keeps the basket out in front of the handlebars leaving ample room to route the brake cables. The stem-mounted shifters presented another problem. The lower adjustable brace that zip-ties to the head-tube spread-out the shift cables a little too much. To remedy this I disconnected the cables and re-routed them through the brace. And to clear the stem-mounted shifters I had to pitch the basket a little. I would have preferred it to be level.

Above: I wanted to get rid of this little paint chip on the down-tube. Not a horrible chip, just in a really bad spot. So instead of trying to match the paint, I decided to modify the pin-stripe piping a little.

Above: I cut an appropriate length piece of 3M Plastic Trim and Repair Tape. Then place it on a non adhesive surface, like this cover of the Blue Book of Bicycle Repair. (The usefulness of this book knows no bounds!) Then using a straight edge and a razor knife I cut a new pin-stripe. Then I used the knew piece to modify the piping to hide the paint-chip.

Above: Not bad :) Then to maintain a balanced look, I added a stripe to the opposite end. I had to stop working for the day after that. Seems I pulled a muscle patting myself on the back.

Above: I had plenty of extra Jag-Wire white cable housing left-over from the Parliament. So I decided to "Girl it up" a little more. Also I found the blue lever covers on a Schwinn Continental (go figure) and thought they might Girl it up even a more.

A view of the rear. There was a small but stubborn dent on the back fender, right where an English classic would have a reflector. So now it does, end of problem.
Sometimes it is better to eliminate a problem that a repair might make even more noticeable. Of course this only works if the dent is in the correct spot. This is the second time I have done the reflector thing to hide a defect or damage. And anything that makes the bike more visible at night (and looks correct) can only be a good thing.

Above: It`s a good idea to file the sharp edge off after trimming the kick-stand to proper length.
Until Next Time..Please Ride Safe and Remember to Always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE!
Cheers,Hugh

GIANT "Attraction" finished

2011-08-19T21:34:00.001-04:00

Hello and Welcome, It seems like I have been all over the place lately with the restorations and other posts. But in reality, that is exactly how it happens in the shop. When I am waiting for parts to arrive I normally jump into another project. Sometimes I can finish a complete restoration project while waiting for a special order to arrive. When I last posted about the Giant (including the rust-removal post) We had finished the bottom bracket and crank. The headset was rebuilt and I had cleaned-up the brakes. Oh yes and we had a seat-post. And I believe I had done some work on the wheel-set. So I will try to pick it up from there.
Left Click on Iamges to Enlarge. Click on Back(<)Button to Return

Above: The Shimano rear derailleur all cleaned-up and be re-mounted. The derailleur is in good shape. But honestly, I would have expected something a little nicer on a Giant.

Above: The front derailleur all cleaned-up and mounted. The chain I used is not new, but is in excellent condition. I cleaned and lubed the chain and it is running smoothly through the rear gears and jockey wheels. I used White-Lightning "Clean-Streak" on the derailleurs and will lube them with Tri-Flo.

Above: I went with a Phat tire. These are 26 x 2.125 Cruiser Tires. These are not Kenda they are C.S. They appear to be the exact same tread pattern as the Kenda. I think they might use the same mold. I went with black-walls because I liked the way the black-walls looked on the Black Ross High-Tech I overhauled for a friend a while back. Don`t let the "knobby looking" tread pattern fool you, These babies roll smooth.

Above: Look closely and you can see the original rear axle is bent. The pie-plate was yellowed and brittle. I could hear the plastic cracking as I tried to remove it. So I promptly tossed it in the wheelie-bin. (a garbage can with wheels) I just happened to have a matching axle in stock. Yah gotta get lucky once in a while!

Above: I must admit, It does look better without the pie-plate. The replacement axle is actually a hair shorter. I think it looks better "nearly flush" with the axle-nuts. Note the new Jag-Wire derailleur cable. I did re-use the housing, it was in fine condition. (no cracks/no rust) The wheel polished-up nicely (after brushing) and looks good with the new phat tire. (all the cables were eventually replaced with new Jag-Wire cables)

Above: An "out of focus" shot of the new jag-wire brake shoes. I think the Jag-Wire logo looks real cool. Next time I`ll try to get a better shot.

I swapped the shifters for a nearly identical set (actually a little nicer) off a parts bike. One of the originals was cracked. The right (rear) shifter can be switched to friction. And I think That is Great! Especially with a cheaper rear derailleur. The Velo Ergonomic Gel Grips are very comfortable. And as you will see, are a good match with the saddle. They are also the same combination I used on the Nishiki "Garbage Day Rescue" bike.

Above: A shot of the Velo Tempo Z1 Saddle. The saddle and grips are both very affordable and both very comfortable as well. Note the ZeFal tail light mounted on the seat-post, which is set a little low. This bike is a little tall but still very comfortable for me.

I went with two ZeFal water-bottle cages. I can go through one bottle of water very quickly this time of year. At 7.99 a pop it is not a huge expense. I have seen these at Wal-Mart, K-Mart and Miejer`s and at my LBS. And they do also match the gray and black saddle and grips. (not intentional)

I also made another last minute change and added these dual-sport pedals with old fashion toe-clips and straps. I don`t care what you call them, but I do not like plastic pedals. Except maybe on a child`s tricycle.

Above: So here is the finished project, I think it came-out pretty good. That is the same Zefal light set I have been using lately. You can find these for under 20.00 U.S.(if you shop around a little) I use them more as "be seen" lights, as I do not normally ride after dark or before sun-rise.

Above: The Giant Attraction shown from the left side. I also installed a new Greenfield kickstand. I have had to purchase a few kickstands lately. It seems my supply of quality "salvaged kick-stands" is exhausted.

Above: A front-left view of the bike. I`m going to have trouble pricing this one.
I may offer it at one price including lights and two cages, and a lesser price with no lights and one cage. Or I may add a rear rack and front mud-guard and offer it up as another Urban Commuter. I really hate this part. I wish I could keep them all or give them all away. But this rescue and recycling thing has to pay for itself.

Well that just about covers it for this restoration. While I was waiting for the tires to arrive I worked on the bike I used in the rust-removal post. It came out
really sweet. I knew it was going to be a nice little bike when finished, but it has surpassed my wildest expectations. Also all that is left to do on the Parliament is to replace the rear wheel with the refurbished original. And also do the paint touch-up. Coming up with a price for that one is going to be a nightmare.

Above: The last preview of the Parliament before I finish it. I really mean it this time..LTMS
Until Next Time, Ride Safe and Remember to Always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers, Hugh

Removing Surface Rust using Brass Brushes

2011-08-15T23:14:00.004-04:00

Hello and Welcome, There may be no more important tools in my shop/garage than my selection of Brass Brushes. I have known about using (fine) brass brushes to minimize scratching to chrome for a long time. So long in fact, I do not remember who taught me that. I suspect it was my father. I can remember him using brass-wool on an old Winchester 32/40 half round in about 1968. The barrel of the old Winny had been shortened in about 1905. So cleaning off the old patina at that point really did not matter.

Left Click on Images to Enlarge. Use Back (<) Button to Return

Above: Removing the surface rust from a chrome seat post using a fine brass wheel-brush mounted on a 18 volt rechargeable drill. Originally I used a 4&1/2 inch angle grinder with a brass wheel brush. But the drill being much slower seems to be mimic hand brushing the chrome better than the high-speed grinder.
And the drill is also much safer, a lot less brass frag flying around.

Above: After brushing I used the Turtle-Wax Chrome Polish and Rust Remover. Then I touch it up with the brush then buff (again) with a rag. As you can see the old seat-post really pops now!

