Raleigh "Sports" Restoration / Wheels, Crank , Pedals, Levers etc.

Hello & Welcome. This will be my last post for 2010. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you find something useful. I look forward to a new year of bicycle projects. I learned a lot this year. One of the things I learned is that there is still much much more to learn. It`s been a great ride so far. See You soon!

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Above: Here is the bracket and crank back on the bike. I am pleased with the way these came out. I also removed the shift cable guide/pulley and cleaned it up. I used the Mother`s Mag and Aluminum Polish to dissolve the caked on sludge on the sprocket teeth. As usual I also used Mother`s on all the bearing cups. (bracket and head-set)

Above: Judging by the lack of wear on these pedals I think it is safe to assume this is a very low mileage bike. The pedal`s metal parts were cleaned-up with brass brushes and Turtle-Wax Chrome Cleaner/Polish/Rust Remover. The rubber blocks were cleaned -up with a bio-degradable de greaser and a scrub-brush.

Above: The front wheel all cleaned up and ready for the new Kenda Gum-Walls to arrive. Both front and rear hubs have oil ports. I am a huge fan of oil ports. I like the idea of the average "not-mechanically inclined" Joe being able to lube anything without having to take it apart first. I guess that`s why I like the self adjusting levers as well.

Above: The "Self-Adjusting" levers cleaned-up real nice. If you take one of these apart for the first time, leave the other one together for a reference. I`m glad I did. There is a little drop-in piece that I assume turns the little cog.(or holds the cog in place after it has advanced ) It fell out before I even got a look at where it was. So I carefully took the other one apart to see how it drops in. I should have gotten a pic of that. My mistake. At any rate, they do work. I remember that from the Raleigh Sprite. When you squeeze the lever something (maybe the little clip) turns the little cog which takes the excess slack out of the cable. I think it only does this when the lever is pulled-in farther than it would normally if the cable were tight. Very cool (:

Above: I think this is the original Sturmey Archer shifter. It looks pretty nifty after all surface rust has been removed. It had not been polished yet when this pic was taken. I ordered a replacement cable. But this one is in such fine shape I decided not to replace it. I did clean up the adjuster-end of the cable. I think I have a pic of that I can squeeze in here. (see below) The shift cable on a Sturmey Archer 3 speed is not under a great deal of tension. It is for this reason that I feel confident not replacing the existing cable that looks to be in "near perfect" condition. I did however lubricate the cable housing with a three or four drops of clean electric motor lube. I also put the same light oil on the linkage chain at the business end of the cable. And wiped off the excess with a clean rag.

Above: The surface rust on the bars and stem came off easily using a SOFT brass wheel brush (on 4&1/2inch angle grinder)and a brass detail brush and lots of Turtle-Wax Chrome/Cleaner/Polish & Rust Remover. The Turtle-Wax is almost gone, I`ll be trying the Mother`s Chrome Cleaner Polish Next. I have been told the bracket with the Heron on it was originally a mount for a specific type headlamp. Maybe one of our friends "across the pond" can confirm this. Whatever it is for, it looks really cool.

Above: This is pretty much where I am at with the Raleigh right now. Since this photo was taken I have cleaned-up the chain. I also have been experimenting with the touch-up paint. Trying to come up with the best color match. I have ordered the tires Kenda 26 x 1-3/8 Gum-Walls with the old style tread. Also (at the owners request) some "Mr Tuffy" tire-liner. I wonder if there is going to be ample room for the inner-tubes now. I could see a little "accordion effect" on the tubes when I removed the tires. It may have been caused by not inflating the tires properly. After mounting a new tire I inflate the tire to about 20 or 30 psi psi. I check the bead, then deflate the tire, and then pump it back up up to about 75%max inflation. Then I re-check the bead if the bead (seal) if it looks good (even) I then pump it up to desired inflation. Sometimes if I suspect, or am not confident the seal is good, I`ll leave the psi at 75% for a day or two.

Above: One of the new additions to the garage/shop this winter is this commercial light-stand. An old friend recently purchased my mortar mixer. He was just a little too low on his bid. So I requested he include this light-stand. It has been a real God-send. As requested by one of my readers I will be doing a post soon about some of the must have tools around the shop. Till next time, HAPPY NEW YEAR!
As always, RIDE SAFE and remember to always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers,Hugh

Raleigh Sports / Schwinn La Tour mixte / cotter pin removal

Hello and Welcome. Wintertime, and the live`n ain`t easy. Now I got this song stuck in my head, "Summertime and the Living is Easy". Lately I have been hearing the snowmobiles going by while working in the shop late at night. It`s only  been officially winter for two days, and I am already yearning for spring. In an attempt to embrace winter. I went ice skating in Central Park yesterday. Not THE
"Central Park" This Central Park is in Milford Mi. Only the second time I have been on skates since I quit playing hockey some 30+ years ago. Enough about winter. It`s time to get caught-up on what`s been going on (and not going on) in the shop/garage these past few weeks.

