The Huffeigh's New Saddle

To be more in keeping with the Huffeigh's British roots, I've decided to replace the vulgar Taiwanese vinyl-and-rust job that was on it with a "vintage" (read: "old") Brooks B-72 purchased on eBay. It needs cleaning, but it's otherwise in fine shape, and is going to make quite a difference, both in terms of aesthetics and comfort. I like the well-worn look, since I think a brand-new saddle looks a bit odd on a bike that is also well-worn. It will darken a bit with cleaning and oiling, which will be good, since it will better match the black bike and (the eventual) new black grips. The photo below illustrates the simplicity of the Brooks compared to the mess that is the underside of the Taiwanese Wonder-Saddle.

The Runwell: Day, Uh, 13? 14?

Honestly, I've lost track of the days. I've been working on sanding/chipping the old paint off the fenders, and priming, painting, and top-coating them. I'm about half-way through that process now. I also gave the frame a rubdown with rubbing compound, which really brought out the shine and deepened the color. No more pictures of the frame or fenders (well, maybe the fenders) until I'm all done--don't want to spoil the suspense!

My cork grips from Velo Orange arrived yesterday, and I promptly set about cutting them down so they would fit on the Runwell's smallish handlebars. Because I lopped about two inches off the end of each grip, I was left with open-ended grips that needed bar plugs (it was an aesthetic choice not to take the two inches off the already-open end of the grips). To match the color of the cork grips (and boost my DIY cred), I whittled two plugs out of some scraps of 1" wooden dowel I had laying around.

I'll varnish these separately, then put the grips and plugs on the bars and varnish them both together to create a good water-tight seal. I'll be running to the bike shop this weekend to hopefully get my tires, tubes, rim tape, chain, and new spoke. Then, it's an order from Harris Cyclery of rod-pull brake shoes, new block pedals, and perhaps a new seatpost (to replace the original angled post that seats me too far forward). Once all that is assembled, I'll give the frame a couple coats of polish and I'll be done. I won't say when that will be, for fear of jinxing the whole operation, but soon, I hope.

Schwinn Tire Sizing

Left: Original Schwinn S-5 Right: Kenda Replacement

A commenter recently asked about where to find tires to fit a Schwinn Racer. This is a common enough question, so I thought I'd do a post about it. I should point out that I don't really know anything about tire sizes on other models of Schwinn, just the 3-speeds that supposedly take a 26 x 1 3/8" tire.

The thing is, a 26 x 1 3/8" English-size tire (or tyre, if you will) is not the same as a Schwinn-size 26 x 1 3/8" tire. I know, I know. Schwinn had a different rim/tire sizing system where rims were sized S-5, S-6, S-7 and so on. My 1961 Schwinn Racer, and other Schwinn three-speeds of similar vintage, came with either an S-5 or S-6 rim, which are the same size and will take the same tire/tube (the shape of the rim is slightly different, but does not affect the size).

The only tires that I could find on the market today in this size are made by Kenda, and they're not at all expensive. Harris Cyclery sells them online here. By the way, the I.S.O. (International Organization for Standarization) number for these is 37-597, which may help if you can get your local bike shop to order them for you. Cosmetically, they're a good match for the original tires (see above).

Clear as mud? For more on Schwinn tire sizing, see a lively discussion here. And, of course, Sheldon Brown weighed in on the topic here. Anyone with other (better) info should post it in the comments below. I just hope Kenda keeps making those tires.

E-x-cellent!

Mwa-ha-ha! My plans are coming to fruition! Don't know why they seem to be evil though...

My new shifter, cable, and indicator spindle arrived today from Harris Cyclery. Great turnaround in the shipping, by the way--just four days from the East Coast to Sandy Eggo. Now I just have to get to the bike store to get some bearing grease, new tires and tubes, new brake cables, a quick-release front axle (maybe), a cable cutter, and get my front rim trued. Oh, front rim, why aren't you true?

White paint/stencils this weekend!

The Huffeigh's Stuck Stem Bolt: An Inelegant Solution

Last week, the Huffy/Raleigh underwent an operation to free the stuck stem bolt/expander wedge. You'll remember that the bolt was stuck fast, despite loads of penetrating oil (I even tried the WD-40) and about two weeks of letting it sit. To complicate matters, the head of the bolt was stripped so that I couldn't get a good grip with any kind of wrench, pliers, or grips. I finally settled on that ultimate in refined tools: the hacksaw.