Above: As you can see, the brass brushes come in a variety of sizes. I mainly use the wheel-brush and the detail brush (smaller wood handle brush). But on deeper or heavier rust, I`ll use the bigger hand brushes as well. I also have a tiny brass brush attachment for my Dremel type tool. But honestly I don`t use it much.

Above: Pedals are where the brushes really shine. The wheel-brush will do most of the work. But the detail brush is a must for the inner surfaces.

Above: The same two pedals after brushing and polishing. I also used the Turtle Wax Chrome Polish and Rust remover on these.

Above: Sometimes it is something as simple as this seat-post collar bolt and nut. As you can see it looks pretty shabby.

Above: The same collar bolt and nut after just a few minutes with the brass wheel-brush. It is the details that will take your restorations to the next level. What a great chemical free way to clean-up a nasty looking small part.

Above: A section close-up of a handlebar from a bike I am currently restoring. This is a perfect job for the brass wheel-brush. I sometimes leave the stem attached and use it like a handle. This also allows me to leave the vintage grips alone. Thats a big plus when the grips are in excellent condition.

Above: The same handlebars after brushing and polishing. I was able to loosen the brake levers, slide them out of the way. Then after brushing, polishing and buffing the area I just slide them back into place. I was also able to wheel -brush the levers while they remained on the handlebars as well. And of course the whole assembly got the Turtle Wax treatment too. I did remove the shifters for cleaning and polishing.

Above: A close-up of a section of the front wheel on the same ladies bike I am restoring now. (along with the Giant and the Parliament) I hand brushed these rims. I think it is easier to damage the rims with the wheel-brush attachment. And when the rims are boarder-line as to being savable or not, the hand brush just works better for me. I am more likely to use the wheel-brush on a higher quality chrome steel wheel. (like an old Schwinn) This wheel belongs to a Free-Spirit.

Above: The front wheel after brass brushing and polishing with Turtle-Wax. The fender struts were also brushed and polished as were the hubs and flanges. The spokes were cleaned (one at a time) with Armor-All cleaning wipes.(twice) A few of the spokes might get touched-up latter with fine wet sanding paper. Any spokes that get sanded will also get polished with spray detailing wax on a rag.

Above: Probably the most important part of this post. I position a fan to blow the dust away as I am brushing. I also have a exhaust fan in the gable that comes on automatically when the lights are turned on. I position the fan so that it blows the dust in the general direction of the exhaust fan. The floor fan does not have to be set on high, mine is usually on low. I know this works well because I have Asthma. If it did not work I would be the first to notice.

Above: The rack and struts and saddle springs. 25 years of storage has left them with a light coat of surface rust. Not bad at all considering.

Above: The same area after brushing and polishing. The rack and saddle were removed for brushing. I took the saddle hardware apart (except the springs) for brushing as well.

Above: A before shot of the rear brake caliper. The brake calipers were removed for brushing and polishing too.

Above: An after shot of the rear brake caliper. I did not take these calipers apart completely. First I scrapped the old brake shoes. Then I just released the return spring and brushed them with the detail brass brush. Then I polished the calipers with Turtle-Wax.

Above: I Do Not Brush Alloy Components. These calipers were removed, taken-apart and cleaned and Polished with Mother`s Mag and Aluminum Polish. Mothers works on straddle cables too.

I hope you found something useful here. The Giant is pretty much finished, I will be posting it soon. Also, about the Parliament. I just had the original rear hub serviced by my friend Joe in Pontiac Mi. He is the only one who still had the correct removal tool for the free-wheel. He has been at the bike shop for as long as I was in Masonry, which is about 32 years. He has been a big help to me on more than one occasion. So if your ever over near Wide-Track and Perry in Pontiac Mi. stop in and say hello. There are not many around like Joe anymore. He reminds me of the guys at Powers Schwinn in RoyalOak Mi about 45 years ago.

Until Next Time, Ride Safe and Remember to Always.. RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers,Hugh

GIANT "Attraction" Re-Assembling the Bottom Bracket and the Three Piece Crank

2011-08-12T22:30:00.005-04:00

Hello and Welcome. The heat-wave has finally passed and things are now returning to normal. Unfortunately I had to keep the outside work to a minimum while it was hot. So this week I have been busy getting the property cleaned-up. I did manage to get some shop/garage time in this week as well.

Above: The parts are de-greased and ready for re-greasing and assembly. Pictured are the bracket, the drive side bearing cartridge (by itself) and the left side cup and bearing cartridge together. Also shown are the lock-ring and the crank-arm retainer nuts. I used the White-Lightning "Clean-Streak" to clean these up. I used my home made parts cleaning station. Notice: The drive-side of the bracket is longer than the left side. Sometimes the difference is not this noticeable. Might be best to mark the drive side end of the bracket.

Above: My home-made small parts cleaning station. Basically a cheap pot and strainer. I place dirty paper towels in the bottom of the pot, that speeds up the evaporation or drying process of the cleaner. It will evaporate by it self, but it does smell bad. This way I can dump the mess into a trash-can right away and be rid of the stink. There is never a shortage of dirty paper towels around here.

Above: The first thing I like to do is smear some grease on the drive-side cup which is still in-place.

Above: Now I lightly grease the bracket itself including the middle part to protect it from corrosion. After I grease the bearings I slide the drive-side bearing onto the drive side end of the bracket so that the exposed bearings surface are facing the cup (or out-wards). After I insert the bracket I turn it a few times to make sure the drive-side bearings are rotating smoothly inside the drive-side cup. Now that I know everything is feeling smooth I pack the left side bearing cartridge with grease and slide it onto the bracket with the exposed bearing surface facing out. (as seen above)

Above: Now I grease the inside of the left-side bearing cup. I slip the cup into place and thread it into place turning it clock-wise. But before I do that I have something else I want to do.

Above: Before I screw or thread the cup into place I wrap it once (counter-clock-wise) with Teflon Tape. If it were loose I could wrap it two or three times
without a problem. And I would also cover the entire threaded surface if I was not not convinced the threads were tight enough. But in this case it is being done to improve the seal and prevent possible creaking. The reason I wrap the tape counter clock-wise is so that as I thread the cup in (clock-wise) the tape will not bind up.

Above: Just like a head-set I tighten the cup until I feel the bearings grind a little, then back it off a hair. Also just like a head-set I don`t want to feel any grind or play. Note: It may never feel quite as smooth as the head-set, these are larger bearings. Once I am satisfied that is is not too tight or too loose, it is time to thread the lock-ring into place. Notice: I hold the threaded cup in position with a wrench while tightening the lock-ring. This will prevent me from accidently over tightening the bearing cup.

Above: Here I have wiped-off the excess grease and I am now ready to install the left side crank-arm. Look closely and you will see some of the Teflon has made it`s way to the outer edge of the threads.

Above: I have slid the left side crank-arm into place. It will not slide on all the way. It`s ok, that is what the retainer nut is for. I normally start the retainer nut by hand to ensure it is not cross-threaded.

Above: Pretend my left hand is on the crank arm (it is actually holding the camera) this helps me get more leverage while tightening the retainer nut. Quick-Tip: Do not use an extension on the ratchet and do not use a deep or long socket. Keeping the set-up short will make it easier to keep the socket on the nut when tightening. After this, just screw the center dust cap into place and you are finished. (on this side anyway)

You might want to turn the bike around on the rack now. The chain-ring or crank side goes on the same way. Only one problem, this crank is a mess. I`ll have to take it apart for a good cleaning.