Left: This is the temp in the shop on a cold day, with both heaters going! Not as bad as it looks. I keep the radiant propane heater close to my work area. so where I am working it is probably 50 to 60 degrees F.

Above: I found the correct replacement gum hoods for the Raleigh Technium. But I had to put the Technium project "on hold" for a few weeks or so. Due to some unexpected bicycle work that came in.

Above: This Raleigh Sports 3 speed was selected for restoration by one of the two young ladies that stopped by to look at the 10 or so step-through frame bikes I have in stock. I don`t keep more than one or two finished step-through bikes in stock as they do not sell very well.

Above: The other young lady selected this Schwinn Le Tour "Mixte" These were probably the two best step-through bikes of the bunch. These girls knew what they were doing.

Above: I decided to start with the Raleigh. I`m not a huge fan of "Cotter Cranks." I figured it would be best to get it "out of the way" first. Then the rest should be fairly routine. Below is my preferred method of removing cotter-pins.

Above: After removing the nut I sprayed a tiny bit of penetrating oil on the key (both ends)the night before. Then I place the lug-not over the fat end of the pin.
Then carefully position the clamp. This clamp has a groove that helps keep the threaded end of the pin in place. It is still tricky, so take your time getting it positioned properly. Then I apply pressure (as much as I can) Then being winter I add a little heat.

Above: If your shop is well heated this step may not be necessary.If you do heat it up use a low flame, and keep the torch moving. And don`t over-due it. Also only heat up the arm around the bracket not the bracket end. You want the arm to expand, not the bracket. The torch in this pic is not positioned properly. it should be closer and a little bit lower flame. I had the torch in one hand and the camera in the other. Right after I finished warming -up the other side my phone rang. And it broke loose while I was talking to my wife on the phone. So give the heat a little time to work.

Above: This is what a bracket and bearings look like when they have not been serviced in many years. This would not have been savable if it had gone much longer.
As it was, I was not 100% sure I would be able to save it. What you are seeing is a battle between the rust and the grease. Looks like the grease was loosing the battle!

Above; The bracket, bearings and one of the cups all cleaned-up. I used White-Lightning Clean-Streak and a Brass Brush. I also sanded it a little bit with #600 automotive grade sand-paper (only the bracket).

Above: Ready to re-assemble the head-set bottom bracket and crank. The plastic bag contains new head-set bearings. That gets us pretty much caught-up on whats been going on. I will be doing more posts about these two bikes as they progress. If it
is warm enough where you are (or your just really tough) get out and Ride Safely.
Happy Christmas! I hope you have a Wonderful Holiday Season.
Cheers, Hugh

Eddie (the worlds coolest cat)says Remember to RESCUE,RESTORE&RECYCLE

Schwinn Caliente Finished

Hello and Welcome. I have finished the Caliente project, except for the paint touch-up. The weather has turned cold and I will have to wait for it to warm up a little. As for the "finish pics" I went ahead and photographed it (as is). It still looks pretty good. But a little paint touch-up will go a long way towards making it look better. I hope to be doing that real soon.

Above: I found these levers laying around the shop and decided to polish them up and use them in place of the generic levers it came with. These are no doubt off one of the 5 or 6 Continentals I have re-built in the past 20 months. I still might up-grade the brakes to some vintage center-pulls. But if I do that, I will want to up-grade the wheels too.....

Above: I have no idea which bike these pedals came off of. I found them in the pedal box. The original pedals were very dull with no chrome. I decided it needed a little bling!

Above: This is the bike I was saving this Specialized (take-off) saddle for. You might remember it from the red Varsity mock-up. It is quite comfortable and still very sporty looking. I would have used it on the Varsity, but I was really trying to keep the cost down. Most of my customers are college students and many have a very tight bike budget. So I like to keep a few less expensive bikes around.

Above: Shown with new Kenda 27 x 1-1/4 Skin-Walls mounted on the original wheels.
I don`t like the way the skin-walls photograph. They look like white-walls. I think
I will be going back to using the Kenda Gum-Walls in the future. I polished-up and trued the wheels. I did find one little ding. I marked it with a Sharpie marker and
banged it back with a ball-peen hammer. I have a trick for doing that (hammering out the ding) I`ll have to do a post about that some time.

Above: I like to cut my cable housings with a cutting wheel on a high-speed drill.
I insert the little nail quickly after cutting to prevent the end from melting shut.
I sometimes mark the spot to be cut with a small piece of tape. After I make the cut I trim the end with a small pair of scissors. The wheel will also cut through housing and cable together. If you have a long universal cable with housing, you can cut it in the middle and use both ends. Of course you will want to measure first.

