derrickito

i recently got handed down to me a near mint condition windsor from the 70's, well i guess far enough away from mint that im here looking for tips on an overhaul

bike like this one :



i need to teach myself how to take apart the wheels, true wheels, repack bearings, take apart the drive train and chain rings and degrease and do all that deep maintenance

are there any really definitive reads on the do's and don'ts along those lines? online links would be super helpful (or books). ive dived into google a bit but havent found anything too in depth.

in regards to tools, what should i pick up that a normal arrangement of car working tools wouldnt provide? pedal specific wrenches or tools for bearing packing or anything like that? what things should i get from the shop that i will definitely know i will need before i even start? degreaser? (what kind?) bearings, seals? etc

im coming at this from a usual do it yourselfer attitude but want to have my head and toolbox ready for it when i dive in

thanks for any help !

derrickito

googling has pulled up this great article about trueing wheels https://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/skills/spokes.htm

that helps alot, if anyone has anything to add to that or help with other parts of deep maintenance, id appreciate it

seely

For pedals use a 15mm open end wrench. Remember everything on the bike is metric. You will probably need 13, 15, 17mm cone wrenches (maybe not a 17), a headset wrench of the appropriate size, a 8, 9, 10mm wrench, and a few sizes of metric hex wrenches. For grease use the Green Marine Grease you find at Home Depot... its the same stuff bike companies sell for $$$. There is a tool for pulling the cranks (necessary to rebuild the bottom bracket), and a few bottom bracket tools depending on what style it is.

sorebutt

It looks beautiful! but the bike looks huge.. from the picture I would guess 62cm.. How tall are you?

supcom

www.sheldonbrown.com
www.parktool.com

Those ought to get you started.

DragonMistress

I manage all that with one chain tool, two crescent wrenches, one 13/15mm (I think, it's marked in some weird brand-specific scale and is a "#6") thin wrench, Phillips, and flathead screwdrivers, and a pliers.

Oh, and I have an ADORABLE minature crowbar...which I bought because it was cute, not because I needed it...and then found myself using it as a spacer, small pry bar, brace, hammer...

Anyway. That's useful too. But not any more than a tack hammer.


All it takes, in my opinion, is a bit of practice and a gentle touch. I can...in spite of those who think it's not done right unless it's done expensive...true wheels as perfectly as any bike shop with a marker and a crescent wrench.

derrickito

i should have read this before hitting the bike shop last night, luckily thats most of what i bought. picked up a 15 mm pedal wrench, a 14mm wrench for wheels, an all in one tool, a crankset remover, chain tools and cleaner, and tons of degreaser

went home, ripped the bike almost down to the frame. got to work on the wheels, figured those out ok, pulled out some bearings and went to the shop and got those replaced and got grease. realized that i needed a different tool to get my rear gears off of the wheel, going to pick that up tonight so that i can do that side of the bearings.

i also have to buy some specialized tools to remove by bottom bracket, when i was pedaling i had some horrid sounds coming from there, im expecting to have to rebuild it or replace completely. i got most of that off except for the final insides (need that tool!). also bought a new gear ring set with one smaller ring so that i can actually make it up a hill of any caliber

i started to true my wheels but after doing all that other stuff i didnt have the patience for it and was pissed i didnt have the right tools yet for the bottom bracket and the rear cassette, so im saving those projects for the next couple of days.

*covered in grease*

derrickito

im not sure on the exact frame size, im 6'1 so its a good fit for me,
(that picture isnt my bike, but a googled find of it).

my exact bike is here on the bottom left:

derrickito

golden, thats exactly the kind of stuff that im looking for, that parktool site has a wealth of do it yourself fixing tutorials with pics.. thanks!!