Above: The chain-rings cleaned-up easily using bio-de-greaser (the green stuff). I noticed a slight dent or bend in the bash-guard. No worries the chain-ring guard is thin and should be easy to straighten out.

Above: The chain-ring re-assembled and mounted, look at that baby spin! That went real well, or so it seemed. Once I got a chain on it, I found that not only was the bash-guard bent. The whole unit was bent. It kept throwing the chain right off the big chain-ring. Oh brother! What happened was this. The original chain was rusted badly. So I cut it off and tossed it and never spun the crank to see if it was straight. "My Bag" Well Thank God I never throw any good part away. I had another generic crank "same size" ready to go.

The replacement 3 piece crank works fine. It could use a little touch up on the flat satin black paint. I want to dig around first and see if I have a nicer 3 piece crank stashed around here somewhere. If not, then maybe I will re-paint it.

Above: This is me using the brass wheel-brush attachment on the rechargeable drill to clean-up the seat-post. I`m going to do a post in the next day or two about the brass wheel brush and how wonderful it works. After which I will post the finished project. Yes it is finished. And I think you are going to like it.
But right now it is late and I`m dog tired. So till next time RIDE SAFE and Remember to always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE !
Cheers,Hugh

GIANT Attraction / Headset, Crank & Wheels

2011-08-03T22:57:00.004-04:00

Hello and Welcome,
Today I was able to spend a little time working on the GIANT Attraction. I thought the head-set bearings were clean enough for re-greasing after wiping them off with a clean paper towel. That is until I saw this pic blown-up. So today I cleaned the upper and lower bearings with Clean-Streak before re-packing the bearings with grease.

Below: The upper head-set bearing cartridge re-packed and in place. I smeared a little grease in the cup before putting the bearings in place. I have noticed a mix of clean and dirty grease while working on the bike, more so in the bottom bracket. I think it may have been serviced, but the old grease was not removed. I guess a quick smear of fresh grease is a lot better than nothing.

Below: I like to grease the lower bearing cup heavily so that it holds the re-packed bearing cartridge in place. I can always wipe-off the excess after the Steerer tube is inserted and the top race (also pre-greased) is screwed down into place.

Below: The head-set is now ready for the stem. When I tighten the top threaded race down into place, I tighten it till I can just feel the bearings grind. Then I back it off just a hair. You should feel no play or grind when the head-set is finished. I like to re-check the head-set after riding the bike a few times. Sometimes they loosen-up a little after the bearings get seated.

Below: Now it is time to service the bottom bracket. I start by removing the lock-ring. You might expect this lock-ring to be reverse thread, but it`s not.

Below: Now I remove the left side threaded cup. If you are going to buy an adjustable wrench, buy a good one. The cheaper ones sometimes have too much play in the mechanism and this can cause damage. I always re-snug the wrench after placing it on the nut.

Below: This is the inside of the left-side threaded cup with the cartridge bearings in place. You can see the mix of clean and dirty grease. This one is actually pretty good. With some of the brackets I have opened up the grease has all but disappeared.

Below: Here I am removing the bracket. The drive-side bearing cup will not be removed. I will remove the drive side bearings from the left side.

Below: Here I have removed the drive side bearing cartridge for cleaning. I can easily clean the drive side cup and the inner bracket-shell from this side (left) of the bracket shell.

Below: Here is a shot of the inside of the bracket-shell before cleaning. I took this pic before I removed the drive side bearings.

Below: Here is a shot of the inner bracket-shell after cleaning. Had it been dry I would have had to spray the inside with Clean-Streak. In this case I just jammed a couple of paper towels inside the shell "wadded up" a little. Then grabbed the wadded towels with my needle nose pliers and twisted. I repeated this three times to get the bracket shell this clean.

Below: Here I have wiped the grease off all the parts. Tomorrow I will spray them with Clean-Streak before re-greasing.

Below: Today I decided to take the front cantilever brake apart for cleaning. There was some rust and dirt I wanted to get rid of. As usual I took one side apart and serviced it, using the other side as a reference. This method has always served me well.

Below: Here is a shot of the same side after cleaning and re-assembly. For now I have re-used the brake shoes. I will order replacements when I order the tires

Below: Here is a shot of both sides all cleaned-up.On the plastic and rubber I used Clorox Cleaning Wipes. On the metal I used a brass wheel-brush (fine). And the Allen Heads were cleaned-out (rust) with Turtle-Wax Chrome Polish & Rust Remover on Q-Tips. And the Straddle-Cable was cleaned with Mother`s Mag and Aluminum Polish.

Below: I have also cleaned-up the rims, spokes and hubs. I used the brass brushes on the rims and hubs. On the Spokes I used Clorox (non bleach) Cleaning Wipes. I have also trued the wheels. I have yet to re-pack the hubs though.

Below: A nice shot of the front wheel all cleaned-up. (except bearings)

I have a few decisions to make regarding tires rack and saddle. I think I will set-up this bike very much like the Hurricane. Although I will not be using panniers on it. I want to go with some Black-Wall High-Volume Smooth Rollers (tires). I think that would look real cool and provide a super smooth ride. I might go with some ergo grips as well. I`m considering using the same Avenir rack I used on the Hurricane, if the price is right.

Below: I found this very special Schwinn Varsity today. I will be doing a before post about this unique time capsule soon. I think you will agree this Varsity must have meant a lot to someone "back in the day"

Until Next Time Please RIDE SAFE and Remember to Always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers,Hugh

CSA 6 Speed Auto-Bike "Classic"

2011-07-26T23:14:00.000-04:00

Hello and Welcome.
I remember the TV infomercial but this is my first encounter with the CSA Auto Bike. A strange little bird indeed.

If those fenders look familiar, they are. I originally used them on the Physio-Phat.
But with the balloon tires there was almost no clearance. So I used them to brighten-up this very plain bike.

I replaced the original non adjustable "all black plastic looking" brake levers with these adjustable mountain bike levers. Not only an improvement technically but much better looking too. They are from my collection of salvaged parts. The original cable tension adjuster/guide for the front brake cable was pure rust. So I replaced it with a salvaged one. Also the brake cables were replaced with new Jag-Wire cables. I did re-use the original cable housings. Each housing received a few drops of clear oil before inserting the new cables.

There was no water-bottle cage on the bike, only two rusty button-top screws. I added this Schwinn water bottle cage, again to brighten up the bike a little.
I don`t know about you, but I do not ride anywhere without water or Gatorade.

The original saddle was badly scuffed and ripped in one corner. So I replaced it with this salvaged Fuji comfort saddle. It took a little cleaning, but other than that it is in fine condition.

The original kick-stand was the cheapest type. The type you would find on the cheapest of department Store Bikes. I replaced it with this salvaged one.

I made this guide /guard to keep the kick-stand away from the Auto-Shift mechanism. I used a generic clamp that was left-over from some long ago project and a piece left over from a rear rack installation kit. And my family wonders why I never throw anything away. hah! The piece of the guard that hangs down is slightly bent inward towards the wheel. This prevents the kick-stand from accidentally going to the inside of the guard.

The guard works like a charm! And the cost was zero, right in my price-range :)

I decided Not to clean the front Derailleur and Not to replace the derailleur cables. I have a very good reason for this. There is no front derailleur and no derailleur cables. Only this auto-shift mechanism you see above. I`ll try to explain how this thing works.

