Mountain Tamer 10 Speed Rigid

I`m going to try to make this brief. I know I said no more Department Store "Kids Bikes". This is a full size Men`s bike. And, in it`s own way "Special". First the handlebars, are those cool or what? The other thing, it is "as far as I can tell" 100% original. I`m not sure of the year. The Magna Badge (decal) looks different from the ones I see now. When I first saw the bike it looked pretty dingy. Every chrome part was covered with surface rust. But I loved those handlebars! So I decided to give it a closer look. The surface rust, while wide-spread did not appear so deep that it could not be removed. Then the tires, all the nubs were there, and the center raised part of the tread was still thick. Once I got it into the light I could see that the paint was near perfect as were the graphics. The few minor scratches, probably happened while being hauled to the thrift store. I wish I could have been there before the bike was stuffed into the trunk. I imagine the paint was perfect because it is damn near perfect now. The only thing I remember replacing is the brake shoes. I replaced them with Jag Wire X Caliper brake shoes . As for the rust removal I picked up two fine brass brushes on the way home. Fortunately I had a good supply of Turtle Wax T-280RA Chrome Polish & Rust Remover in the shop. Thank God for Turtle Wax. That evening I started cleaning it up. I concentrated on the handlebars and stem. I really wanted to see those babies all shined up! The next day I spent the entire day removing parts and polishing and reinstalling them. And cleaning up the frame, fork and saddle. On the 26 inch mountain bike gum-wall tires I always use Permatex 01406 DL Hand-Cleaner. It really does a good job, and seems to hydrate the gum-walls too! By early evening I was wheeling it out of the garage. This bike could have easily been "passed-up" if only given a glance. That is why I have learned to look closer before just passing on a project bike. After a while you become a pretty good at judging the severity of surface rust. But be ready to use lots of elbow grease!. It does take some hard work and patience to bring a bike back from the brink. But well worth the effort. .Correction: I did replace the pedals with a used set I like better. And I replaced one (or both?) of the brake cables too! Hey it`s early! And I haven`t had my coffee yet!..lol Ride Safe. And Remember to Always...... "Rescue Restore & Recycle"

Ross Adeventurer Finished

Hello today I was able to finish the Ross restoration. The 27 inches x 1-1/4 tires and the 27 x 1 inch inner tubes. and also the cork handlebar tape all arrived Monday. But after working on demolishing and toothing-out block for a large bay door, I was in no condition to finish the bike. Tuesday was even worse and Wednesday was also a tough (and at times a dangerous) day. So with that little project out of the way, today I was able to return to the work I love. First I took the front wheel off and checked it for true. It was fine. I guess I got it right the first time. Now (after installing front tire and wheel) I remove the back wheel. I knew it was still rough. I was pretty much exhausted last time I worked on the wheel. I remembered that I had found an outward dent on the rim. So I put the wheel on the wheel truing stand and found the dent and marked it with a Sharpie. I then laid the rim on it`s side with a piece of wood under the rim opposite the dent. Then one strike (not too hard) with the Ball Pein hammer and then back in the truing stand to check, and the dent is gone! Now a little more truing of the wheel, and we are "good to go". Now I can mount the new tire with the new tube on the wheel. Then I put the rear wheel back on the bike. It is now time to tape the handlebars. I like to be in front of the bike wrapping the tape towards myself. First I remove the suicide lever that is in the way. I was taught to overlap the tape at the start and keep it taut. So I don`t use any electrical or clear tape when I start. I know it is not the way other people do it but it was how I was taught as a boy. Before I wrap the bars I place a small piece of handlebar tape on the outside part of the lever housing to hide the clamp. I personally don`t place extra tape on the inside "especially if there are suicide levers". I don`t think there is enough clearance to allow the suicide lever to return smoothly. After the bars are done I add some black and white 3m vinyl trim tape. This will dress up the frame a little, while covering up some flaws at the same time. Then I put my sticker on the cross bar where the Adventurer decals were before I removed them. They were messed up. So I warmed them up with a torch and peeled them off. I don`t recommend using a torch. You might want to use a gun shaped hair dryer. Or a heat-Gun would be even better if you have one. My wife hates it when I borrow her dryer, so I just use the torch. The only thing left to do is install the wheel reflectors and wipe of the bike with a damp rag. I really like using gum-walls on the old ten speeds. Especially if they have lugged frames. I have found a simple and effective way of getting my greasy fingerprints off the gum-walls. I use Permatex hand cleaner. The type mechanics use to clean up greasy hands. A little dab of the cleaner on a clean rag works really good. Now the only thing left to do is take it for a test ride. It has been raining all day so tomorrow will be soon enough. And No I am not afraid of riding in the rain, but I live on a dirt rode. And I do not want to carry the bike to the main road. Maybe I am a wuss..lol
Ride Safe and Always Remember to .... "Rescue, Restore & ReCycle"

TREK Sub-Species B.M.X.

