EraserGirl

i won't mention the Men's Columbia 10-speed i bought today for $15 because i wanted the rack.
pictures later after i remove the rack.


but todays $20 prize is a Women's Raleigh Sprite 10speed.
advertised on craigs list as "Women's 3-speed $20 " not even a model name.

so far the only thing she needs is tires.
once i get them on tonight i can see how she handles.
the Brooks Saddle alone was worth the $20.

Having trouble dating her, her serial number isn't old enough i guess
ND8034457 any ideas?

I think there is a '77 on the front hub. is that the year of manufacture?

(more pictures)

EraserGirl

the Columbia Bromleigh 3-speed I bought for $15 JUST to get the aluminum rack.
Which I am gonna put on the Armstrong after I take off her baskets.

I cleaned and lubed it, needs new tires, but otherwise looks good.
i threw it out on Craigslist for $75
yeah i know it's probably a boat anchor, but i can always mark it down.

RobbieTunes

Plenty of good advice here. You don't need a set of bike shop tools if the bike you're working on doesn't require them. One of the great things about those Schwinns is they could be repaired at home in most cases.

First, a good bath gets you up close and personal with the bike; you can spot defects and areas that may need work.

Second, if you don't have a rack, a car carrier (trunk style) isn't a bad place to hang a bike, just tie it down good with bungee cords or something. This way you can turn the cranks, shift the gears, spin the tires, etc.

Now, you're ready to get a good look at a fairly cleaned-up bike.

So, third, look at the components like a traffic light:

Green means go. Look at the things that make it go, the shifters, front derailleur, rear derailleur, and the gear rings themselves. They should be clean and move when the cables tell them to.

Red means stop. Look at the brake system, from the levers to the pads. It's the simplest system.

Yellow means watch out, think safety. Your saddle, post, bars, stem, and wheels. If one of these systems fail, you can get hurt immediately, even just sitting still. They're also easy to fix or replace. Tires and tubes, too.

When you think a component is OK, move on to the next one.
If you get stuck on something. BF.

As far as the addiction, well, can't help you there, I was always on the sidelines with bikes, and 2 years ago I decided I needed a hobby: https://velospace.org/user/8175

Things got kind of outa hand.

EraserGirl

Thanks RobbieTunes, good rules of thumb.

I got up close and personal with the Armstrong, today
I have been using her a LOT and need to clean and tighten everything.

The steel baskets were leftover from when i used to grocery shop.
i had been afraid to remove them as they were attached to the hub not the struts.
I bought the Bromleigh just to get the aluminum rack which was the right age and size.

So with the Anybody's bike book in one hand and a wrench in the other, I took the baskets off the Armstrong. I had to actually release the rear axle to fiddle with the bolts and of course detach the gear cable. But once i figured out how everything went back together it only took me 5 or 6 tries to get everything straight and tightened back up. (bonus points i figure out how a 3 speed gear works)

I had never lifted or ridden the bike without the baskets, they made such a difference in how much it weighs and handles. canvas panniers for me from now on!

I feel empowered...no one to blame but myself for any misalignment.

Tonight or tomorrow I will put new tires on the Sprite, I have a black enameled rear rack for her, i got it for $3 at a yardsale, but i need to find a flange. i don't think i have ever seen anything like it at home depot.

And I sold the Bromleigh in 1 day. only half a nibble on the Varsity. tomorrow i will pick up the missing brake cable and replace that. But the Bromleigh paid for the last 3 bikes i bought.

Folks don't understand you can't DO things like this with new bikes.

RobbieTunes

Our little secret here at BF.....

EraserGirl

I got this nice Columbia "usa racing" 10-speed today
any ideas how to date it?
does it have a model number like schwinn?

Marrock

Everything's better with a little lube.

brandenjs

BF has created another monster, Erasergirl is getting quite the collection..Good job..ain't it great !!!

EraserGirl

HELP...grr grr gnash..i just went through 5 youtube videos looking for one to show me how to remove my rear wheel...but they are all for those pissy quick release kind...who needs a video for a quick release wheel?

i need to start replacing tires, so far i have mastered changing the tires, as well as 3 speed hubs, but i am stuck on removing geared wheels.

any videos online?

Road Fan

Do you still have that copy of Anybody's Bike Book? It tells you how to get these wheels off, with sketches. Check out Ebay item 230289140979, right now it's 99 cents, and that is the correct edition for our old bikes!

EraserGirl

yes i have the anybody's bike book, but i learn so much better from seeing it.
once i see it, i never forget it. i am completely visual.

better picture, i gave her a bath, but i she still needs one tube not bad for $20
she seems a bit small for me, which is kinda odd, since i am short.




got this 3-speed today for $15


interesting gear change is the entire handle grip
and she needs at least one tube

Road Fan

Your cute little red and white girl probably has a Shimano hub or one of the German ones of the day, not Sturmey-archer. My main clues are the twist-shifter and the little lever-crank on the drive-side end of the hub.

I remember a bike procedure if I do it, but I can build up the picture of what to do from the book, especially from the Anybody's. After that I'm a visual doer.

