hookemdevils22

I have a '75 Astra (as I understand, a rebranded Motobecane with cheaper components) Tour de France I'm restoring. It's been in the family since new, and will be used as a commuter (couple miles one-way to the train station). I have a couple questions - thanks in advance for your help.

1. Where can I find bearings for the headset? It has caged upper and lower bearings, with 14 balls each.


2. I see Harris Cyclery sells cup sets for the BB, but the bearings that came out of this bike feature 7 caged balls. Everything I've seen shows 9 caged balls. Would I be able to replace with the 9-ball setup, or better yet loose balls (I believe it's usually 11 per)?


3. Any idea where I can find the spindle? It's 130mm. The bearing races are pitted (cups look fine). I can't get the fixed cup off, so a cartridge is out of the question unless I break out the cutting wheel.


4. It has a Suntour front derailleur with a Huret Allvit rear. I've cleaned them, but the Huret is sticking a bit, plus I've heard they're not the best. Any recommendations on a replacement?

Velocivixen

Bike shops usually sell ball bearings. You don't have to use cages - they're used to make factory assembly more convenient. Depending on where you're located there might be a bike co-op near you that slow used parts. You'll find all sorts of vintage parts. Other than that not sure where you'll find a new spindle.

fleslider 

I agree try a bike co-op for the spindle, if you can get the other cup off then if it's like the Astra I had then it had a Swiss bottom bracket. So replacements are limited velo Orange makes a self threading sealed bearing bottom bracket. That will work although it would cause a crank change since it would be a square tapered crank.

John E

1. You definitely want to switch from caged bearings to a full set of loose ball bearings. Sometimes the increase in ball count will enable you to reuse slightly pitted parts.

2. This does not get the "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval," but when I needed a fixed cup with a different thickness to accommodate a spindle change, I forced an aluminum 1.375x24 ISO fixed cup into a 1x35 Swiss-threaded frame (1980 Peugeot PKN-10). The kludge has held up for several years ago.

hookemdevils22

This is perfect. I'll pick up some loose balls at my local shop. At the worst, I could reassemble with the stock spindle. If it rides rough, I'll reassess.

Yeah, I understand later models had Swiss BB. I tried turning both ways, with no luck. Even taking the torch to it didn't do much. I'm guessing the cup has essentially cold-welded itself to the frame from years of neglect.

My reasoning for not going with a cartridge (aside from that pesky fixed cup) is the increased cost - cranks, pedals (mine actually has non-standard French thread pedals), tools, etc.

I found a Suntour aR RD that I might try replacing the Huret with.

BTW, I have tons of pics here.

hookemdevils22

Got her up and running, minus a few small adjustments I need to make. Ended up replacing the Huret RD with the Suntour; a Suntour 7 had already been bolted to the front. Replaced the pads with Kool Stop Salmons, which combined with new cables feel better than my newish Trek 1.5. A buddy gave me a pair of Dia Compe non-aeros, on which I kept the suicide handles. This is just about perfect as my commuter, especially given the seat is... well... awful.

Anyway, thanks for the help guys!



What I started with:

greg3rd48 

Nice job! I fixed up one of these as a commuter/city cruising bike for a friend. It also had a terrible saddle but he wanted to keep it. He enjoys the bike and it turned put pretty nice. Here is my short thread:

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...de-france.html

hookemdevils22

Nice! I like it in blue. I agree it's rather heavy, but it is still much lighter than my previous commuter, an aluminum Schwinn hybrid.

greg3rd48 

Heavy yes but he loves it and uses it so that is what counts. Your Astra definitely has a lot more panache than a Schwinn hybrid also! Enjoy and keep working on vintage steel.

juvela

very nice job hookemdevils22

good to see you have her back on the road and running well.

in the finished photo there is not enough handlebar stem inserted into the steerer for safety. if you feel you need to get the bars this high for a good fit to you it would be best to mount a taller stem, such as the nitto technomic.

one item you might wish to consider at some point in the future is the shift levers. these huret levers employ a unique drum diameter that is designed to work best with huret derailleurs. nearly any other brand will have a standard drum diameter and be more compatible with the suntour gears.

hookemdevils22

Thanks! I'll take a look at the stem. And I probably use 3 gears, max, and rarely shift the front. I'm biking 2 miles to the light rail (if I don't get dropped off), then less than a mile from the rail stop to work. For my needs, it has been perfect; in fact, replacing the RD was probably unnecessary given its light use.

juvela

that sounds just fine.

please do see to the stem; it is a genuine safety issue.