I first sawed down through the washer, so that I wouldn't have to undercut the washer to get the head of the bolt off cleanly. I was also working partially on the theory that the head of the bolt and the washer, instead of being two pieces, were actually one. The photo below shows the status of things at this point:

Now, with a good vantage point to cut the bolt, I laid the bike down on its side and began cutting. I was able to saw through the bolt cleanly, flush with the top of the stem (I stupidly didn't get a photo of this). Turns out that the bolt and washer were indeed two pieces, but had partially fused with rust and an extreme case of over-tightening at some point. I then stood the bike back up (resting on the fork and bottom bracket now) and set about trying to tap the bolt down to knock the wedge loose.

Unfortunately, with the sawn bolt now flush with the top of the stem, it was quite difficult to hit the bolt hard enough to dislodge the wedge, and my efforts were not successful. I had already purchased a replacement stem and handlebars (a one-piece deal off a 1960s J.C. Higgins--very close in shape and spread to the original, but the bars not adjustable) on the assumption that I might have to do something drastic, like cut through the stem, in order to get the wedge knocked loose. So, I gritted my teeth and set about cutting through the stem to get better access to the bolt.

I again laid the bike down, resting on a couple of paving bricks padded with a towel, and started sawing through the stem near the top. I cut around the stem, rather than through the bolt in order to preserve as much of the bolt as possible to get a grip on. Here's the result:

Once I stood the whole works back up, I was able to grip the bolt with pliers and turn it loose, which it did maddeningly easily. So, the bolt wasn't rusted to the wedge after all! The problem turned out to be that the wedge was a bit too wedged in the stem tube--so much so, in fact, that just knocking the bolt (and quite hard) wasn't about to dislodge it.

With the bolt removed from the wedge, I was able to get a rather long and hearty screwdriver down in there and after a good deal of pounding with the hammer, managed to finally knock the wedge out. After that, I was able to separate the stem and fork easily, and I even managed to catch the loose headset bearings quite neatly as I pulled the fork from the head tube, allowing me to forego the swearing, muttering, hands-and-knees search for errant bearings.

All told, the only victim was one original, but very rusty, stem. I must say, I really hated to destroy the stem, but I'm not too broken-up about it, since I have the new stem already, and I can probably find an even better replacement at some point down the road. I might have puzzled through a better way to accomplish this whole operation, but I'm well enough pleased with how it turned out.

So, final verdict on a hacksaw as a bicycle tool: quite effective, if a bit drastic. Gives new meaning (or, perhaps, original meaning) to the phrase "bike hacks."

More on the cleaning progress soon, including a stow-away hiding in the frame.

Bent Axle

Well, there's yer problem.... So, I mentioned that my ride down to National City a couple of weeks ago brought to light some problems with the Peugeot that I hadn't noticed on shorter rides. Among these, the tendency of the back wheel to migrate ever-so-slightly to one side, and also for the wheel to get a little wobbly at the axle. You wouldn't think it would take a rocket scientist to figure out that the axle was bent, but it wasn't until I took the rear hub partially apart that I discovered the culprit (above). I've ordered a new axle from Harris Cyclery, which I hope will be the right size for the hub and dropouts, and the right threading for the hardware, which doesn't come with. When I get the axle, if it's what I need, I post the specs. Oh, and for anyone taking apart a hub, front or back, be aware that some hub bearings are loose (not held within a ring) and that little bearings can suddenly fall out and run all over the place if you're not ready for them. Not that that happened to me, mind you.

Replacing the Peugeot's Rear Axle

A while back, I discovered that the rear axle on the Peugeot was bent. I ordered a new axle from Harris Cyclery, and have just now gotten everything put back together. It wasn't that hard, but life has a way of intruding on our best-laid plans. There aren't many pictures because I prefer not to leave greasy fingerprints all over the camera. Until I can hire a full-time camera operator, you'll just have to deal with it. Here's the rundown:

DISCLAIMER: I am not a professional mechanic, and this post should be read only for entertainment purposes (if you find this kind of thing entertaining). If you want to do your own work on your bicycle, you should most definitely consult other sources, and if you are not comfortable performing your own work, consult a qualified professional mechanic.