Which bike are you having rear wheel problems with? If it has the Sturmey Archer with the little chain for shifting control (the so-called "indicator"), you don't really even have to remove the indicator. You really can just loosen the two big nuts that clamp the rear axle in the frame without removeing either nut from the axle. First make a sketch or a note that tells you which of the several washers were on the outside of each dropout (i.e. with the nut or with the hub body). Once it's loose you can just wrestle it out of the frame using all that brute strength. As always you might have to pull off a brake shoe to get the wheel loose, and as always putting it back on is the reverse operation.

I can't find any videos for you, either, but if you think it would help feel free to PM me with questions.

Road Fan

Road Fan

Now I get it, its the blue bike with a nutted axle and a 5-speed freewheel!

Ok, you just need to get the bike upside down, propping the handlebars on books or something to keep from kinking the brake cables. They'll still work, but the kink makes them look silly.

Shift the bike into 10th gear so you have a clear position for the chain to thread back onto, and your dealing with fewer teeth. Loosen the big nuts on each side, make a note of which washer went where relative to the frame dropout. Do whatever (quick release or cable loosening or shoe removal) to release the brake. Pull back the derailleur so the cage, chain and idlers don't block removing the wheel, then use all that brute strength to pull out the wheel. You might want to get a helper to hold the frame steady and the derailleur back while you pull, you might need both hands to extract the wheel.

Road Fan

EraserGirl

thanks
actually neither it's the Raleigh Sprite which has been upside down on my coffee table for a week now.
i think i need a helper.
i have had intermittent problems with the front wheel as well.
i can get each side of the fork to let go, but i need a third hand to pull out the wheel.
i guess it would be different if i had a work stand with these right side up
then i would have gravity to help,

if i shift into 10th gear isn't the chain still ON the gears? how do i get it off?

EraserGirl

i didn't have much problem with the Sturmey archer on the Armstrong, that's basically easy peasy.
I read the hub on the Skyway before i bought her, it is marked USA THREE SPEED, 333, which i guess is not the best kind to have but what does one expect for 15?

she's cute. I think i am building a collection of 'mom' bikes and i am thinking of saving them for spring and having a yard sale of bikes for mom.

Road Fan

Often the front fork has lips on the edge that actually grab the nut or washer, and you need to just watch and open the nuts up far enough. Extra hands will help, but brute strength will not. Steel is a lot stronger than we are.


The chain is actually on top of the rear sprockets when the bike is right-side up, and is under the sprockets when its upside down. Your going to pull the wheel up, sort of, away from the chain. Now just to be fair, some of the chain is around the sprocket (and running into the derailleur) and is now on top of it, but to get that out of the way is why I want you to pull the derailleur back. That clears the way for the sprockets to be pulled up away from the rest of the chain. But sometimes it sticks, and you need to keep a rag handy to grab it and pull it with if that happens.

Didn't the videos on removing quick-release wheels show this aspect of things? This part should be the same if the wheel is a QR wheel or a nutted wheel.

I think the 333 means its Japanese, probably Shimano. Not a problem, it was also a real good product.

EraserGirl

thanks
i can read that 1000 times it won't sink in, i have to see it.
i DID managed to get it off the Sprite. luckily she only has 5 gears
but i know i am gonna have serious trouble putting it back on.

i have an eye on a used work stand i suppose then things will make better sense.


i guess the 333 means japanese
but it does say USA THREE SPEED perhaps USA is the name of the japanese company.

Road Fan

I meant to say the "3.3.3" is a part made by Shimano or SunTour to my best recollection. Why they marked "USA" on it I can't say for sure, except perhaps they needed to mark the parts as intended for the US market.

Shifting teh bike into 10th gear (smallest cog in the back biggest in the front) was to make it easier to see where the chain needs to go when you put it back on.

Not sure I'm helping ...

EraserGirl

I got this Bikeway work stand from that old fella in Lowell
he says he got it from a defunct bike shop and was not used by them.
It raises the bike up JUST enough that I can sit down and work on them
it's perfect for me.

$35

EraserGirl

CCM Coronado



This poor Raleigh Sprite was in a basement...i swear her tires have mushrooms!



This Schwinn Caliente has the Shimano Positron derailler which supposedly allows you to shift standing still. We will find out once i put on new tires and lube her chain.

i gave them all baths, and will start derusting them presently.

EraserGirl

Here she is with new tires, an old rack and a coat of turtle wax

EraserGirl

new addition

1956 Raleigh Robin Hood
only one owner, low miles
all original, pump, tools, maintenance manual.




now she's gonna get a bath and a coat of turtlewax

btw i named her "Marian"

ScottRyder 

Sweet ride, EG, you certainly know how to find them. Like that pump.

EraserGirl

i need to get those deteriorated handlebar grips off, i hope they come off easy.
and i am scared that when i wash her i may damage the decals. so i will try to find a clear coat like nail polish to protect them.

txvintage

OK, gotta ask..... Is that a Mastiff in the background? the camera angle makes him/her look kind of small but the profile looks very close

I have to admit that the next time my wife says something about the next old bike that comes in I'm showing her your thread. You have surrendered to the addiction, and it's not a bad thing.....