Before I talk about the TREK Sub-Species. I have decided not to take on any more kids bikes of the "department store" variety. I would rather sell a bike that I know will perform well and will last. I may on occasion pick up a pristine bike of somewhat lesser quality. But it will have to be something exceptional.
Now back to the TREK Sub-Species. I found this bike at one of my favorite thrift stores. I could see it needed bmx tires and TekTro BMX Brake Shoes and that it was filthy. But there were a couple of unexpected surprises. First was the tubular tires, not sewn together but evidently glued shut with the tubes inside. The tires were badly worn, but I knew I had a "near new" set back in the shop. After trying to pry the tires off the wheels, with no success. I remembered that I also had tubes with that spare set of tires. So I reached for my new Stanley Combo knife and my side cutters and made quick work of removing the tires. When I removed the bicycle front axle and bearings
I found it was chewed-up pretty badly inside. So now I`m looking at new cups and bearings (front hub) and axle assembly and a couple of spokes and truing the wheel. Well I was going to stop -by "Cycle-Therapy" in Waterford anyway. Might as well take this mess with me and see if it is worth saving or maybe (if the price is right) just picking up a new front wheel. I had already called them the day before to inquire about a set of skins for the BMX`er.and I knew they would have the correct brake shoes.
Well James at Cycle Therapy hooked me up with a new wheel for a fair price and the set of skins (pads) and the brake shoes for the TekTro cantilever brake. Well back to the shop. I should mention the rear axle was ok. I degrease'd the axle and bearings and removed the single sprocket free-wheel and cleaned and lubed it up. Then polished up the alloy rim with some Mothers aluminum cleaner polish. It looked almost as good as the new front wheel. I had to brush (brass) and polish the handle-bars and clean-up the frame and forks. I replaced the nasty looking duct-taped saddle with a good used Raleigh saddle I had left over from a restoration. I also polished the seat post (mothers). And removed some paint from the front forks. There also had been some on the handle-bars. So I got the thing put together with the new skins ,tires, saddle and new front wheel. And I notice while cleaning the chain that the crank has a bad wobble. Straightening the chain-ring was a lot easier than I thought it would be. You gotta get lucky once in a while!
All in All I think it came out pretty good. It rolls nice (no drag). The aggressive Mongoose tires look good and dig-in real good. The wheels match and look good. And The Raleigh Sport Touring Saddle is small but comfortable. And I think the BMX Stem, Top-Tube & Handlebar Brace Pads look pretty good too. I have no problem mixing or changing brands. As long as it does what I want it to do and looks good doing it. I could care less who`s name is printed on it. Oh and the brake works great. And even though it has a cable the handle bar can rotate 1 full 360 no problem.
I guess if I learned anything while working on this bike it is. Before purchasing a bike for restoration or refurbishing. Look it over very carefully then look over it again!

General Bicycle Co

This is one of those obscure bikes you run across once in a while. This is a Men's 10 speed
General. When I spotted this bike at the thrift shop I could not help but notice that it was in pristine condition,(underneath a thick layer of oily dust anyway). The other thing that caught my eye was the brand "General". I had never seen a General bicycle or even heard of the manufacturer for that matter. That in itself made it a must buy. The tires were dried out and hard the bicycle brake shoes needed to be replaced only because they had hardened too. The components were all very cheap but functioning as well as cheap components do. Well I replaced the tires with some inexpensive Cheng Shin gum-walls. And did the same with the brake shoes. I cut off the foam handlebar grips (I hate that stuff) and replaced it with some cork handlebar tape. I thought this will make an ok bike for someone who does not have a lot to spend. And ridden gently, who knows? it might last longer than I expect. So after giving the bike some long overdue lubrication I put it up for sale for about 25 cents more than I had invested. Ok it might have been a little more. When I sell a bike that falls into that" department store bike" category. I let the buyer know what it is they are buying and not to expect too much. And when it is something exceptional I let them know that too! (which was definitely not the case with this bike)
Sometimes the only thing exceptional about a bike is how obscure or just plain weird it is.
Sort of like a puppy that is so ugly it is cute. One day I will post my B.C.A. "Small Mixtie" bike,
talk about obscure. I`m still trying to get myself to restore the thing. One of these days I will.
I am still waiting for tires and tubes for the "Ross from Hell" I will definitely post a pic of the finished bike. Today I worked on the BMX Bike that was interesting but I will save that for another day Remember, Rescue ,Restore & ReCycle! Ride Safe
Cheers, Hugh

