Great Canadian Bike Overhaul part 1

I have received some request to restore an old bike and blog the project. That is a great idea and I have been itching to start something new. I haven't restored a bike in a while and this should be fun sharing it with all of you.

I am not looking for a particular bike and like most of you out there, the budget is tight. So I'll be scrounging the trash, local garage sales and thrift stores for an interesting subject. Any of you who want to donate a carcass are welcome to email me.

Now this will not be a concour bike. My restorations are more practicle oriented and I try to keep the spirit of the bike without sacrificing usability. I'll document every step of the project, even the search, so keep posted.

UPDATE: Bicycle carcass found. Check it out at my new blog on the subject here.

Wow! This is nuts or coming soon.

This blog was created with the intention of helping out people with some bicycle repair knowledge and I never taught that it would get so much attention!

I've received requests to show how to align wheels and how to restore a bicycle from the ground up. In order to give you the proper information, because there is a lot of it, I will create 2 more blogs for this in order to make sure that things are not too crowded. The wheel blog will cover everything from building a wheel to installing a tire. The bike overhaul will contain every possible detail as well. By the way, I've found a subject for the bike restoration, so all of you fans out there won't have to wait to long for this to begin.

This is my first blog. I made it during my vacation and now I am back to work. Time is limited, but I will be updating everything and putting up the new blogs within a week. So keep posted, there's a lot of material and I'm not about to run out of it.

I've also noticed that readers of this blog come from all over the world. It's a great feeling to know that you can help people from all over the planet from the comfort of your home.

Keep your comments and questions coming. I respond on a regular basis.

About this bicycle repair blog

This blog will help you with bicycle maintenance and bicycle repair. Everything from chain lubrication to wheel alignement will be covered in time. Come back and check old postings as well since they will be revised with new information from time to time. I will also be building some special projects and bicycle restorations. Your comments and questions are always welcomed. They make this blog even better. Remember, taking care of business yourself is not that hard.

Bicycle chain lubrication and maintenance: The best and cheapest chain lube around is Automatic transmission oil. It is synthetic and a quart will last you a very long time for the price of a small bottle of bicycle chain lube. On very dry or rusted chains, apply it with an old toothbrush dipped in the tranny lube. On less needy chains, you can apply it with a non-needle syringe link by link. Always wipe any excess and make sure none of it falls on your wheel rim (this would make braking very difficult or impossible for awhile). Tranny oil works great for a lot of other things as well. Avoid using regular motor oil at all cost. This mineral oil is a magnet for dust and foreign particals on your drivetrain.

Adjusting Brake handles: You need those too!

I realized that I made a post about brakes but never mentionned brake handles! They are pretty simple, but can be the source of problems.

Make sure that the cable housing adjustment nut is all the way into the main body of the brake handle before working on your brakes. This can be used to adjust your brakes on the fly or to tweak them a bit after a brake job. It shouldn't be screwed all the way out, then you have no more room for adjustement.

To remove a cable is very simple. Just align all the moving parts so that the slot in them aligns with the one on the main body. Remove and replace, that's it.

Tip of the day: Adjust the position of your brake handles so that your hands and wrist are comfortable with your fingers resting easily on the handle while you ride. You shouldn't be flexing your wrists while riding, it is unsafe and uncomfortable. Remember, the more comfortable you are on your bike, the more you will ride.

How to grease bicycle wheel bearings

You asked for it, here you have it. Wheel bearings on a bicycle are an important part of bicycle maintenance and by making sure that everything is well lubed in there, you can avoid costly bicycle repair down the road. Well lubed bearings also provide an easier ride.

The wheel bearings sit between a cone screwed to the wheel axle and the cup in the wheel hub. They must be properly adjusted and greased. To find out if everything is ok without taking everything apart, simply remove the wheel from the bike and turn the axle with your fingers. Everything turns nice and smooth without any play? Good, then you probably don't have to worry about anything. If the axle is stuck, very hard to turn or is very loose, you have to regrease your bearings propbably anyways. Here's how to:

1. You must get yourself some flat open wrenches, Park Tools makes good ones, make sure they are in sizes 13mm and 15mm. Those are the most common sizes. You won't get away using anything else for the bearing cones, so don't even try. Any kind of adjustable wrench will do for the locking nut.

2. Put the flat wrench on the bearing cone between the hub and the locking nut. Put the adjustable wrench on the locking nut. Hold the bearing cone in place and unscrew the locking nut. The best position to do this is hunched over the wheel while it sits on the ground. Whatever you do, DON'T open the cones at all while in this position. Just unlock it so you can unscrew everything with your fingers later.

3.This is later. Bicycle wheel bearings come nicely snug into crowns these days, but sometimes you still find some that are just put loose in the wheel hub. To avoid all of them crashing to the ground with the possibility of vanishing for ever, grab the axle on the side that is still locked in place and point the end that you've just loosened, up. Now it is time to unscrew the locking nut almost completely off the axle. Next, unscrew the bearing cone to expose the wheel bearings to the light of day. Any grease in there? You'd be surprised on how often I open up brand new bikes and find almost nothing.

4. Now this is the fast way to regrease your bearings by just shooting grease in the bearings, screwing the cone back in, flipping the wheel over, hold the cone of the bearing you've just greased, grab the axle now facing up, unscrew it to reveal the other side bearings and pack them with grease. But the proper way is by taking everything off, clean all the cones, hub cups, bearings, repack with grease and reassemble. One great way to pack grease in wheel axles is by using a small feeder syringe. Only undo one side of the axle, this way you are sure that your axle is always centered when you reassemble it.

5. Reassembly is done screwing in the bearing cone back into place, but not too tight. Bearings should be able to roll smoothly without axle play. Tightened the lock nut into place and check again. If you ever hear crunching noises while turning the axle, dirt has gotten into your bearings and you should start all over again. To avoid this, make sure you work in a clean place. If everything is clean, you might have small pits in your bearing cones or cup. Your bearings will be eaten away with time and it would be a good thing to replace those.

Special note on rear wheel bearings.

In order to repack rear wheels, you have to remove the gear cogs on them. In order to do this, you need a special socket to unscrew it. Check with your local bike shop for the proper one. Their are a few models and types. Coaster brake or inner speed hubs are almost bullet proof and very rarely need regreasing. Those should be handled by a pro.

Tip of the day: My favorite grease recipe is a 50/50 mix of green axle grease and any type of white teflon based bicycle grease. The teflon grease is very good but isn't very thick and tends to liquify easily. The green axle grease adds muscle to it. Try it.