As you probably guessed The Auto Shift works by centrifugal force. As the wheel spins faster, the weights A B&C move move outwards sliding down the two spokes (marked with circle and cross) that pass through each of the weights. As this happens each weight pulls a Rod (labeled) with equal force. Each rod pulls a lever that forces a piston of sorts to push the Pie-Plate with equal force in three spots. The Pie-Plate pushes the derailleur till it moves to the next gear.
As the wheel goes faster it pushes to the next gear. As the wheel slows, the weights move inward (due to less centrifugal force) and the process is reversed.

You will need to left click on the image to read this diagram. (A) Is where the rod connects to the lever mechanism. (B)Is where I think the lever that connects to the rod is hinged.(C)Is the cylinder that I think the piston slides in and out depending on the wheel going faster or slowing down. As you can no doubt tell, I am guessing at how this works exactly. I was unable to locate a break down or diagram. But I think I have a fair understanding of how this works.

If you are wondering how well this all works. I can tell you this. Once I had it all cleaned-up nicely with Clean-Streak. And then gave it a generous coating of Tri-Flo. It seemed to work pretty good. I did notice, You really need to get cranking at a good rate before it reacts. Although I did also notice it was more responsive when clean and lubed. And the best testimoney I can offer is this. The couple who purchased it already have one they have owned for years. I think for occasional use in clean conditions (no dirt) Hey, I can see this bike working for some people.

Here is a bike that I hope is going to work out nicely for me. This is a vintage MotoBecane 58cm Nomade. You gotta left click on this pic. The paint and graphics are unbelievable! I think if I hide it when people come around maybe I can manage to hang onto this one. This will be my third MotoBecane restoration and the fourth one I have owned. They are not letting me work much during this heat-wave but hopefully it will cool off enough for me to get some more work done. I got a bunch of work done during the last cool down. Yesterday I over did it working in the afternoon sun. And my legs have been hurting all day. Oh well, So it goes..
Until next time Ride Safe and remember to always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE.
Cheers,Hugh

P.S. I`m not sure how I forgot to mention this but. The Auto-Bike has a front free-wheel. Which makes sense if you think about it. Especially during sudden down hill accelerations and panic stops.

All Original / What That Really Means

2011-07-15T18:05:00.003-04:00

Hello and Welcome,
Before I start, Let me make this clear. I am not talking about pre war "Tank Bikes" or Exotic "Road Racers". I am talking about typical "Bike Boom Era" bicycles that appear every day on Craig`s list and other free selling sites on the web. The following comment (via e-mail) inspired me to finally offer my thoughts on this over-used and often abused term, "ALL ORIGINAL". I am in no way implying the writer of this comment is one of the "type of people" I describe in this post. I do thank Anonymous for inspiring me to do this post.

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Schwinn Traveler Restoration / Conversion":I have a Schwinn traveler, all original, just curious how much it is worth?

The following is my original reaction to the question.

If by "all original" you mean a bike with original 20 to 30 year old tires. Which by now are "unsafe at any speed" (regardless of how they may look). Original cables and housings? Original cables that if not lubed over the years, one or more are probably sticking or froze -up . And the cable housings, which by now are starting to crack at some of the cable ends.(where they meet the braze-ons or cable guides) Original brake shoes, which by now would be "Rock Hard" & squeaking. And the original grease in the head-set and crank (bracket). Which over the years has virtually disappeared and hardened to the cups and bearings. And if the bike has been ridden in this state, It has affected the bearings and cups in a negative way. If the inner-tubes are original 20-30 years old, one of them probably leaks.(if not both) If the wheel-set is original, and has not been maintained They are ready for "the works". Which would be truing, polishing / rust-removal, hubs / bearings cleaned and re-greased. And new rim strips or tape for both wheels.

GEEZE Louise! You don`t think this question got me excited do you? Wait it gets better.

If this is what you mean by "all original" I typically purchase these bikes for 20 to 30 dollars. Or about 10.00 at a garage sale.

ABOVE: The bike shown would be typical of the "All Original" bikes I see on the free-selling sites all the time. Although this one has not even been cleaned-up at all. I like to clean the frame "after" stripping the bike.
Back to my original reaction.(:

"All Original" is probably the most "Misunderstood and Abused" term in the cycling world. There are countless people who drag these bikes out of long term storage. Then pump-up the tires and give them a quick cleaning. After which they post them on Craig`s list and advertise them as "All Original".

Above: Cleaning and polishing the calipers is great. But I don`t care how clean you get these, the brake shoes need to be replaced. Period!
Back to my rant again!

Eventually some poor college kid snatches it up thinking He or She has just found a real prize. When in fact what they have actually purchased is a bike that should have been described as "Needs Everything" I try to tell anyone how is in the market to buy a good vintage bike to ride. Listen, Unless you are opening a #%$&&#@ bicycle museum, All original is not what you are looking for. Look for adds that say "well-maintained" and "serviced regularly" or totally re-built. And watch for the word NEW. As in New tires, New cables etc. etc. Or better yet, watch for the absence of the word New in adds. Anybody who refurbishes or restores bikes "wants to tell you" about all the New or Newer stuff. So read the words carefully. And read the missing words even more carefully.(to be continued)

Above: This derailleur is not as bad as most I run-across. But none the less, It should be removed and cleaned and lubed and re-installed with a new cable.

Above: The bearings in this head-set should be inspected and lubed on a regular basis.How frequently would depend on how often you ride and in what conditions. I think once a year would be enough for most people who are not avid cyclists.

Above: Again, not as bad as most I see. But this crank due to age alone needs to be broke-down and serviced.

My original reaction continues.
Some of the things you can expect to happen if you get stuck with one of these gems would be. Poor breaking, not only loud, but the bike is taking way too long to stop. Also you will most likely snap a cable while shifting or breaking at some point. (that can actually get you seriously hurt or worse). You may notice a grinding in the crank (pedaling) or head-set (steering). This will do serious damage to your bike, and possibly to you as well. You may have trouble with your bike not staying in the gear you select. You may have a tire blow-out for no apparent reason (this can also get you hurt or worse) So there you go. Those are just "some" of the problems you can expect.
And cost, Forget About It! You will either spend lots of money getting all this needed work done. Or "Risk Your Life" riding a bike that you can`t begin to afford to fix. That`s a cost you can "Live Without"

Above: Having said all that, Here is my "All Original" 1995 100th Anniversary Edition Schwinn "Clear-Creek. Oh wait, I did replace the saddle with a different model of the same brand. Oh Yeah, and I replaced one of the inner-tubes. Did I mention I trued and polished and serviced both wheels? I also adjusted the steering. The stem was a little out of line with the front wheel. And the brakes I almost forgot the brakes! I adjusted those while I was going over everything else. I did forget to clean and lube the chain, I will be doing that tomorrow. OK not a total restoration. But this bike is 16 years old and has been very well maintained. I plan to sell it on Craig`s list.

Above: My current project a GIANT "Attraction" I have just started to take it apart and clean it up. It will be totally rebuilt when finished. After all, I don`t want it to be someones "Fatal Attraction"....lol I don`t believe I actually wrote that. Oh well to late now.
Till Next Time, Ride Safe and Remember to Always, RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers,Hugh

A Quick Tip: Before I go. It is hard to judge the condition of gum-walls from a photograph. Especially if there is no close-up. So take note of the color. Gum-walls tend to darken as they age. Even if no cracking is visible, the darkening will tip you off to the approximate age of the gum-walls.

Schwinn Hurricane

2011-07-07T22:55:00.001-04:00

Hello and Welcome.
This is the closest thing I have to a before picture of the Schwinn Hurricane. At this point I had already cleaned-up the frame. It already looks better than I thought it would. I`m glad I gave it a second look. Asking price was about 30.00 However it was "33% off day" for people in my age group. So I snatched it up.

