Specsappeal

Hello! I'm new to this forum and to cycling as well and I was hoping to get some advice on possibly repairing an old school bike that I have!

I believe I have a 1970's Sears "Free Spirit" 10-speed bike and am hopefully planning to repair/update it with newer parts. I plan to use this bike for getting to and from work, as well as exercise/biking on paved trails! It's the first "new" bike that I've gotten since early 2000 when I was in elementary school

That being said, I have very little (if at all) info in regards to building bikes so I was hoping to get some advice so please bear with my lack of bike knowledge

I've spent the better part of the day attempting to take off the rusted pedals using elbow grease and PB blaster and...its still a work in progress. My first plan of action after was to change the one-piece crankset to a three-piece crankset using an american to euro BB converter. From there, I believe I need a cartridge bottom bearing and found an affordable one for around 22-25 dollars, but immediately became concerned as to what size I would need to order (if this would even work)

In addition, I no idea what kind of crankset I would need to fit said cartridge. (I don't have a HUGE budget for this adventure, but I was hoping to use it as a way to travel between jobs so it's a tad important )

Thank you for your time and patience!

cny-bikeman

Rebuilding a bike can get complicated and expensive very quickly, and is a very poor idea for a bike that sold new for under $100. The "experience" is not worth it in this case, as 90% of what you are likely to do on a bike is simple maintenance. Even now a bike of that quality would sell for about the same. Either do the bare minimum to get it working or get some help from a bike enthusiast friend in finding a better quality used bike from Craigslist.

p.s. Just saw that you received similar advice on other duplicate posts. I especially liked noglider's response.

Retro Grouch 

How much did you pay for the bike?

That's the most that you can lose on this deal - until you try to fix it.

SkyDog75

Before diving in too deep, consider what upgrades you plan on making, what improvements those upgrades are going to make, and how much those upgrades are going to cost. You may find that it makes more monetary sense to buy a different bike than to buy upgrades.

A one-piece crank adapter, a cartridge bottom bracket, a three-piece crankset, and a bottom bracket tool might cost you as much as a different used bike that already has a three-piece crank ...along with a better frame, aluminum wheels with QR, better brakes and drivetrain, etc.

capnjonny 

I can understand your attachment to this old bike. As others have said It is not worth spending a lot of money on.
That doesn't mean it is not worth fixing up.

I volunteer at the Bike Exchange and what we do is fix up old abandoned and neglected bikes to donate to the needy. If tis bike isn't totally trashed you can , with not too much outlay, get it back in serviceable condition. It will make a perfect "beater Bike" since It is unlikely to get stolen and servicing it will give you a lot of good experience that you can use later to fix up a more "worthy " bike.

Before you start taking it apart , take a lot of pictures of it from every angle to be used later as a guide to rebuilding it. Find some u tube videos to help you. Look closely at the frame, especially at the top and down tube right behind the steer tube for signs of crash damage. Closely inspect the frame for possible cracks or large dents. If the frame is damaged you should really not try to fix it. You could still do the dis assembly for practice though. It will give you a good education even then.

If it were me I would completely disassemble the bike , bagging all the parts and labeling where they come from Leaving the bottom bracket for last. I would set aside the wheels and leave the fork in place for now.

Next I would get some vinegar and put it in a large mouth jar . Into this put all the rusty bits that will fit(wipe off all the grease with a wd40 soaked rag first) and let them soak for a day. When you remove them from the Vinegar a lot of the rust will wipe off. Take the severely rusted parts and scrape of the thick rust with a scrub pad or the edge of a knife and soak again. Any remaining rust can usually be removed by rubbing with some crumpled up tin foil or painting with naval jelly

At this point you have a frame stripped of everything but the pedal cranks and the fork. You have cleaned, rinsed and sprayed wd 40 on everything else. You can clean the frame also by wiping down with wd40. Clean this off with rubbing alcohol before painting.
Now remove the lock nut on the Ashtabula crank and remove the entire 1 piece assembly through the non drive side, .

Spray wd40 into the bottom bracket and , using a shop rag or paper towel, clean out all the old grease.

Using wd40 again spray on the large caged bearings and clean them good.
Inspect the bearings for pitting or discoloration . also inspect the bearing surfaces they ride on. If everything looks good , re grease everything with a squeeze tube of lithium grease (home depot) and re assemble . Tighten the lock nut till all the play is out of the crank but it still spins freely. Don't try to "upgrade" the Ashtabula crank . It is one of the most bullet proof bits of engineering ever to be put on a bicycle and except for being a bit heavy is perfect for this bike. If you want you can now service the steer tube bearings. It can be a bit tricky so you should read up on the procedure first. If the fork turns smoothly, doesn't bind, and doesn't have any play I would leave it alone for now.