A tough day in the shop

Today was going to be an easy day. I have been rebuilding a Ross Adventurer and it was going ok. All I needed to do today was install the brake and derailleur cables with new covers. Pump up the tires and put on the wheel reflectors. Then check everything for torque and tape the bars. Oh yeah, and clean-up and mount the kick-stand.Well I noticed that one of the brake shoes was not flush with the rim when the brake was applied on the front wheel. So I scavenged around the shop and found another brake that I could steal the one arm off. It was a perfect match. Only difference I could find is one arm of the brake is from Japan and the other is from Germany. So I polished the replacement piece and reassembled the caliper and now I was good to go. If you are wondering why I did not just use the other brake instead of just taking the one arm off it. I would have done just that but it was missing the adjuster and the little cable clamp bolt. And the holes were to small to use the ones off the other brake. So now with all the brake shoes properly installed it is time to pump up the tires. I did not pump them up all the way to 90 psi, so I pumped them up to 70psi. Well as I was test riding it out in the drive I heard something rubbing on the front. It turned out to be a bulge on the front tire. It was coming off the rim. So I let out the air before it blew off completely and took it back into the shop. Well I decide I must not have had the tire seated properly on the rim. So I carefully re-seat it and add just a little air and re-check it. It looks good so I pump it up to 70psi. I check the rear rim for bulges or separation and it looks good so I pump it up to 70psi.
As I am starting to mount the reflectors, the back tire blows. The tire blew right off the rim in one area. So now I take the rear wheel off the bike remove the tire install another tube replace the tire and pump it up to 60psi. Mean time I check the rims they are marked 27X1&1/4 as are the tires and tubes. And they are not Schwinn wheels that require a Schwinn tire. And everything is marked 27x1&1/4 (nothing says 27 x 1.25). So I figure it has to be the crapy tires.
They are not the brand or type I usually use. I only used them because they looked like new and
I did not want to waste them. Well needless to say I never could get them to seat properly. So now I`m gonna order (2) 27 x 1&1/4in Gum-Walls and (2) 27 X1 in. tubes. I like to use a narrow tube when I can, to avoid the tire getting blown off the rim.
So tomorrow I will work on a BMX bike I picked up this morn. (while I wait for tires) It is a Trek with a chro-mo frame and a single speed (free-wheel) rear hub. Pretty cool bike looks like it will clean-up nice. I have a beautiful set of BMX tires I have been saving for just such a bike. And I think I can scrounge up a nice saddle for it. Only has one brake cable (got that covered).
So I think all I`ll need to purchase is new brake shoes and maybe a new set of skins to dress it up. Should make for a trouble free day, just like today was gonna be..LOL
Cheers, Hugh

Remember Rescue, Restore & Recycle (even when it hurts)

Indian Springs Metro Park

Hello, This is one of my favorite places to ride, Indian Springs Metro Park in White-Lake Mi. I went last weekend. And to my surprise they have done some re-paving on the lower part of the path going into the woods. It is much soother now. If you start at the beginning of the trail it is about 8 miles round trip. And if you are new to cycling, there is a pretty good climb on the way back. So be ready for that. If you get there early you never know what you might see. I have seen several Deer, Wild Turkeys, Rabbits. And various other critters native to the area. On one ride I almost ran over a baby rattle snake that was side-winding it`s way across the trail. It did not appear to be happy to see me. And the Hawk population is doing great! So listen for that shreek and you might get to see one overhead.
Indian Springs is about 9 miles north-west of Pontiac mi. And you will need a park pass/sticker to get in (by car). Don`t quote me on this but, I think it is free if you enter by bicycle or walking. There are pedestrians on the trail as well as rollerbladers so let them know you are coming. A bell might be a good option. Almost without fail if I announce "Passing on your left" They (pedestrians) move left, directly into my path." Walking may be good for your health, but apparently it does not make you any smarter.... lol And helmets are required!
Cheers,Hugh

Magna quick fix and clean-up

This is a typical "Department Store " bike. I run across these all the time when looking for old ten-speeds. There usually is really nothing wrong with them other than not being assembled properly. Typically one or both of the axles will be too tight or too loose. On this particular bike the crank was set a little loose. Which might make the new owner think it is falling apart. In reality, it took longer to find the wrench than it took to fix it. Oh yes the head-set was also loose. I managed to tighten that up on the way to the check-out counter. And almost without fail one of the tires is flat. Many tires loose pressure over time. Before hauling it out to the curb.Try pumping it up first. If it still has enough air in it a week latter. It is not a flat tire. I usually have
to add a little air before a ride. It`s no big deal. Now lets talk about the Derailleurs. I hear this a lot. "It`s a piece of junk it won`t stay in gear! the chain slips!" Well if your derailleurs were out of adjustment your chain would slip too! This gets back to the assembly, and to be fair, the store is partly to blame too. It is common for a "real bike shop" to tell the customer, Go out and ride it for a week and then bring it back and we will make the adjustments free. I don`t think you will hear that much at "Wally World". Now lets get real for a minute. A 79.00 dollar bike is not going to be a technical masterpiece. They are most likely manufactured by little kids and old ladies in China. Who are overworked underpaid and underfed. And we support that every time we go to Wally World or May Kart to spend our money. So my advise is, either buy an old quality built bike and fix it up. Or buy an old quality bike (already re-built) from someone like me. Or save your money and go to a "Bicycle Shop" and buy a real bike.
Cheers, Hugh