My original plan was to clean it up, put the left-over gangster white-walls on it.(that I took off the Physio-Phat) Then sell it as a basic transportation special. While refurbishing the wheels I started thinking this is a much nicer bike than the Physio-Phat. It has the 70GS shifters and derailleurs and a SAKE three ring crank. Not to mention cantilever brakes and alloy wheels with front quick release skewer.

ABOVE : The wheels cleaned-up beautifully. They look like chrome but are actually polished alloy. At this point I really began to see this bike in a different light.

ABOVE : I finally got this pic right, I usually get this one way out of focus. You can see how close the pins are set on the truing stand and the wheel was almost perfect before I trued it up.I got it down to about a 1/16th gap on both sides with no rub. That`s plenty straight enough for this old rigid mountain bike. I have learned to check spoke tension on both sides before I start tightening spokes.
More than a few times I have found the spoke on the same side as the rub tightened rock hard. Sometimes all that is needed is to loosen a really tight spoke just a hair (half turn or less). A spoke or two that are too tight will cause the same problem as a couple that are too loose. When I say "the rub" I mean where the pin makes contact with the wheel while spinning it on the truing stand.

ABOVE : The rear derailleur and free-wheel cleaned up real good as did the rear wheel, which also needed little truing. There is a scrape on the rear D right near the logo. This is purely cosmetic and does not affect the performance.

Above : The front derailleur also cleaned-up beautifully and has almost no cosmetic damage at all.

ABOVE : I replaced the badly scratched black seat post with a chrome one from my collection of salvaged posts. The saddle was dirty but in perfect condition with no scrapes. So I just gave it a good cleaning and re-used it. I replaced all the cables and housings with new Jag-wire Basics. I did re-use the straddle cables but I did clean them up a little. The SAKE crank is super smooth. I don`t think I have ever seen one spin as easy or as long as this one does. It had been greased recently with white grease. There was no way I was going to take this bracket apart. And I`m usually real big on that. I had noticed the fresh grease first while servicing the front hub. I could tell they had done the bottom bracket and the head-set by the feel and traces of grease left in these areas. The chain is used (salvage) but very good quality so I cleaned it and lubed it and re-used it. After that I took it for a ride to see if it felt as good as I hoped it would.

ABOVE : After the ride, I knew what I needed to do. So I took the tires, pedals with traps and touring rack and lights and eventually the panniers off the Physio-Phat. And put them all on the Hurricane. And I could not be happier! This bike is awesome. I took it for it`s first real ride today and showed it off to my coffee shop buddies. While I will need to make a few adjustments, over-all it is good to go. I might see if I can steal that front half fender off the Physio-Phat as well.

ABOVE : So here it is. I will probably also swap saddles with the Physio-Phat. And I`m thinking about maybe replacing the brake-levers with something more BMX`ey. I am also going to see if I can make that 1/2 front fender work as well. Although I did trim it to fit the Physio-Phat, So it might not work.

Above: Now the Physio-Phat is back to what it was before all the improvements. It is still a good bike and soaks up the bumps real good for a rigid. I will find a good home for it somewhere.

Parliament Update: I knew I said I would not but here is the latest pic of the Parliament Custom Built. Today my vintage brake levers arrived. But there was a slight problem. It seems I only ordered one. The guy I bought it from sells them one at a time. So I guess with him, 1 means 1 not "1 set" like every freaken body else who sells them. So I got burned. I paid 25.00 for one vintage lever GEEEEEZE! I hope he`s not looking for some positive feed-back, cause he sure ain`t gonna get any from me. Maybe I`ll publish the e-mail I sent him. I think you all will be proud of me. I showed great restraint ...lol... I really did...honestly

So till next time, Please RIDE SAFE and Shop Carefully and Remember to Always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers,Hugh

Department Store Bicycles / Parliament Update

2011-07-01T18:55:00.002-04:00

Hello and Welcome,
I have just recently found-out that, The vintage Brake Levers I ordered for the "Custom Built - Parliament- Made in England" are not going to arrive till sometime after the Holiday. I had been thinking about doing a post about "Department Store" or "Cheaper" Bikes anyway. So I guess this is "as good a time as any". Below: A Huffy Le-Grande. Built I am guessing mid to late 1980`s

What makes this Huffy a good purchase as far as restorable Old Huffys go? First, overall condition. Notice the lack of rust on the Crank and Chain-Ring guard. Notice the wheels have only very light surface rust. Also a Huge Plus "It has newer tires". The tires appear to have 75% + of the original tread. And the tires (side-walls) are not "cracking" or "dried out" and ready to start cracking. And the Paint is in pretty fair condition and should clean-up very nicely.

Above: The derailleurs although dirty are in working order and don`t show any signs of damage. And the bike is complete. All the major stuff is there and working fairly well. And the wheels spin fairly straight and the brakes work. Although the shoes are all hard, glazed and squeaking.

Above: A good shot of the rear wheel and brake caliper. There are some things that I will replace. Like the calipers, brake levers and pedals. I will use salvaged parts. If this was not possible, I would probably take a pass on this bike.The things I will be paying for, like all the cables and housings, brake shoes and handlebar tape, are all fairly inexpensive. If I replace the saddle I will try to use a salvaged one.
Now the most important factor "The Price" of the bike. Believe it or not the Thrift-Store had a $54.00 US price-tag on the bike. Instead of walking away, I decided to ask to speak to a manager about a price. When the manager arrived I took him over to the bike and calmly explained. "This is a Huffy" and on "a really good day" might be worth 19.99". I went on to explain that these are cheaper road bikes and just don`t command that kind of price. He came back with a counter of 24.99. I told him I was being honest when I said that the bike is only worth 19.99 Tops. And a similar one would sell at any garage sale for 10.00 or less. He came back with 19.99. I agreed and purchased the bike.

So why bother restoring this "bottom feeder" of a Ten Speed bike? Well two reasons really. First "it`s fun." Second, I get a lot of emails from people who just can`t afford to pay much for a bike. Usually students who are on a tight budget. So I try to keep a few "more affordable" bikes around. If I make any money on this bike, it won`t be much. After expenses are figured in, I might break-even, "If I`m lucky". But, It`s not always about the money. It just feels good to make something useful out of something that is on the brink of becoming scrap metal. And it feels good to help someone who might otherwise end up with some piece of junk that some s.o.b. dusted-off and pumped up the tires then sold as "All Original". But that my friends will be another post in itself. I think I will call it "All Original,and What That Really Means!".
Before I sign-off. Here are a few other "cheaper bikes" I have Cleaned-Up AND Repaired lately.

ABOVE: A NEXT "Clutch" Free-Style replica bike that basically needed to be re-assembled and lubed and cleaned.

ABOVE: Two tyke bikes that basically needed the same thing. The Trek got a new rear tire and bar-end plugs and the remnants of a fender removed. The Kent got a flat tire repaired and was re-assembled, cleaned and lubed. Poor assembly is a common problem with these department store bikes. The Kent also had the front fork mounted backwards.

ABOVE: This Ladies Huffy needed a front spoke replaced and front wheel trued. I also replaced the front inner-tube. And cleaned and lubed and adjusted the derailleurs. The rear derailleur cable just needed the slack taken out, then it was fine. The bike was also cleaned-up. Those wheels are alloy 700`s (made in the USA) with a front quick release skewer. Not too shabby for a Huffy. It also has the "Life Time Warranty" frame sticker on the seat-tube.