If the frame has a lot of surface rust on it I would buy a bottle of naval jelly and paint the whole frame with it in sections, letting the jelly sit for 1/2 hour then rinsing with water. Generally the naval jelly won't hurt the paint . you can test it on a small area to be sure. Be sure to wear rubber gloves and safety glasses just to be safe.
After the frame has been cleaned up it will probably look much better than when you started. If you want to make it look even better , buy some Rustoleum clear lacquer in the spray can. Prep the surface by very lightly sanding with 1000grit wet/dry sand paper, wipe down with a tack cloth to remove any dust, and spray the frame with 2 or more light coats of clear. The most common mistake is to spray too much paint on in one coat causing runs. Avoid that and you should get a nice paint job.

If you do paint , don't rush it. follow the directions on the can and then let the paint dry for a week, preferably hanging in the sun.

While your frame paint hardens you can finish cleaning and polishing all the shinny bits .

Go somewhere and buy cables and covers for your shifters and brakes and reinstall them, you should be using 5mm spiral wound covers .( you have already de rusted and polished your handle bars haven't you)
Hopefully you saved all the parts and put the nuts and washers back in the brakes the way they came off so re installing them will be easy. If you are putting new pads on do it before you re install the brakes.

When you go to install the cables and covers match the new ones to the old ones you saved and labeled. If you have a pair of electricians crimpers you can use them to cut the cable or you can use electricians pliers or carpenters side cutters. Make sure the wire doesn't become frayed. if one or more strands separate gently twist them back into the wire. Put some lithium grease on your fingers and rub it into the bare cable. If there were cable ends on the old cable cover put the new ones that came with the cable on which ever end they were on originally and slide the cable back through the cover. A top tip here . make sure after cutting that the cable cover has not been flattened. Using a small nail or ice pick insert it into the end to round out the hole. When you go to slide the cable through the cover leave the end cap off, push the cable through the cap and through the cover then slide the cap on. When the cable comes out the other end slide that cap on over the cable and onto the cover. (if used) On this bike there is probably a short length of cover terminating at a braze on on the frame. Some bikes need an end there and many don't . see what fits.

When you have run your new cables for the brakes and derailleurs attach them loosely, pulling all the slack out of them and tighten them down so they don't slip.

Adjust the front derailleur so that the bottom pf the chain guide is about 1/8-1/4 inch away from the teeth on the large chain ring.

At this point you can service the wheels if you want. I am going to just give you a quick overview . You might want to get some help here. Disassemble, remove the freewheel, check the cones , bearings, and cups, re grease, Make sure the bearings are good and not too loose or to tight. re assemble everything (If you want smooth shifting install a new Shimano hyperglide freewheel and new Chain). Service the front wheel , checking for excess play in the bearings. also check the spoke tension . You can do this by plucking each spoke . The spokes will make a tone. a loose one will be easily spotted. If you don't have a spoke wrench buy a cheap one that looks like a circle and tighten any really loose ones a 1/4 turn at a time . Mark the rim where you tightened the spoke with a sharpie so you can find it again . You should be spinning the wheel and noticing how much run out there is by looking at the space between the rim and the brake pad. If one spoke is very loose that will probably cause a lot of run out . mark the spot where the run out is greatest and tighten that spoke a little and check to be sure it is making an improvement.

When tightening spokes remember the spoke is like the bolt and the part you are tightening, the nipple, is like the nut.

If you have made it this far without throwing the bike in the trash congratulate your self. You are now a better bike mechanic than most. Check the tubes for leaks and patch, put on new tires, and put the wheels back on.

Install a new chain , some handle bar tape and you will have a bike you can proudly tell everyone who admires it "I did that"

If, during the rebuild you get stuck , go to your local bike co op or bike shop and ask for help. If you go to the bike shop try to talk to the owner, tell him that you are a novice, that you really want to learn how to do things right, and could he help you.

In my experience , shop owners are usually dedicated bike guys and they will probably be impressed with your attitude. They probably won't try to rip you off.

Even better would be hooking up with a bike co op. They can mentor you and will probably have a stash of old parts you can buy to replace what you can't fix.

In any case, when you are all finished and certain you did everything right take the bike into the shop or co op and have them check everything out and adjust everything.

I have been doing this kind of work for 4 years at the Bike Exchange and still have my work checked out. They always find something I missed .

Good luck and don’t get discouraged. It is always easier the second time you do anything. Do this and when you are ready to upgrade you will know just what to look for.
My guess is that even if you do end up buying some whiz bang fancy bike you will still keep your old 10 speed around.