OK, Here are some pics of the finished (but not touched-up) project.

I found some NOS gum hoods for my next project a Raleigh "Technium." I paid a little too much for them. However they are a perfect match. And I want this Raleigh to be as close to perfect as I can make it. I should have a progress report soon about the Technium. Till next time Ride Safe and remember to Always RESCUE,RESTORE&RECYCLE Cheers,Hugh

Schwinn Caliente / Bottom Bracket Shell

Safety Glasses or Goggles must be worn when working with chemicals, grinders, hammers, drills etc. I also strongly recommend wearing surgical gloves when working with any chemicals, cleaners, polishes, rust-removers and de greasers.
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Above: It is not necessary to remove the drive-side cup when servicing the crank/bracket. To position the bracket shell for cleaning, just loosen the clamp on the work-stand and swing the frame in or away from you. Then re-tighten the clamp. The bracket should now be tilted down towards you. You will want to do this with the drive side cup on the far or inside. (see pic above). After you have cleaned it out as good as you can with a rag it is time to spray the inside with Clean-Streak. To avoid making a mess hold a small plastic tub under and behind the bracket. This is to catch the drippings and catch any spray that comes out the other side. You want to do this outside or in a very well ventilated work area. I do this with the exhaust fan on and the overhead doors slightly open. In the summer I do all the spraying of cleaners/de greasers outside whenever possible.

After spraying the inside of the bracket-shell, I jam a clean rag or wad of paper towel inside the bracket. I push it in there real good to make contact with the drive side cup. Then I pinch the rag with needle-nose pliers and twist while pushing in at the same time.
You want to do all this before the cleaner dries up. So it is best to have everything ready in advance. Then remove the rag or paper towel and check the inside with a flash-light and repeat if necessary.
As for the bracket, left side cup and retainer ring. (see above pic) I first wipe off the excess grease then place them in my make-shift parts cleaner for spraying. (see pic below) Kids do NOT use Mom`s pot and strainer as they will then be contaminated (toxic) and no longer safe for cooking. Ever!

Below: This is the original steel three piece crank off the Caliente. The chain-ring guard is in rough shape at the mounting points. Also it is extremely heavy. I decided to replace it with an alloy crank that I scavenged off a parts bike. The replacement crank is nothing special but is considerably lighter and looks to be in good shape.

Above: The replacement crank installed on the freshly cleaned, greased and rebuilt bracket. I did eventually replace the chain with a new Schwinn (derailleur chain) and install new dust caps. The rebuilt bracket is very smooth and the replacement crank looks better and weighs considerably less than the original.

Above: While the original chrome-plated steel stem on the Caliente looked ok. It too was extremely heavy. And the clamp and bolt (on the stem) looked more "Huffy Cruiser" than "Schwinn Road Bike". So I cleaned up this used alloy stem and installed it on the bike.

Above: The brakes are generic "Star" side-pull caliper brakes. On the front brake caliper half of the plastic washer between the two arms was missing. This caused the front or right arm to rub on the back or left arm. Looking through my tray of small brake parts I located a replacement. I had dismantled the caliper for polishing anyway, so replacing it was no big deal. I also noticed the return spring on the caliper would not stay in place on one side. It appeared to be bent, so I tried to straighten it with no success. Digging through my pile of old brakes calipers I found one with a similar spring. I installed it, and it works fine.
Although if you look closely you can see it is a tiny bit too long. "No harm No foul" In other words "good enough". I almost replaced the brake calipers with center-pulls (and I still might) but they are working fine "so for now" I`ll keep them.
Well friends that`s all I have for today. I will be touching up the paint and taking the finish photographs Monday. It will be too cold for paint touch-up before that. With a little luck I should be posting the finish pics Monday or Tuesday. Till then RIDE SAFE and remember to always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE!

Above: My next project, I am really looking forward this one. Cheers, Hugh

Toddler Chopper Bicycle

Hello and Welcome. I built this Mini Chopper (Above) from a toddler bicycle I had that was missing the front-end. I had given the front wheel & tire along with the fork to a friend, for something he was building.

Above: The chrome tip fork I used for the mini chopper was originally part of the white Nishiki Olympic hanging on the wall. The frame was stressed. So I stripped it
for parts and hung it up. Turns out the fork fit ok, but the Steerer tube was too short. I solved this problem by cutting a 1/4 inch off the top and bottom of the head-tube on the toddler frame.(after removing the cups of course) This gave me enough exposed thread to mount the fork on the frame. I had kept the bearings and hardware with the fork. The Nishiki bearings fit the cups on the Huffy head tube pretty good.

