PHAMINE

First post.

Was gifted a cheap 2x5 speed bike which needs front and rear derailleurs and shifters as they were missing or damaged.
The bike has a 5 speed freewheel.

Here are some pics:








Would these work as replacements? I'd just like to ride it and not spend money on bells and whistles. And the bike is already cheap to begin with.

Rear derraileur - Need one with a claw as frame doesn't have a derailleur mount.
Amazon.com : Shimano Tourney TX35 Rear Derailleur (6/7 Speed) : Rear Bike Derailleurs : Sports & Outdoors

Front derrailuer
Shimano FD-TX51-6 Front Derailleur | Amazon.com: Outdoor Recreation

Shifters - Going to keep it friction as not looking to change too much of the bike for indexed shifting.
Amazon.com : Sunrace Stem Mount Shift Lever Friction : Bike Shift Levers : Sports & Outdoors

sch

They pretty much fit the rest of the bike. FWIW this RD has a hanger: https://www.google.com/webhp?sourcei...ockey%20wheels
All of these should work. Your freewheel looks brand new, not unusual with typical bikes bought on a whim and ending up as garage queens.
If the rims are steel, be aware that you will have ZERO braking if they get wet.

Kimmo

I wouldn't throw much money at this thing; despite its fabulous condition it's extremely low end.

And yeah, those chromed steels rims don't stop worth a damn in the wet. You can get special pads with a strip of leather in them for chrome rims, they're meant to help.

Bezalel

Something seems off with your measurements. I don't know of any stems that are anywhere near 20.86mm, and although 26mm is the size of French top tubes I can't imagine why you would even consider measuring that tube.

PHAMINE

The wheels are chromed steel.

I measured the stem as I might use stem shifters instead of downtube shifters.

Yeah, the bike is really low end, can't justify spending money on good parts. Just looking for parts to get it running again.

Phil_gretz

I have a hard time believing that the rear dropout spacing was originally 130mm on this bike. Or else, it wasn't spec'd with a 5-speed freewheel/hub, which would've been 120mm. What gives? 120mm would be preferred - no need for the longer axle, just something to bend. Did you have this frame cold set and painted? Why not run 8 or 9-speed friction if you have 130mm OLD wheels available to you?

Don't use Tourney. Find something discarded at your local co-op. I can get old DuraAce stuff for $35 at mine, and it shifts better. If you're going with friction, you have SunTour, too. The end of production XC stuff is pretty nice, as are Cyclone Mk II.

Phil_gretz

If you have to go "parts by mail", then check out eBay and sites like Bike Nashbar. I noticed in their sale circular, that the Nashbar branded 9-speed derailleurs are on sale. A lot nicer than Tourney, for certain.

HillRider

I'll echo a couple of the above comments. I was also very surprised at the 130 mm rear dropout spacing. It certainly can't be original to the bike and the 5-speed wheels you show are a very poor match to it. Also, as noted, those chrome steel rims give very poor braking when dry and dreadful to non-existent braking when wet. Strongly consider replacing them as a safety feature, not as an upgrade.

PHAMINE

I noticed the discrepancy on the dropout spacing as well.

The person who I got the bike from mentioned that this bike was an AMF Pro tour. The stamps on the bike mentions it was built around 1979. (Yes, I understand this is a low end cheap bike). He worked as a bodyshop painter and stripped and painted the frame from someone who dropped if off. He never mentioned anything about increasing the dropout spacing. I'm just going to add spacers to center the wheel. Hopefully, it won't throw off the distance from the chainring. I do notice that if I try to tighten the wheel all the way down, the dropout also closes in.

I don't have any spare parts around so I don't want to spend money if I don't have to just to get it running. So the frugal the better. I just need front/rear derailleurs and a friction shifter.

I'll check the sites you mentioned. So since I have a suntour freewheel, I should stick to a suntour friction shifter as well?

The wheels are 26x1 3/8. I'll consider finding a replacement.

In the meantime, I'll take a look at local bike co-ops and craigslist for cheap parts. Though, all the parts on amazon comes out to be $35.

