Bicycles

[wheelbender6]

I think the most "complete bikes" I owned at once was six. I say complete bikes because I usually had another frame, a few forks and various parts in my garage.

-I built up four of them myself, starting with just a frame. I was really attached to them.

[cheesy]

Here's how that SW went down.
Here it is unpacked. Looks the same back together.



What I found when I opened up. It got worse.



After spending the better part of an hour fighting to get the RH ball cup off due to the rust, it finally came apart.



And it ended up in the ultrasonic cleaner.



After the bath, I hit the rust with some Dremel abrasive wheels and the parts cleaned up nicely. I replaced all the bearings and the shifting bits when it went back together and it works on the bench. True test will come when I lace it into a rim and mount it on a bike. (Note to self. Do not, I repeat, do not stand up on the pedals when testing this hub.)

[Weldangrind]

Looks like that hub has been under water for some time. Yuck.
Would the electrolytic de-rusting technique work for that stuff?

[cheesy]

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

Looks like that hub has been under water for some time. Yuck.
Would the electrolytic de-rusting technique work for that stuff?

Electrolysis would have worked but there were lots and lots of small bits. The fluffy abrasive wheels did a fine job just the same. And anyway, I was bored.


The worst rust was at the bearing ends. Some, but not as much internally. I imagine it came off of a bike that spent a lot sitting outside. The old Sturmey hubs didn't use lip seals per se. There is a small cup pressed into each of the ball cups and another cup pressed onto each cone. When servicing, both cups are supposed to be filled with grease. The cup on the cone is slightly smaller than the cup in the ball cup. When assembled, the cups face each other and the cone cup fits into the other and a pretty good seal is formed with the grease. This hub had no grease in the cups.

[minimac]

I just acquired an old (60s) Schwinn Typhoon, with very minor surface rust on the fenders. The paint-sort of a goldish orange-is like new, as is the rest of the bike. Think it's worth putting a little time and effort into?

[cheesy]

Originally Posted by minimac

I just acquired an old (60s) Schwinn Typhoon, with very minor surface rust on the fenders. The paint-sort of a goldish orange-is like new, as is the rest of the bike. Think it's worth putting a little time and effort into?

Of course. It won't be your retirement nest egg but clean it up and have some fun. Be forewarned, tho, Schwinn had their own tire sizes. When you head to the local bike shop and ask for a 26x2.125 tire, be sure to tell them it's for an S-7 rim.

[ben2go]

Originally Posted by cheesy

Of course. It won't be your retirement nest egg but clean it up and have some fun. Be forewarned, tho, Schwinn had their own tire sizes. When you head to the local bike shop and ask for a 26x2.125 tire, be sure to tell them it's for an S-7 rim.

Very few people around here know what an S7 rim is. Here's a pretty good explanation on them.


http://schwinnbikeforum.com/index.php?topic=16244.0

[wheelbender6]

Ladies human powered 24 hour record shattered. She rode 676 miles in 24 hours in her velomobile. Had the weather been better, she might have broken the men's record too.

https://newatlas.com/nici-walde-hpv-...-record/55677/

[cheesy]

Originally Posted by wheelbender6

Ladies human powered 24 hour record shattered. She rode 676 miles in 24 hours in her velomobile. Had the weather been better, she might have broken the men's record too.

https://newatlas.com/nici-walde-hpv-...-record/55677/

Impressive.

[cheesy]

My oldest granddaughter learned why I make her wear a helmet and gloves yesterday. She’s alright with nothing hurt but her pride. We were on the local bike trail with me behind her on the old Monark. She decided it would be fun to zig zag while riding and her front wheel dropped off the edge of the trail.

Faceplant. Wonderful caring grandfather that I am, I started with the ‘Now you know whys’. “Now you know why I said you have to wear your helmet and gloves. Now you know why I told you not to zig zag on the trail. Now you know why grandpa is always telling you not to goof off on the trail.” “Are you okay?”

She was. A little shook, but that was it. We continued our ride and she was a tad more conservative in her riding. She did manage twelve miles in total. Her longest ride to date.

[cheesy]

At the turn around. None the worse for wear.


She sure was crabbing about that last 1/2 mile we had to ride in the rain.

[cheesy]

Started another project that this time I’m getting paid for. A friend of Inky Tim wants me to convert a sixties Western Flyer balloon tire bike to a three speed. Met with the guy at Tims’ monthly Cars and Coffee show to discuss the project and to see the bike. The bike needs a repaint but is straight and is someone else’s headache. The rims are frickin’ stainless steel and perfect. I tell the guy I have an NOS German F&S 415 kit that has the same flange diameter as the Bendix that’s in his rear wheel. It would only take an afternoon to swap out. He likes that but then asked if it was a coaster brake. Crap. Told the guy I’d have to hunt down an F&S 515 then but it would still be an easy swap. Then he tells me he wants a period correct Sturmey Archer coaster hub. Sunuva... So I tell the guy if he wants a TCW hub I won’t do the project and I explain why; less braking power in each higher gear and zero brakes if the hub is misadjusted. The later S3C eliminated those problems and I can probably get one of those. I’d need get different spokes or cut and rethread the originals but it would be still doable. We agree on a price and I started the hunt for the S3C hub.

Found the hub quickly enough from a Brit bike buddy that owed me some favors. He said it rattled and seemed to only have two working gears. No problem I said. Got it apart, save for the ball cup and gear ring, cleaned, lubed, and back together. No more rattle, but still no 3rd gear. Crap. Back apart. This time I stick my fingers inside the hub and turn the gear ring. It turns freely in both directions but it should only turn in one. Sticking pawls, I hope. Get the ball cup off with just a modicum of heat and swearing and find both pawl springs broken and these are some heavy duty springs. Look in my stash and I only have light ones. Consult my parts book for the p/n and check online. Obsolete. One guy in the UK has them for £1.25+p&p, but he’s not accepting any orders for the near future because of ill health. Soooo, in the spirit of Outhouse Engineering and Fabrication, I ordered some piano wire and making the springs myself.

[Weldangrind]

Is there any chance that a container full of assorted springs might have something you need?

[cheesy]

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

Is there any chance that a container full of assorted springs might have something you need?

Nah, they are an oddball propriety shape. As luck would have it, I punched the part number of the complete pawl ring assembly into the bay of fleas and found an NOS one for less than I paid for the piano wire. It will be here next week.

[wheelbender6]

You are very patient to mess with those vintage parts, Cheesy. I would have just bought a Nexus 3sp wheelset. The Nexus hubs I've used have been trouble free.