Matching Parts
05-27-11, 03:06 PM
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Matching Parts
I recently had to give up my car and rely on bicycle to commute. I'm so poor right now that I can't afford to buy parts. In my town we have a bike program called rebike which allows us to be given a bike. I proudly took home a 1973 (according to the guy in the bike shop) Blue Firenze GL 2000. My issue is that the bottom bracket is a little loose, and I know it'll only get worse over time, so today I registered my bike and bought according bottom bracket wrenches. Ideally what I'd like to do is find another Firenze so that I have matching bottom bracket parts in the event that I need them. I know that a lot of these bicycles were made with the same specifications and I'm wondering if any informed cyclist could tell me what makes or models may have the same sized bottom brackets or parts? Any input at all, any, including suggestions, would be of great help to me. Thanks.
Last edited by smithxi; 05-27-11 at 03:43 PM.
05-27-11, 03:13 PM
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The Firenze is kind or the red headed stepchild of bike boom bikes, I believe they were given away free as a premium by a chain of audio equipment stores and tend to have really low values which means they don't have much of a following.
Is it a cottered crank or square taper? Odds are either way it just needs cleaning, grease and adjusting.
.
Is it a cottered crank or square taper? Odds are either way it just needs cleaning, grease and adjusting.
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05-27-11, 03:30 PM
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most likely one piece crank!
05-27-11, 03:46 PM
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I believe it's cottered if that's what's got the big bolt in it and the axel is round at the end.
No, crank is Three piece
Okay, so no suggestions on models?
No, crank is Three piece
Okay, so no suggestions on models?
Last edited by smithxi; 05-27-11 at 04:01 PM.
05-27-11, 07:20 PM
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Go to the library and get a book, old book on bicycle maintainence. You would not believe how much abuse and neglect a cottered crank will go through and survive. You shouldn't need to take the arms off to put grease in, just pull off the cups one at a time.
05-27-11, 07:59 PM
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I had one of those and it was a MUCH better bike than the Raleigh Rampar I had at the time. IIRC the BB was a standard size.
Poverty sucks, DAMHIKT. But think of all the money you're not spending on gasoline!
Poverty sucks, DAMHIKT. But think of all the money you're not spending on gasoline!
05-28-11, 01:40 PM
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Bike parts are, for the most part, interchangeable. You don't need to find another Firenze. There are several threads about how to deal with cottered cranks. Do you have any tools?