Remove the rear wheel from the frame: Without a bike stand, I just up-ended the bike and went to work. First, and most obviously, remove the quick-release skewer and make sure the little springs don't fly away. When removing the rear wheel, keep in mind that you'll have to handle the chain, as you will need to disengage it from the rear sprockets. It will be messy. I find it easiest to just remove the chain to begin with, using the chain-breaker tool, which isn't as destructive as it sounds. That way, I can give the chain a thorough cleaning, too. You don't have to do this every time you take off the rear wheel, and you probably shouldn't, but it's been a while since I did.

Once I removed the chain, the derailer "relaxed," since it's spring-loaded, and came to rest on the gear cluster. To keep the derailer out of the way, you can take a piece of wire coat hanger and rig a simple device to hold the derailer arm away from the rear sprockets. Hook one end around the derailer arm, and the other end to the frame. Wrap the wire in tape to prevent scratching the frame. With the derailer out of the way, just lift out the wheel.

Remove the old axle: For the mechanically disinclined (like me), this can be intimidating. There seem to be a lot of little parts in there, but don't sweat it too much, it's not really that bad. You should have a locknut and a bearing cone on each side of the hub (if you don't, you shouldn't be riding the bike). The bearing cone keeps the bearings contained within the hub and allows the hub to turn on the axle; the locknut keeps the bearing cone in place.

You can remove the locknut with a regular wrench, although if it's been on there a long time, you might want to put a drop or two of oil on it to make it easier to turn. There is a special wrench that makes it easy to remove and re-install the bearing cone (called a cone wrench), but I've never used one. Most sites and mechanics recommend you get one, and they're fairly cheap, so I have no excuse. Since the bearing cone shouldn't be screwed down too tight (to allow the bearings to turn freely), you can probably wiggle it loose with your fingers and a small wrench.

With the bearing cone off, the bearings will be exposed, and if they aren't contained within a ring, they will be loose within the bearing cup (the picture at left shows the bearing cup after the bearings were removed). Be very careful that you don't accidentally dump the bearings out, because if they're old and the grease is dry, they'll just fall right out, and you really don't want to lose your bearings (ba-dum-bum). On the Peugeot, each side of the hub has nine bearings (I don't know if it's different with other bikes). Once you've removed the locknut and bearing cone on one side (the side without the freewheel), you can slide the axle out of the hub. I was sitting, holding the wheel horizontally across my knees to do this, and fortunately caught the down-side bearings in my hand as I slid the axle out of the hub. The photo at left shows the hub with axle and bearings removed.

You will now be holding the old axle in one hand and the wheel in the other. Put the wheel aside for a minute. The old axle will still have the bearing cone and locknut on one side, and to get these off, you may have to grip the old axle with a pair of pliers or a vice in order to get enough leverage to turn the nut and cone off. If your axle is still good and you want to keep it, you should grip it at the center and cover whatever gripping tool you use with tape or cloth to prevent it from damaging the threads of the axle. With the final hardware removed from the old axle, set it aside or put it in the odd bits section of your toolbox.

Clean and re-grease the bearings: These literally keep your wheel turning, so if the bearings are dried up or mucky, you should clean them, as well as the bearing cup and the cone. I use Pedro's BioClean, which works quite well. Once everything is sparkly-clean, get your tube of grease and squeeze a healthy quantity around the inside of the bearing cup and spread it around with your little finger. Place each bearing back in the cup (the grease will hold them in there, but be careful handling the little buggers with greasy fingers), and when they're all in, cover them all with another dose of grease and pack in down a bit with the tip of your finger. Don't worry about putting too much in there, everything should have a nice thick coat. Do the same with the other side. You can put a piece of tape over the side you've already done just to make sure the bearings don't fall out when you turn the wheel over.

Install the new axle: I basically just did everything in reverse, threaded the bearing cone and locknut on one side of the axle, slid the axle through the hub, and threaded the cone and nut on to the other side, making adjustments to each side until the axle was centered in the hub. Again, don't over-tighten the bearing cone, the bearings need to roll within the cup. Since the freewheel is on one side of the hub, while the other is bare, you'll have to guess a little to make sure the axle is properly centered, and to do this, set the wheel back in the frame dropouts. The axle should protrude just a couple of millimeters from the frame on each side and the wheel should be centered in the frame. The new axle is a bit longer than the old one, so I added a couple of spacer washers between the bearing cone and the locknut on each side so that the quick-release could be tightened enough to firmly hold the wheel in the frame.

So, that's what I did and it seems to work just fine. For reference, the replacement axle was ordered from Harris Cyclery and has the following specs: Diameter: 10 mm; Thread: 1 mm; Length: 137 mm; Spacing: 126 mm.