Retro Grouch 

I used to cruise the neighborhood on garbage pick up day for parts. There's nothing more frugal than that but you have to get up kind of early.

corrado33

Look for a local bike coop if you want to get parts really cheap...

fietsbob

0,833" [21.15mm] was a normal Stem size in 'western auto' and many old cruiser bikes

26"x1_3/8" an "english racer"/3speed common size

Coaster brake rear wheel, and an aluminum rim front wheel would combine to brake both wheels well ..


the freewheel looks OK .. you could re sell it on eBay to collectors ..

HillRider

For friction shifting any brand freewheel and shifters work together.

70sSanO

It might be nice to have a picture of the entire bike. Have no clue what crank it has. Is the 25.99mm the seat tube dimension? Shimano sells a RD-TX35 that has an attached hanger and not the Direct Attachment Type. $15 is reasonable. The front derailleur is 31.8mm and it is a bottom clamp top pivot. Not what I would choose, it is a triple, and I am not sure how it will line up with the inside chainring (old Univega couldn't use an XTR as the cage would not get close enough to the seat tube), but it is dual pull setup. You will need to build up the shim, pvc tubing, or ???, to fit your 25.99 seat tube. I imagine the shifters would work, make a shim, if you need to build up the stem. Have no idea if the bike has cable hangers/bb cable guide. You will need at least 2 cable stops for the derailleurs. I'm sure that using zip ties to hold the cable routing are not out of question on a build like this.

I realize that you are trying to get the $35 free Amazon shipping. I've seen worse investments.

John

Little Darwin

Agree that looking for vintage parts could save you $. Also, you can buy a claw that will allow you to use virtually any derailleur...

Here is one: Various Manufacturers Rear Derailleur Adaptor Claw - Harris Cyclery bicycle shop - West Newton, Massachusetts

PHAMINE

Picture of the build so far


Crank 39/52


Seat tube 25.99mm. Could I use electrical tape to build the diameter up for the 31.8mm clamp? Or should I buy a 2 speed derailleur like the Shimano 105


The frame doesn't come with cable stops. It uses cable guides from what I have. Is that okay?


I appreciate the suggestions. Going to check out some bike coops in Brooklyn.

sch

Shim should be non-compressible. The cable puts a lot of stress on the FD, unless it is solidly clamped or restrained the FD will
slide in the direction of the cable pull. One cheap shim is a wrap or three (as needed) with a strip cut out of an aluminum
drink can. Worst case stop gap is to use either a thin automotive screw clamp under the FD on the frame or once you have the
height of the FD scoped out, drill a small hole under the FD in the frame and run a self tapping screw through the hole to act
as mechanical stop. Zip ties make good cable housing clamps. For housing stops, I doubt the ones you pictured will be
rigid enough. Google cable housing stops for some possibilites and Amazon lists a few that may adapt. You can get by with only
zip ties for the brakes by using full length housing from the bar to the brake, but you will need some stops for the FD/RD cables.
You may have to improvise with screw clamps again here.

nfmisso

Actually not. Definitely not needed for the RD where you can run full cable from shifter to RD.

For the FD, it depends. Most older (mid '80's and older) ones and a very few newer ones have a built in cable stops, and you can run full cable from shifter to FD with those.


@PHAMINE where are you located, some of us may have items to assist you, but not worth shipping.

PHAMINE

I'm located in Brooklyn, NY.

So I received the parts. I'm not familiar how to route the shifter cables as there are no cable guides/stops.

Pictures below.
The shifter kit comes with 3 pieces of tubing. So I should use a full piece of cable for the front and the rear derailleurs?
The front derailleur is a bottom pull. Not sure how I would route this either as there aren't any guides on the bottom bracket.

Homebrew01

You need to buy some clamp-on cable stops that fit your tubing diameter.
Or you could buy 1 long length of cable housing (like your brakes), from the shifters all the way to where it goes into the derailleurs. Then you don't need cable stops.

PHAMINE

Thanks. What would I do about the front derrailuer that is bottom pull. Are there cable stops for the bottom bracket?

nfmisso

Let see a picture of your FD. Some have housing stop features built in, some don't.

Your bike originally had continuous housing from the shifters to the derailleurs.

Retro Grouch 

I usually like to encourage people to fiddle with their bikes but, in this case, I agree with Kimmo.

Your proposal, at it's best, is a recipe to turn a cheap crummy old bike into an expensive crummy old bike that has had a few new parts added.

PHAMINE

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00..._detailpages00

nfmisso

We need views from the cable entry side showing everything, not a cropped side view.