ABOVE: This petite ladies or girls NEXT Mountain bike needed lots of adjustments but very few parts. After it was all cleaned-up and lubed, the twist or grip shift to the rear derailleur seized-up. I have replaced it with a salvaged one that is only slightly better. Now I either have to order a new grip shift with cable, or change it to a index or paddle shifter. I am not a big fan of grip-shifters.

ABOVE: I do not consider this "Raleigh Rowdy" a Department Store Bike. The spring on the rear left cantilever was not connected which caused the rear brake to rub badly. Also poor cable routing compounded the same problem. I guess it should have gone back to the bike shop for free repairs. It must have drove the kid nuts to try to ride this thing. Also it would not shift onto the smallest (7) rear gear. The rear derailleur guard was bent inward just enough to stop the derailleur short of reaching the 7th gear. Also the grips were damaged on the ends
and the saddle was scuffed badly. No doubt the kid threw the bike down in frustration. I think I might have done the same thing as a boy. I can`t help but wonder, why didn`t they take it back to the shop? Or maybe they did and got no help. Either way it is a shame. I have corrected the problems and replaced the saddle and bar-ends. This is now a fine little bike. I could have had a BLAST on this bike 45 years ago :)

ABOVE: The Pletscher Classic Rack mounted on the Parliament. I had no idea they still made these! This is not N.O.S. This is a New Classic Pletscher Rack. I found it at bikemania for $29.95 The load capacity is 55 lbs. I don`t know if it is "exactly" the same as the original. But it looks original to me. I will not be showing any more pics of the Parliament till it is finished.
Till Next Time, RIDE SAFE and Remember to always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers, Hugh

Raleigh SC 200 gets New Tires / Parliament Custom Built Made in England Update

2011-06-25T11:35:00.000-04:00

Hello and Welcome,
I have been keeping busy while waiting for the last of the parts needed to finish the Parliament Custom-Built with some other bike work.
A Buddy of mine Jerry from the "Coffee Shop Crowd" needed a change of tires on his Raleigh SC 200. Last summer I installed this used set I had laying around the shop for a cheap fix. It seemed like a good idea at the time. SEE BELOW

The problem with the replacement tires (above) was they rode a little rough on pavement. Jerry had been running smooth rollers like the Kenda Kross Plus Slick XC Tires. While He liked the idea of more tread, I do not think He (nor I) realized how much rougher the knobby tires would feel on the pavement. So off with the knobbies (see below) and on with a new set of Kenda Kross Plus Slicks

BELOW: Jerry asked me to clean-up the drive train a bit while I have it on the stand. So I started with the free-wheel. First I brushed it off then sprayed it with White-Lightning Clean-Streak. The lube will come later. I always use a small plastic tub with some dirty paper towels in the bottom to catch the drippings.

BELOW: The front derailleur got the same treatment. The only difference being, I like to wipe-off the "shiny parts" right away and repeat if necessary. Notice there are no paper towels in the tub. Opps! And I am still wearing my Road ID from my morning ride. You know your getting old when you have to update the medical info on your Road-Id. (:

BELOW: I did the same with the rear derailleur. When you spray the rear derailleur you will want to get around and spray it from the far (or left side) as well. I like to wipe-off the rear derailleur right away. Make sure you wipe-off the jockey wheels as well. You will need to back pedal to get the jockey wheels cleaned-up all the way around.

BELOW: Cleaning the chain using a "White-Lightning Bicycle Chain Cleaner". These are amazingly affordable (if you shop around) and do a wonderful job cleaning your chain. The instructions are easy to follow and come with the unit. These are made in Italy and I think I paid less than 20.00 for the unit. It comes with two small bottles of cleaner, enough for four cleanings.

BELOW: After wiping off the chain I applied some chain lube and wiped-off the excess. A friend of mine told me many years ago, "If your chain looks oily, you have too much lube on it". (dust sticks to anything that is wet) I am using White-Lightning but any bicycle chain oil will work. I just figured, the cleaner being White-Lightning, the White-Lightning lube would be compatible. I am sure it really does not matter though.

Below: Lubing the derailleurs. The reason I do this last is, I like to spray the Tri-Flo outdoors. I really hate the smell of this stuff. Just a light coat and wipe off the excess. You want to make sure whatever lube you use is silicone based if you are spraying it on plastic parts. And remember to shake-up the can before spraying if your using Tri-Flo. I like to keep the wind at my back when spraying this stuff. Read All Cautions on the can before using. (anything)

Below: On Road-bikes I like to center the valve stem with the tag or label on the sidewall of the tire. And I keep the tags on the "drive side" of the bike. It just makes it look neater. But On a Mountain Bike or "any bike tire" that does not have tags (colored labels) It makes sense to center the valve stem to where the proper inflation is printed on the sidewall of the tire.Sorry for the lousy pic (so much for auto-focus)

Below: Jerry`s "Raleigh SC 200" all cleaned up and ready for delivery.

BELOW: The parts for the "Parliament Custom Built" have been arriving this week. I will be back to work on it in the next few days. Here is a pic of the Parliament with the new fenders installed.

I heard from one of my readers via e-mail. He had some questions about "Department Store Bikes." I shared my thoughts on restoring D.S.B.s or Cheaper Bikes in general. As fate would have it, I am cleaning-up some bikes this week that fall into the D.S.B. category. I will try to sneak in a post about how to assess a D.S.B. before I post the Parliament Restoration finish.
Till Next Time RIDE SAFE and Remember to Always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers,Hugh

Parliament Road Bike Restoration Part 2

2011-06-18T20:30:00.004-04:00

Hello and Welcome, I am feeling much better and have resumed work on the "Custom Built * Parliament * Made in England"

BELOW: I believe we left off with the front wheel cleaned-up. Shown here with a new rim-strip and Kenda K35 Gum-Wall 90 psi. I would not go with anything but gum-walls on this vintage bike. If you want Gum-Walls and you are ordering Kenda(s) make sure you are getting gum-walls and not skin-walls. There is a least one online supplier who is showing "gum wall" on the description and "black and tan" on the actual ordering part. "Gum-Wal" is a pretty clear description as is "Skin-Wall". But apparently "Black and Tan" could be either one. So buyer beware. And to confuse you even more, the pic they have only shows only the tread, not the side-wall. GEEEZE LOUISE! I absolutely hate that kind of rubbish.(not my first word choice)

BELOW: I have two English wheels (rear) that will fit this bike. Both have Sturmey-Archer stamped on the "almost" identical pie-plates. The original wheel has a badly bent axle. So "for now" I am going with the other one.(the chrome is not quite as good) I will switch them later, if I am able to repair the other. At this point I am unable to break the free-wheel loose. So I will be taking it to a local bike shop for a repair estimate. Or maybe just have them remove the free-wheel and order me a new axle and bearings. BELOW: My extra wheel on the bike also with a new Kenda K35 gum-wall and rim-strip.

BELOW: The Sun-Tour Honor derailleur (type one 1969) all cleaned-up and ready to roll. After a light coat of Tri-Flow that is. I still have a little more cleaning to do on the free-wheel though. I wanted to wait and see how the wheel trued-up first. Check - Out all those adjusters. I am counting 4 including the cable tension adjuster.

BELOW: The Sun-Tour "Spirt" derailleur cleaned -up nicely. I think it might have had some sort of graphite lubricant on it. I was able to remove it using the White-Lightning "Clean-Streak" and also some Turtle-Wax Chrome-Polish & Rust-Remover to get the residue off.

