OrangeBike

That, was awfully thorough... Thanks.

OrangeBike

Do I care about spoke damage on a hub? It seems that most of these vintage hubs have some sort of damage in that regard. Or is it the extent of that damage?

rhm

if you're referring to the marks or grooves left by the spokes where they pressed against the flange, yes, that is normal and not a problem. You should rebuild the wheel in such a way that the new spokes fit into and hide those grooves. Anyhing more serious than that is unusual and potentially worrisome. Enlarged our uneven spoke holes, cracks in the flange etc are not acceptable.

OrangeBike

These are old parts, so I would expect some wear and tear, just don't how much is too much.

juvela

this is a fun bike and thread.

cannot recall seeing another mount where the gear ratio range was marked on the frame.

one size tip for you OrangeBike -

these machines have an odd size for the steerer. it is 26.0mm o.d. most adult road bicycles are either 25.4mm or 25.0mm. this means that the headset parts will not interchange with others. this is sometimes referred to as "austrian size."

OrangeBike

Snap! Good to know, thank you. I'm going to start tearing the bike down this weekend. The headset feels chunky, probably have to redo it.

I'll admit to having to look up 'steerer,' still learning.

juvela

hello again OrangeBike,

wrt the bicycle's original rear hub -

these Normandy Sport first generation hubs with the small round holes in the flanges ended ~1968. so in searching you are looking for something which has not been manufactured for about forty-five years.

one place you could check would be if there is a bicycle co-op/charity in your area. they receive a tremendous amount of donated old bikes and parts. over time they build up a supply of parts removed from bikes that were damaged or just too far gone to put back on the road. the price at such a source would be lower than ebay.

if you should find a hub with worn out or damaged axle parts it is ok. the early Sport employs the same axle parts as the later version with the oval holes. these are readily available. ideally, you would want to find a hub with BSC/ISO (also known as british or english) threading for the freewheel. Maillard made the hubs in two threadings. if the area just inboard of the freewheel threads is smooth the hub is metric/french thread. if a groove can be seen on that surface it is BSC/ISO.

you may find a hub which is solid axle (nutted) rather than the hollow axle quick release type you require. this is not a problem; the axle parts are available to convert it.

in an earlier post you asked about the width at the back; it should be 122mm between the dropouts.

best wishes with your project. take your time and enjoy the process. the forum's collective knowledge is only too happy to help smooth the way...

OrangeBike

Thanks!

How's this for a find... Head down to my local bicycle co-op (Vulture Space) and in a box o' hubs... A front and rear Sunshine set! 36H, English thread. $10 out the door. Nearly identical to the Nomandys. All I need is a skewer for the rear and I've got a reasonable facsimile.

rhm

You done good! I didn't think they'd be that hard to find. Nice looking hubs, eh?

OrangeBike

Ya, not bad, all vintage-y.

The front is a kinda wonky though, one of the flanges is bent a little. If I can't straighten it out, I can re-use the Normandy. For $10 it was worth taking a flier on it.

juvela

one fringe benefit is that they will be bsc thread, the same as the existing hub, and presumably the freewheel.

you are fortunate they are second generation. first generation have the dustcaps press fit to the cones.

dddd

Replacement headset can be found here, I just ordered one for under $20 shipped!

https://www.treatland.tv/puch-maxi-f...arings-set.htm

Good job finding that rear hub!!!

juvela

outstanding find quadruple d!

all the folks with puch/steyr/sears machines will not be up the creek for a replacement hs.

thanks very much for this contribution.

3speedslow

Hey great ! I'm glad you were able to latch onto a Sunshine hub set.They do look classy. I thought it could work for you.

Love those co-ops!

OrangeBike

X2! That's brilliant, thank you.

OrangeBike

It was a new experience for me... I had no idea who actually worked there...

But it's cool, there's junk yards for auto parts called pick-n-pulls. Basically you get to troll through junk yards and yank out any parts you want. Vulture Space is just like that. Super helpful people too.