An Old Bike Project is Never "Finished"

Looks like I spoke too soon. After riding the Runwell around a bit, it has developed a loud clunk in the right crank arm, the result of a mangled crank cotter that I just can't get tight enough anymore. Fortunately, I can order new cotters in the right size from Harris Cyclery, but it puts the bike out of commission for another week, at least, and forces me to confront yet another somewhat-dreaded DIY repair. I'd like to hear from anyone who has extracted/installed their own crank cotters without a cotter pin press. I've heard about bent pins, ruined cranks, etc., but I'd like to hear some happy stories with good endings. Anybody?

The Runwell's Franken-pedal

I've tried boiling water, I've tried penetrating oil, I've tried sheer brute force, I've taken it to a bike shop, I've taken the pedal apart to gain better leverage, I've bent two (cheap) wrenches, I've even yelled at it, but the left pedal WILL-NOT-BUDGE (yes, I'm turning it the correct way--left side pedal loosens clockwise). So, I finally hit upon the idea of dismantling my new block pedal from Harris Cyclery, and simply rebuilding the old pedal around the stuck spindle with the new blocks. After much cajoling, everything worked out fine. The pedals are still somewhat mismatched, with the right one being wholly new, and the left only having new rubber, but it looks better than it did. In fact, I may do the same with the other pedal at some point, as I do like the look of the old pedals. And with that, I'm finally really done. I have plans to take it on a big ride around town, hopefully over the weekend, and take some "glamour shots" of the bike in various appropriate locations.

The Runwell: First Photos

Here's the "before" photo from the Craigslist posting, and the rest are from today--I'm finished! These didn't really turn out very well, and I'll post some better ones later, but I just had to put these up! Actually the rackafratzin' left pedal is still stuck fast, so I've still got that to work on. Right now, the right pedal is shiny and new, and the left is dirty and old. Otherwise, I'm incredibly pleased with how the polish went on, how the fenders turned out, and just really totally psyched about the whole package, actually! The rod brake works wonderfully, as does the coaster hub, and the saddle is the only thing that makes noise, and that just needs a bit of oil in some strategic places underneath.

New Saddle for the Missus

I'm not the only one getting new sits around here. I found a good deal on this Schwinn saddle for my wife's 1977 Schwinn Suburban. The saddle that was on there was a newer and very crappy saddle designed for road bikes. It was too narrow and had no springs whatsoever and was not at all a good match for the bike. As a general rule, the more upright your riding posture, the wider and more heavily-sprung your saddle should be.

The new saddle has only been on a short ride when we ran some errands last weekend, but it has already proven its superiority. When we got home, my wife exclaimed: "Hey, my butt doesn't hurt." Good.

Updates to the Huffeigh

Or, the trouble with buying leather saddles of largely unknown age and condition on eBay.

Be fairly warned. Towards the end of Sunday's Down Townies ride, my used Brooks B72 broke; tore apart right at the nose rivets. It wasn't dramatic or painful, and I knew exactly what happened right away. At least I was able to put a few dozen miles on it before it broke. And, fortunately enough, I had hinted strongly to my wife of my desire for a new Brooks B66 as a graduation present, and it happened to be ready on the afternoon this one broke. While picking up my new saddle at the shop, I also finally picked up a kickstand.

It's feeling good to get the Huffeigh outfitted as a daily rider. I had hoped, while I was investing many hours of work on it, that this bike would be a good ride, and I haven't been disappointed. Now that it's shaping up to be my main ride, I'm getting exciting about doing all of the finishing touches. I've also put on a salvaged rear rack and basket, figured out how to attach the chainguard without it rubbing, and together with the new saddle and kickstand, it becomes that much more useful and complete as a mode of transportation. Next, I'd really like to find a new retro-ish-looking headlamp and dynamo, and also get a pump for the frame.

The Runwell: Just Another Teaser

Still working on the fenders, the brakes and pedals should arrive next week, then a couple coats of polish and done! I'm already putting together my wishlist of accessories to accumulate over the next few months, including a bell and a retro headlamp from Velo Orange, and long-term a new Brooks.

Also, I took him on a night ride around the 'hood last night and it was pure joy to glide around in utter silence and darkness (excepting my headlight). Sitting upright in total comfort, I just cruised about, taking it all in--truly a Slow Bicycle moment.