BELOW: Cleaning-up the Weinmann brake calipers, I did something different this time. After taking them apart and polishing each and every part with Mother`s. I then buffed up the parts with the Dremel-like tool. I also used the fine brass wheel-brush on the acorn nuts and springs and other small chrome parts. I added the buffing because my "good eye" is still not 100% and I don`t trust my vision yet. I wanted to make sure they were cleaned and polished as good as I could get them.

BELOW: A close-up of the front Weinmann caliper after polishing and re-assembly. I think it looks pretty good. As always the calipers also got a set of new Jag-Wire shoes. Notice the red & white Weinmann labeled cap-nut washers. I have never run across any in quite this good of condition before. They look like new!

BELOW: A "really bad photograph" of the rear caliper after refurbishing and mounting back on the bike. It looks really good, I just did not get the light right for this photograph. I will slip-in a better one when I can.

BELOW: This is where I am at with the restoration as of today. The garage heated -up in the early afternoon and I had to stop. I am going to try to work on it some more tomorrow. It is great to be back to work :)

BELOW: These are the fenders (mud-guards)I am going to use. They are Toba fenders. This will be the first time I have used this brand. So I will be sure to let you know what my opinion is, in regards to "ease of installation" and "performance". I already like the way they look. I chose this pic because it shows the pin-stripe detail.

BELOW: Due to the use of non-adhesive handlebar tape the handlebar clean-up should be a breeze (easy) They are British and are very light weight for their time.

BELOW: The (GB) logo engraved on the bars. Can I assume this stands for "Great Brittan"? Next to the (GB) is engraved "British Made"
UPDATE: The following is from Steve in Texas and I quote "Actually, "GB" stands for "Gerry Burgess." Really! I have a GB stem on my Falcon".
(Hugh) Thanks Steve

BELOW: An upcoming project, a Huffy Le-Grande. I`m gonna have to do this one on the "cheap". Huffys do not bring a very good price. I`ll have to be careful to not over spend. Good news! It has newer tires not dried out or cracked and almost no tread wear. I hope to upgrade the calipers and levers with salvaged ones. That will save some money. It will need a new or newer saddle and better saddle clamp for sure. I`m hoping to only have to buy cables & housings, brake shoes and handlebar tape. The derailleurs are dirty but in working order, that`s a huge plus.(good thing). Let`s see how cheap we can get this thing back on the road "and upgraded". The Huffy Le-Grande should make a good campus-bike for a student on a tight budget.

Well bicycle lovers that`s all I got for today. Thanks again for all the "well wishes". Until next time, RIDE SAFE and Remember to Always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers, Hugh

Cycling in Michigan`s Upper Peninsula

2011-06-14T21:36:00.002-04:00

Hello and Welcome,
I had a wonderful time this past week vacationing in the Munising area of Michigan`s Upper peninsula. The cabin (rental) is located in the Hiawatha National Forest about 8 miles south of Shingleton Mi. Here is the view from the deck.

Thanks to my brother-in-law for swapping vehicles with my wife and I for the week. The Mercury mini-van has a Reese-hitch which was a perfect fit for my old bicycle rack. And plenty of room in the van for my wife and son and myself and all "the stuff" we brought with us.

That`s me heading out for my morning ride. Morning temps were typically in the low 40`s F. And that`s fine with me, as it keeps the bugs from being to active. The Mosquito(S) own the UP. This was not a surprise to me as I am a native Mich-i-gander and have visited the U.P. many times. But thankfully there were no black flies and the Mosquito population was not in full bloom yet. But if you go to the north woods of Michigan in the summer (or any other time of year) be prepared.

I found this sign is on the gravel road (Old 94) that leads to the paved road. I did not see any logging trucks on our road. But I did see "more than a few" on the main road (highway). When A truck loaded with fresh cut cedar would pass me on the main road, I must admit it did smell really good. I hope they are cutting responsibly and doing the necessary re-planting.

I did ride up this logging road to get a quick look at what logging does to the local environment. It appears that they leave the trees that are not yet thick enough to be harvested and re-plant saplings when finished. I hope they also re-plant on the temporary roads when finished with the harvest.

This waterfall is the only one we viewed that is on private property. It is at the end of a paved road in a sub-division. I thought that was rather odd. We did pay a few dollars to walk the well maintained path and view the falls. They did have a nice gift shop as well. Everybody has to make a living I guess. If you were to stay in Munising many of the falls and other sites would be within a reasonable (bicycle) riding distance. We drove to all our day trips.

*The following is copied from the Grand Island National Recreation Area site*
"Grand Island National Recreation Area Hiking & Mountain Biking Old woods, roads and trails run the perimeter of Grand Island offering many miles of hiking and biking to the most spectacular views one will find anywhere in the Upper Midwest. There are several rustic campsites on the island, and white sand beaches that will thrill the visitor."
UPDATE: I just checked and you can bring your bike on the ferry for an additional $5.00 I copied the following from their site "Prices are $15/adult $10/child 6-12 years; free for children under 6; and $5/bicycle".
We did not get a chance to visit the island. But we will definitely make it there next trip. Below: A lighthouse I photographed from the deck of the glass-bottom Ship-wreck tour boat. I thought the ship-wreck tour was great. my wife thought it was ok...... ?

Below: This picture of Castle Rock was taken from shore. Originally there were two turrets but one eventually crumbled and fell into the lake. We did take the Picture Rock Boat tour. We were roasting on the pier waiting to board and freezing on the bay. My advise "dress for everything" especially in the spring.

Below: I don`t recall seeing this type of Moth before. Left click on the pic to see it enlarged. After image searching "Green Moth" It would appear they are not at all rare. And there appears to be several variations.

Below: My batteries died the day we took the Picture Rocks Bout Tour. They are actually very beautiful. Unfortunately this is the only pic I have until my son forwards me some of the beautiful pics he took.I will update this with a better pic at some point.

We did not see any Bears in the wild, and I knew my wife would love to see some. And I absolutely refuse to view Bears at the dump (land-fill). So when I heard on the radio that Oswald Bear Ranch (near Newberry ) had cubs, I could not resist. We had some pics taken playing with one of the cubs. But due to privacy concerns I will not be posting them until after my son does some photo-shop work on them.

Below: Another of the "about a dozen" waterfalls we viewed on our trip. This was one of my favorites.

That`s me checking out one of the many rock formations in the area. Some of the tourists (or locals) have actually carved their names into the sand stone walls in this area. I did not see it at any of the other locations though.

Well that`s about it for my vacation. To those who have sent their best wishes for my speedy recovery, I Thank You. My left eye is recovering nicely and I am almost finished with the steroids. I actually did a little bike hunting today. And I will be doing some work on the Parliament this week. Although I have promised my wife and doctors to take it easy for a while. I do have a "quick flip"
bike I might do this week. Mostly because it wont be too demanding. Today I purchased a "Huffy Le-Grande". Talk about two words that don`t go together..lol
Like "Yugo Continental" or "Escort GT" Anyway I think I`m going to see how cheap we can make the Huffy into something functional and hopefully decent looking.

Till Next Time, RIDE SAFE and Remember to always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers, Hugh

Raleigh Persuit Fender Change / Physio Phat

2011-06-04T18:12:00.001-04:00

Hello and Welcome,
I am taking an unplanned break to deal with a bout of Optic Neuritis.. I have a great team of doctors helping me get back on track. It has been difficult to do any thing on the PC lately due to the vision problems that come along with it. I did however bring the Raleigh Pursuit back from AnnArbor Mi. to be fitted with some wider fenders,

Above: This shot shows just what little coverage the 35mm road racer fenders provide on the 27 X 1&1/4 inch Kenda K35 Gum-walls. Although the Pursuit was originally a road racer style bike with drop bars and no fenders. I should have paid more attention to the metric size specs than to the words road racer or road bike. I knew these 35mm were going t be a problem when I was installing them. But I figured with a little tweaking I could make them work.