Worst part was I saw three other bikes there I would restore... I don't care what the value is, they're just great looking old bikes.

Dammit, this whole old bike thing is going to be an issue for me...

dddd

Oh, man, don't get me started!

OrangeBike

So I'm going to start tearing the bike down and wanted to tackle the bottom bracket. For special tools all I need is the C wrench, correct? And I understand only the left side cup comes out, the right is intended to stay?

juvela

yes OrangeBike, you are on the right track.

first you will need to remove the crank cotters. for this you will need to buy/borrow/make a press. NO POUNDING ON COTTERS. perhaps Vulture has loaner tools or you could have them do it for you.

once you have the cotters out you can disassemble the bottom bracket.

usually people leave the fixed cup in place when they repack the bearings. it is torqued in there quite tight and takes a special tool to remove so it is generally left alone unless one is changing the bottom bracket or doing something like painting. if you wished to remove it Vulture is bound to have the correct tool...

best o' luck and proceed with care.

elcraft

Ted Williams was the grear slugger for the Boston Red Sox. His heirs had his remains Cryo stored and then proceeded to have a legal battle over them. A recent biography on him revealed that he completely supressed his Hispanic heritage. His Mother was a religious charity worker. His father was absent. He realized that his fortunes would be different if he admited his Hispanic heritage, so he ignored his mother's side of the family and their Spanish sirnames. there is a statue of Ted Williams outside of Boston's venerable Fenway Park.

crank_addict

Enjoying the thread. Some pics I've saved in my library as reference. Not exactly sure when Sears dropped the JC Higgins label on bikes but apparently this particular bike is from 1962.




Then there was this ebay 2007 post of a Sears - JC Higgins 9 speed racer. Same style lugs (looks like another Steyr of Austria frame) but far from the same geometry. Seller thought it might be a 1956. Note of interest was the 3 speed IGH plus 3 speed cog and Campagnolo derailleur (replacing some Nervex type). Anyone's guess but I'm thinking it was added.

OrangeBike

Interesting... Thank you.

I've managed to frig up this thread by organizing my photos on photo bucket... Trying to correct that now...

As far as photos, should I be posting all the pics I take? I've started tearing the bike down and am taking photos so I remember how it all goes back together, don't know if there's interest in that...

rhm

On the cotters, I prefer a vise rather than a C-clamp. A C-clamp heavy enough to do the job will have wide jaws, so you should add a big block of wood to take up most of the space between the jaws, so the screw that does the actual clamping doesn't have to be extended so far that it flexes. If it flexes you are likely to bend the threaded part of the cotter.

A while back you mentioned that the flange on one of your sunshine hubs is bent. My advice would be: don't straighten it if you don't have to. Aluminum doesn't take well to repeated bending. A minor bend won't affect the wheels much at all, but if you weaken it the flange may break, which could mean a rather spectacular wheel failure

crank_addict

Orange ^^ Sure thing and why not? Its like we're hanging out in your shop but only virtual. Plus its always good reference for the next bike junkie.

I'm ever grateful to some on this site. One above is RHM (3 speed guru) and thanks to a few other members, they helped correct my '57 hodgepodge. Took quite a few transitions in sorting, learning what was lost, what was original and finally getting it all to work. The over engineered Austrian 'tank' is quite a hoot. (BTW: Have you linked to the Austro Daimler bike history site? Connect the dots to your bike.)

OrangeBike

The kids at one of my LBS (Cory the Bike Fixer) that I've been going to, suggested banging the cotter out with a hammer, but folks here seem to not recommend that. I don't want to drop the $60 on a custom tool and I know Cory's has the tools to press it out... Torn, very DIY but I don't want to wreck the bike. I don't mind buying new cotters, they seem to be out there.

After I cleaned the hubs up I was going to post a photo up of how badly the flange was bent and get an opinion. I figured that since the wheels are spoked, there was a certain amount of latitude available. I didn't want to fatigue the aluminum.