Originally Posted by
Duane Behrens
Lots of great responses, but this one was exceptional. Thanks. If I wasn't so addicted to purchasing shiny new tools, I'd go the leather belt route. :-)
Can't remember where I read it but somewhere is the suggestion that, if you're going to ditch the caged bearings for loose bearings, you'll go from 9 to 11 bearings on each side, and that those bearings should be the larger 1/4" size. No? yes? no?
The new paint is apparently powder-coat with a final clear coat. In any case I'll wait a week or two before applying the Velocals. Plenty of other work to do. The frame is at the LBS now, getting the headset cups pressed back in.
And you're right, these projects do have a way of consuming your idle time. Which is why I started this project. Thanks again. DB
The shiny new tools are nice, too. Every couple weeks I seem to decide I need at least something in the $10 range, maybe a different version of a freewheel removal tool, a different size spanner wrench. Having your own tools is certainly the way to go if you rebuild a lot of bikes. My LBS is pretty cheap when it comes to taking off a freewheel I haven't yet bought a tool for "that one" yet. I think I heard that there's about 30 different ones necessary for all the sorts you'd encounter. Most times they charge me $3 to take one off, maybe $7 to knock out the press-fit headset cups, and they do it right then while I wait since I'm in there often enough. Then I ask about needing just
one Cat-Eye bar-end plug, or just a
couple of those cable-end thingies, or "You wouldn't have an old 6-volt bulb like this one, would you?", and I get it for free while I'm waiting. (I send them a lot of referrals)
Yeah, I put in 11, but maybe someone else can chime in on larger bearings. I've never done that, I just put two more in of the same size.
Idle time? What's that? I started riding again about four years ago, had two bikes over three years. THEN the gods frowned on me and showed me an old ten-speed for $49.95 and it's been downhill from there. I've got 4 of the durn things in my shop right now, er, my third bedroom. Gone through about a dozen in the last 6 months. See, you're doomed, Duane, the first one is your first mistake....
Later, JJ