Above: For the stem I used an old Schwinn stem that I think was off an old Varsity.
The handlebars are from a typical 1980s mountain bike. I cut about 4 inches off both ends of the bars. Then I put on a set of Schwinn-like grips I had left-over from some long ago project. As for the head-set, I screwed on the threaded top cup/cap. Then I put-on a keyed head-set washer then the Nishiki threaded lock ring.
At this point I ran-out of threaded tube, so no cap nut.

Above: I took the "John Deere Yellow" wheels off this John Deere tyke bike. Looks like I might be building a Mini John Deere Chopper at some point in the future. The original wheels were also yellow but not the same shade.

Above: I replaced the red/pinkish pedals with these black ones from the scavenged pedal-box. They are a little too big for the bike. I will see if I can scrape-up a smaller black set.

Above: I`m not too keen on this "girly looking" Pacific saddle. I need to find a black mini bmx saddle. I think "Bullet-Proof" makes one that costs about 10.00 . I might spray this one black "for show" till I find one. I forgot to mention how I removed the paint from the fork blades. I used a 4 inch angle grinder with a soft brass wheel-brush. I used the same to clean-up the dingy looking Schwinn stem. As for chopping the head-tube. First I made a groove using a cutting wheel attached to a 3/8 high-speed drill. Then finished the cuts with a hand hack-saw. The cutting wheel on the drill was too difficult to control. To cut-off the bar ends I placed the end in the bench vise and cut those by hand with the hack saw. I used the jaw-width (vise) as a guide to cut-off the exact amount from both ends. Then filed off the sharp edges with a (hand) metal file.

Above: Me cleaning the last traces of white-paint off the fork crown using a "tooth-brush size" brass detailing brush. Right now I am putting the finishing touches on a Royal Blue Schwinn Caliente. I sure hope they make fingernail polish in royal blue. I`m sure gonna need some for touching up the paint.

Above: Preview of the Caliente. Till Next Time, RIDE SAFE and Remember to Always RESCUE,RESTORE&RECYCLE!!
Cheers,Hugh

Schwinn Varsity / Restoration in Pictures

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Hello and Welcome, I believe this is where we left off, the Varsity frame cleaned-up and ready to start. I cleaned-up the kick-stand with the soft brass wheel-brush on a 4 inch angle grinder. Then I gave it a  quick coat of  Turtle-Wax Chrome-Cleaner / Polish / Rust-Remover.

Above: Fork and crown/crown-race all cleaned-up (Mother`s and brass-brush) and ready for bearings and grease.

Above: The One-Piece "Ashtabula" Crank all cleaned up and ready for re-assembly. Ashtabula is the city in Ohio USA were virtually all these cranks were once manufactured for Schwinn. (and many others)

Above: The Ashtabula crank back on the bike. I should have used this crank on the Continental as it is near flawless. Did I mention these make great small-boat anchors?

Above:
Cleaning-up the stem-mount shifters, refurbishing one side at a time.
It is always nice to have the other side intact for a reference. I used the Turtle-Wax on the Chrome, and Mother`s on the un-plated metal parts. And brass detail brushes on the mounting bracket.

Above: I used the soft brass wheel-brush (mini angle grinder) and Turtle-Wax Chrome Cleaner/Polish on the Stem, Seat-Post, and the Seat-Post Clamp and Bolt.
I also polished the bars with the Turtle-Wax and touched them up with the soft brass
wheel-brush. Brass wheel brushes throw lots of bristles when using! Always wear safety goggles or glasses! This bike is really starting to come together now.

Above: The original rear derailleur cleaned-up great, but there was no way to tighten it up. It would not stay in the proper position even though the spring was fine. I think a plastic part on the back side was missing or broke-off. I like the Sun-Tour derailleurs better anyway. Fortunately I found this one still on a parts bike. It was a real mess. I had to take the bottom half apart to clean the jockey wheels and frame.
The wheel-set got the usual brass detail brush after polishing with the Turtle-Wax. The rear wheel got trued on the stand, the front was fine. I decided to go with CST Black-Walls with the wire bead. As usual the CST`s were a pain in the neck to get mounted properly. But I got them seated properly after a little hand manipulation at low pressure.

Above: I was able to re-use the front "Schwinn Approved" derailleur. The pedals are not very good or visually pleasing.(ugly) But they are the only 1/2 inch thread pedals I have on hand right now. Did I forget to trim and cap that cable?

Above: The bike is finished! I only used the aero levers because I had a slightly scratched-up used set laying around. The "Shorty" fenders are take-offs from the last Continental. I decided to go with a good used saddle for this bike. I wanted this bike to be reliable and affordable.

Above: After re-storing this Schwinn Varsity I have a whole new respect for the Schwinn Continental. While both had obsolete one piece cranks and were hopelessly over weight. The Continental was still a huge improvement over the Varsity. Till Next Time, Ride Safe and remember to always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers,Hugh