rogerm3d

Got my old mountain bike back on the road, next in line is a disc brake upgrade that I've put off for years. With the disc brake swap I will also change over to tubeless.

wrenchwench90

With my limited amount of tools I was able to successfully remove the crank set on my boyfriend's Origin8 Del Pasado fixed gear with my park tool crank remover. This was the 3rd or 4th that I've done. The time before was on my own 1985 Fuji Del Rey in which I was unsuccessful and stripped the crankset threads... ;______;
SO SAD
I had it in my head to deep clean the del pasado, although now I need a tool to remove the BB cuz it is riddled with tar that he ran through last year

Wildwood

Found out the wife is extending her visit by a month to her brother in Florida this Winter. I need, therefore, a new project to help pine away the hours she will be gone.
Santa found me a 40yo garage queen to refurb. Original and cosmetically very good.


Just got home

Carlton headbadge

Love the shortys

xiaoman1 

Wildwood,
Wow....Where did you find one this clean, CL OU or?
Best, Ben

jamesdak 

You're braver than me. The very thought of trying to build a wheel leaves my sobbing, in the corner, curled up in fetal position. You can do it!

Wildwood

1979 Carlton Criterium - brought to USA from UK, one owner, supposedly less than 100miles total. A very stand-up guy (sounded Scottish, not English)
It is a lesser frameset with claw derailleur hangar. But such a cosmetically clean 40yo bike won my heart.
I saw it on CL but also on OU. T'was less than 5miles away = convenience appreciated.

I was not up for a frame build, this go-round. The parts bin is thin and garage work hours are chilly.

Hopefully it will ride like a keeper. English Celeste?

xiaoman1 

Wildwood,
Agree about the condition that was why I asked for the backstory. Bikes this old and in this condition seem to be getting harder and harder to find.
If I had found it would certainly be a keeper.
Best, Ben

Chuck M 

Cleaning up and preserving this old Breeze for a fundraiser for a local nonprofit program. We hoped to find someone to repaint it the original coppertone, but that isn't panning out. The serial number indicates it was produced in September of '66 likely for the '67 model year. It seems to be all original except for the rear tire. One thing we have learned is these were assembled with a minimal amount of grease and apparently the dealer was supposed to properly grease and adjust the headset and bottom brackets. There is more grease in a street taco than was in this bike so the disassembly and greasing didn't happen to this bike. But the bearings and races did survive surprisingly well. I hope this bike does well as a fundraiser because it has been so much fun for me and it is for a great cause so I hope to do another some day. I'm off work for the rest of the year, so I hope to get it finished up.

bwilli88 

Not much wrenching on Bikes.
But cut this out and painted it

Bianchigirll 

I never realized rebuild kits for ratchets was a thing. Cool bench block

Phil_gretz

For Craftsman and Snap-On, for certain. They're not cheap, even at eBay lowest prices.

As for "other" wrenching interests, well, I keep active there, too.

jamesdak 

Pulled the winter bike down from where it was hanging in the garage. A little quick service then out for a lazy 25 miles on it. This ol' 17 year old Jake the Snake is still looking pretty good.

Markeologist

Posted elsewhere on BF a moment ago but this is the bike I'm currently wrenching on...Bernard Carre I'm fitting with first gen Campy Record, Mafac Dural Forge bakes, and 3TTT Gran-Prix Stem/Bars...all stuff you would see in the peloton in 1966. I plan to ride, thus the forged 3TTT stem which is still period correct.

Mad Honk 

Spent about an hour tonight machining brass replacement washers for Cinelli stems, after working on my confuser most of the week. Software problems (argh!) when did I become so dependent on the new technology?
Oh yeah it was about 40 weeks ago when Covid lockdown started. Smiles, MH

xiaoman1 

MH,
That's why I still use a fountain pen or a pencil....being a pseudo-Luddite has its privileges.
Best, Ben

albrt 

This is a proof of concept bike - trying to salvage an old steel department store frame with inexpensive newer components. Probably a late 70s Murray frame, with 26" MTB wheels and other miscellaneous parts bin stuff. I call it the Urban Assault Vehicle because it looks vaguely military. Rides better than it looks.




Here is the 1979 Raleigh Supercourse I was working on last week. It was left in somebody's back yard in Phoenix, Arizona for a couple of decades. The bike is ugly but I was amazed how well the alloy components cleaned up. It will be a decent downtown commuter bike.

xiaoman1 

Hard to complain about the fit of these, I forgot about how nice new "gum" rubber hoods feel. They could be a little more opaque, but overall quite pleased them.

I can't decide if white would be better for the bike they're going on.
Best, Ben

J.Higgins 

Great work! Haha! I love it! It reminds me of my dear old dad. He was an engineer and a mechanical genius, but this is the type of stuff he did for relaxation and enjoyment. Again, nice work, and Merry Christmas!

xiaoman1 

Agreed, in the spirit of good will ....bwilli88, a really nice contribution....
Best Wishes, Ben

BFisher 

"The Aristocrat of Bicycles" looks a little more dignified today thanks to an extra fine gold DecoColor paint marker.

merziac

You should be able to find a Snap-On dealer when you need one, their website can help locate.

And you could find a shop, friend, relative etc. that has a dealer to help.

And Craftsman are still being sold at ACE, Lowes and others with mixed reviews.

The CRAFTSMAN warranty page is alive and well and the 888-331-4569 # is still good so I would consult them for help.

Ratchets and sockets as well as many other are still Lifetime, no questions asked, no receipt necessary.

Many online have had good luck with them directly, ymmv.

merziac

@bwilli88

Great work Bill, only son and Dad's mom born on Dec. 25.

Phil_gretz

I honestly no longer care about their warranty support. For any retailer who has taken on the burden of the failing Craftsman brand, I feel sorry for them. Kits are available and rebuild is trivial. Thanks though...

merziac

Agreed, but if a simple call to the mothership nets a free kit to your door....

And while the retailers may have been saddled with this by Apex, Stanley, etc. they are not innocent, they signed on for the brand recognition knowing it wasn't worth anywhere near what it used to be, also knowing they could bully the majority of people out of the warranty.

Phil_gretz

Yup. I recently arranged a bike trip into my local city (nearest Ace Hardware), only to discover that this Ace doesn't participate in the Craftsman warranty program. Gee, thanks. Guess where I will never spend a penny for my hardware needs... The ride was nice, though, so there's that...