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07-07-04, 08:40 AM
I found a Montgomery Ward Open Road 10-Speed that, if the style and paint is any indication, looks to be about 20 years old. Sitting on the side of the road with two flats and a sign that said 'Free!' on it. Thinking that 'Free!' was about the right price for it, I managed to 'tow' it home (I was commuting home on my 520). (Worst three miles I've ever biked...) I can't find anything about it on the 'net, but it does have a Shimano deraileur set, so I was going to try to date that...
The frame seems to be a little small for me (there are about three inches between the top bar and my crotch) but it's perfect for my girlfriend. I was going to put some cruiser bars on it, and a fatter seat, and let her use it for a coffee shop bike. (She HATES drop bars...)
I suppose my questions are:
A) Do the geometry on those old road bikes make them completely unsuitable for a cheap cruiser conversion? (And I mean cheap. I plan to spend less than $30 on the whole thing, not counting time....which should be doable since the tires are not OEM and look to be in good shape...)
B) I took apart the drive train yesterday and cleaned off about 20 years of motor oil, olive oil, beer, and whatever else it had seen for lubricant, repacked all the bearings, and replaced the gear and brake cables. Everything is working perfectly, except there's a lot of wobble in the front rings, which I believe is coming from a slightly bent axle on the crackset. Can you even find parts for these old dept. store bikes?! It's not that big of a concern because the side-to-side play isn't so bad that you can't 'tweak' the front derailleur to keep it quiet, but if I could find a cheap axle, I'd probably replace it.
C) Anyone know anything about these bikes? It seems like it's slightly higher quality than Huffy and that ilk, but not as good as the old Schwinns...
The frame seems to be a little small for me (there are about three inches between the top bar and my crotch) but it's perfect for my girlfriend. I was going to put some cruiser bars on it, and a fatter seat, and let her use it for a coffee shop bike. (She HATES drop bars...)
I suppose my questions are:
A) Do the geometry on those old road bikes make them completely unsuitable for a cheap cruiser conversion? (And I mean cheap. I plan to spend less than $30 on the whole thing, not counting time....which should be doable since the tires are not OEM and look to be in good shape...)
B) I took apart the drive train yesterday and cleaned off about 20 years of motor oil, olive oil, beer, and whatever else it had seen for lubricant, repacked all the bearings, and replaced the gear and brake cables. Everything is working perfectly, except there's a lot of wobble in the front rings, which I believe is coming from a slightly bent axle on the crackset. Can you even find parts for these old dept. store bikes?! It's not that big of a concern because the side-to-side play isn't so bad that you can't 'tweak' the front derailleur to keep it quiet, but if I could find a cheap axle, I'd probably replace it.
C) Anyone know anything about these bikes? It seems like it's slightly higher quality than Huffy and that ilk, but not as good as the old Schwinns...