Above: This was the worst problem area, where the rear fender clips onto the brace that is located behind the bracket shell and connects the two chain stays. But the whole thing was really tight all the way around so I did not bother making any modifications. I adjusted the fender height at the rear brake caliper connection. And adjusted the fender shape or curve by adjusting the length of the fender struts. And when I finished everything cleared, but just barely. I should have known that with a set-up this tight the first bump was going to knock the whole deal out of whack. And that`s pretty much what happened.

Above: The replacement 45mm fender cut with a hot knife. (it only looks rough on the inside) Trimming the fender after installing it allowed me to cut off just the
riht amount of plastic the get the fender to spread-out properly. And still get good coverage all the way to the connection.

Above: Use "Extreme Caution" when cutting with a hot knife. You might want to get some help with the first one. I would not recommend doing this if you don`t feel confident working with a torch and a hot knife. Having said that, I use this Stanly utility knife which has no plastic parts. I love this knife it is a combination jack-knife / utility Knife. It is designed with a quick-change blade feature. And only one of the two blades can be opened at once. I don`t know if this is still available. But I would recommend this all around knife to anyone. It is without a doubt one of the best (if not the best) knives I have owned. And this is coming from a guy who owns a 1968 Puma "White Hunter" (German made) in near mint condition.

Above: The two pieces of plastic that were cut off with the hot knife. The bike was picked-up right away (a day early)So I had no chance to get pics of the finished project. I did throw in a vintage Italian water-bottle cage and some adjustments. The young lady was kind enough to come pick-up the bike after learning about my temporary vision problem. So if I learned anything on this build it was "do your research" and "read the specs carefully" and do the conversions "metric to s.a.e." My Dad used to say "It`s ok to make a mistake, just make sure you learn from it."
BELOW: The ever evolving Physio Phat

ABOVE: Physio-Phat shown with new Kenda K-80 Red wall Cruiser tires and Multi -Sport pedals with "old style" straps and traps. (toe clips)

Below: I don`t think I ever showed the Avenir Rack. The first rack (Sun Lite)was borrowed from the Pursuit project. When I decided to go with panniers, I thought it best to not mix brands. So it was not a surprise that the Avenir panniers fit the Avenir rack perfectly.

Well I have not done enough work on the Parliament Custom-Built to rate an update.
Tomorrow I am going to take my doctors advice and spend a long week in the North Woods, mostly resting. I will take my lap-top and a digital camera. But I am not sure how that will pan-out.
I should be back online by June 12th if I am not able to post from the North Country. Thanks for your patience and well wishes. Till Next Time, RIDE SAFE and remember to Always... RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
See You Soon, Cheers,Hugh

The Parliament Rode Bike Restoration Part I

2011-05-18T02:30:00.002-04:00

Hello and Welcome, I have started restoring the Parliament ladies road bike. I was excited about the old style front wheel with the wing nuts, So that is where I started. The rim was in fine shape (rust wise) but it did have some small curb dings. When you spin the wheel on the truing stand with the pins screwed in close to the the rim`s side walls (start at about 1/8" out)
*Photograph is from another build. It is being used to show the set-up*

It will rub the pins where the wheel is out of true. If it is a curb ding, it wont make a rub or scraping sound as it passes the pins. It is more like a "ping" sound. Once I have located a curb ding I mark it on center inside and out with a blue Sharpie. Then I remove the wheel from the stand. I use the edge of my work bench top as a brace. With the edge of the bench top inside the rim and under the ding to brace the rim. I hit the mark with my ball-pein hammer.(not too hard) Then check it visually if it looks good (flat)I put it back on the truing stand to check it. If it no longer contacts the pin and the gap looks good I move onto the next one. One day I will have to get a photo of this as it is difficult to explain. But with both hands busy and no room for the tri-pod I will need to do this when someone is around to take the pictures.

Above and Below: Above photographs of the front wheel finished. I was very careful with the ding repair. This would be a tough wheel to replace. Besides the wing-nut front axle, It also has a unique segmented design on the side walls. Below:The hub and flanges cleaned up beautifully. After the "curb dings" were banged-out the truing was very minor. It spins now with less than a 16th of an inch of wobble. If you left click on the top photograph you can see the segmented design on the side-walls.

Below: The three piece cotter crank and bracket assembly all polished-up and ready to be re-assembled. Luckily I had the correct pins in stock as the originals mushroomed a little on the threads. I probably could have cut-off a little of the threaded post and re-used the original pins if it had been absolutely necessary.

Below: A shot of the Crank back on the bike. It does have some minor pitting, but for circa 1969 I think it looks pretty damn good. Note the heavy scratching on the chain-stay. I think the lime green enamel that I had to darken for the green Raleigh 3 speed might be perfect match. "I should be so lucky"

Below: The first New Brooks saddle I have ever purchased. When this project is finished, it should look "right at home". It was 89.99 US including delivery. I think that`s a great price for a "saddle manufacturer" that many still consider to be "simply the best"

Below: The vintage frame pump is one I had laying around the shop. It is really more of a prop, as it is wore out. I think it is a little too much white anyway. I will attempt to locate a reasonably priced chrome replacement on the e-bay.

Below: The upper and lower (pictured) head-set bearings are really cool. As you can see the crown-race is channeled and the bearings sit in there. Then there is a cup that fits over the top. Then the whole thing fits into the normal cup on the head tube. Kind of an early sealed bearing set-up. Well I think it`s really cool anyway.

Below: Here is the lower head bearings ready to be inserted into the head-tube. Once
this is in the lower head cup the bearings will be very well protected. I call the other "the head cup" because the bearings are already in this cup.

Below: This pic of the top head-set bearings ready to be placed into the upper head tube cup shows why I call these sealed bearings.

Below: A shot of my very basic but effective small parts cleaning station. When these bearings are clean I will store them in the cap (of the white lightning can) to keep them clean (and off the floor) till I need them.

Below: When I am ready to place the individual bearings into the cup or race I have a trick to getting these tiny bearings out of the cap without dropping them all over the floor. I simply dip my finger lightly into the grease tub and then stick my greasy finger into the bearings. It actually works quite well. I try not to get more than three at a time, too many at once gets a little tricky.

Below: Polishing up the stem with Mother`s. I did use the "fine" brass wheel brush to remove some of the "rust staining" on the lower stem. I was careful to not brush above the min. insertion line as it does leave fine scratches in the soft alloy.

Below:I think the new fenders (mud guards) are going to look awesome. It took a little while to find white fenders. I located these on amazon.com I don`t think it is visible in this pic, But they do have a raised stripe which gives them a more retro style than just being smooth.

Well that`s where I am at right now with the "Custom Built Parliament Made in England" I am having a little trouble with the rear wheel. It appears that the rear axle is badly bent. And I do not have the correct free-wheel removal tool. I did find another old English Sturmey-Archer rear wheel in the shop. The hub flanges match. And the pie-plate (also Sturmey-Archer-England engraved) is real close. Two problems, One the chrome is not quite as good. And two, the wheel is slightly out of round. If I have to use this wheel, I think I can adjust most of that out. So tomorrow I will take the original wheel to my local bike shop and see if they can remove the free-wheel and hopefully they have a replacement axle.
Until Next time, Please Ride Safe and Remember to Always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers,Hugh