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A few hours later . . .
The bike is almost down to its frame. Can’t pull the crank yet, and since it requires a crank-pulling tool, I might have the bike shop do this. Fork’s not yet off, either, because it takes a wrench slightly larger than anything here.
The two things I was afraid of — the stems for seat and handlebars — came out perfectly. No rust at all. The pedals, though, are frozen.
Decisions to make soon: 1) Repaint the frame? Or just clean it and touch up the rust? 2) Single gear or 3-speed? 3) Drop handlebars? Townies? Bullhorns?
So far, though, no big frustrations. Since the new wheel assembly will be simpler than the old derailleur, maybe this will be easier than I thought it might be.
More pictures here.
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My new project
This is my new project: a mediocre road bike that I bought back in the late 1970s, with my paycheck from factory work. It has a lot of miles in it, almost all from long rides in rural Minnesota. I haven’t ridden it for a very long time, largely because of other commitments, physical issues, and laziness. But now it’s going to be reworked into something a little different: either a single speed or a 3-speed with an internal hub.
I have some knowledge of how bikes are put together, but haven’t ever done a complete rebuild. Most of the components will go, though I’ll hang onto the brakes and Silstar crank. Everything else is either rusty, not worth refurbishing, or won’t fit my purposes. Wheels? Gone. Gears and derailleur? Gone. Stem shifters? Gone. Rear wheel rack? Maybe. Rat trap pedals? Gone. Drop handlebars? Replaced, but no decisions yet.
The frame will need either a touch up or complete repainting, but it’s still solid. Steel, sturdy, with horizontal dropouts. Never in a serious accident.
Today I stripped all the smaller parts; later, seat post and fork. Learned two things: 1) Chains are very hard to break without a chain tool. 2) Do not leave metal tools in the sun.
More pictures here.
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