…bike is done… January 8, 2008
Posted by Chief in Bicycle, Biking, build, Equipment, Hawaii, maintenance, Photos.Tags: bike, blog, life, Photos
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Well, it’s finished. I even rode it to work today. It was fast! I won’t be keeping it, though. It is a size too small. I really need a bike just a bit bigger to be comfortable. Anyway, here are some pics:
Besides tearing it completely down to get rid of corrosion and grease everything, I replaced the bar tape, the pedals, the rear derailleur, and all the cables and housings.
The only reason I replaced the rear derailleur is that it was cheap and I didn’t feel like all that polishing and cleaning. It was going to be a lot more work than the brakes or shifters.
So, overall it turned out to be a great bike! A little bigger and it would be a great bike for me… oh well…
…going back together… January 5, 2008
Posted by Chief in Bicycle, Biking, build, Equipment, Hawaii, maintenance, Photos.Tags: bike, life, maintenance, Photos, rebuild
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So, I’m slowly getting the little parts and pieces cleaned up and putting the bike back together.
After taping the handlebars, I had to fit up the new seat to see how everything looks… I’m still grinning! 🙂 This is going to be one sharp looking bike.
…lots of little rust areas… January 1, 2008
Posted by Chief in Bicycle, Biking, build, Equipment, homebrew, maintenance.Tags: bike, fix, maintenance, replace, rust
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…remember what I said about the cables looking good? They do. It’s the housings that are horrible.
The shifter cables at the head tube.
The brake cables on the handlebar.
Inside the STI lever.
It’s easier to replace all the cables. Should be fun.
…brake tip… January 1, 2008
Posted by Chief in Bicycle, Biking, build, homebrew, maintenance.Tags: bike, brake, maintenance, tip
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Here’s a tip for brake maintenance:
If you have side-pull or dual-pivot brakes, and you get a rough or audible release, check your tension spring. There should be a little groove where the spring presses against the second arm. This spring will slide a little inside a little plastic tube. Your little plastic tube may have disintegrated, leaving a metal on metal rub that will feel rough and may be slightly audible.
This is what my little black plastic thing looked like. So, I had to replace it – but with what?
After poking around my garage for a bit and trying a few things, I tried an electrical connector. These are little red plastic tubes with a slight shoulder on each end, and a metal roll pin inside. Simply punch the roll pin out, dab a touch of grease inside the plastic tube, slide over the spring end, and pop back into the groove.
The top shoulder keeps the red tube from sliding off, and the tension spring slides noiseless and effortless inside the plastic tube.
…shopping list… January 1, 2008
Posted by Chief in Bicycle, Biking, build, Equipment, maintenance, review.Tags: bike, fix, maintenance, opinions, parts, rebuild, reviews
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…Ok, so I am working up a shopping list for the bike rebuild. It doesn’t need much. Stuff does add up in a hurry, but I think I can make a pretty cool looking bike fairly inexpensively.
Handlebar tape:
The Yellow/Black near the middle of the image. About $15.
Seat:
It’s a yellow and black saddle, so it matches the bike color scheme, for $20. Waaay cheaper than the Brooks I really want to put on it.
Pedals:
CrankBros Eggbeater Chromoly pedals. $40. And I can use the shoes I already have.
Other items:
- Yellow paint for details, like head tube emblem.
- New shifter and brake cables.
- Small yellow/black under seat tool bag.
So, take a look at my flickr set for the bike rebuild, and let me know what else you think I should do. So far, I’ve cleaned up and fixed the front derailleur and rear brake, wire brushed and primed the head tube badge, removed the bar tape, removed the rusted toe clip pedals, and removed the front brake for cleaning/repair.
Depending on the price of the cables, I’ll have the bike rebuilt and looking great for about $100. Add to that the $250 purchase price, and it’s a nearly new compact road bike for less than $400!
…fixed front derailleur… December 31, 2007
Posted by Chief in Bicycle, Biking, build, Equipment, Information, maintenance.Tags: adjust, bike, derailleur, fix, maintenance
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…so, I fixed the front derailleur. Pretty easy. The two adjusting screws, seen in the pic below, affect the range of travel. They were both screwed in all the way and lock-tite’d. Simply backing them out allows normal range of travel.
Now on to other parts… check out my flickr photos to see more of the little rust issues.
At least the chain is in good condition. Not a fraction of a millimeter of stretch!
...bike to work to live to bike... 