The end of the semester Christmas break?

Yeah, my parents actually live in Hartford and I go down there for research all the time. Too bad...

Hi all,

Neal was generous enough to offer his time to help me put together the bike on Wednesday. We got a lot of work done--he showed me how to install the brakes, run the cables, get the derailleurs on, and so on. Unfortunately, we realized mid-job that I am lacking an axle for my rear wheel (a detail that I neglected to notice beforehand), so we weren't able to completely finish the project. Regardless, we got three hours of work done and Neal told me how to find a new back wheel so I can get the bike together in the next couple weeks. I'm going to go over to the Hampshire Bicycle Exchange and get one tomorrow, maybe--and I'll post pictures of the finished product after I do that. In the meantime, here's a picture of Neal threading the gear cable in my poorly insulted attic--we had our coats on, it was pretty cold. Thanks again, Neal, Doc, and Pastor Bob for your generous donations of time and parts! I'll get pictures of the finished bike and me putting the final touches on in no time.
https://picasaweb.google.com/releach/...71276819534402
Rachel

Neal,

Now this is rough duty! A man on a mission for a worthy cause! Great job.

Thanks, Bob, and great to meet you, Rachel. Sorry we couldn't complete the task; there's that darn rear wheel in the background of the pic! And working in Rachel's unheated attic was quite like working in my unheated basement. Hats on!

Neal

Wow! It's a bicycle...almost! Did you use that Suntour BB I sent, or was the one on the bike serviceable?

Got that same Mountain Hardware hat in red- awesome stuff.

Nope, we didn't need that BB as the one on there (and the cranks) felt fine. And that was good, as I didn't bring my crank puller!

I used to have that hat in red, but now it's my son's. He's only 8, but has a big head!!

Neal

Neal, Well, hat's off to you for helping out.

Brad

Yup, didn't need the bb. Doc, I'll send it back so you can put it to good use if you want. Let me know!

No wheel yet; the place I looked for it today didn't come through. What do you guys think about buying online? Are there good sites for parts that you would recommend?

what kind of wheel is it? Someone may have an axle.

www.niagaracycle.com has some really inexpensive rear wheels. like 25 or 30 bux if i recall correctly. What size wheels are these?

Thanks, Zaphod. Niagra does look good. It's a 27 x 1 1/4" wheel; and this site does indeed have them for cheap. I think I'm going to order one.

no sweat...Also keep in mind you'll either need to move the freewheel over from your current wheel or buy a new freewheel...niagara cycle carries "SunRace" freewheels that are good and inexpensive. If you decide to move your freewheel over you can either take the wheel to a bike shop and have them pull it, or you can order a freewheel puller from Niagara when you order the wheel.



...um this is a freewheel and not a freehub right?

It's a freewheel, and Doc actually sent me a spare freewheel, so I have one to install on the new wheel. I won't need a special tool to *install* a freewheel, right? It looks like it just screws on, and will tighten itself once I start riding the bike?

Yep, just thread it on, BUT, grease the threads first so you (or someone else) can get it off down the road.

Okay, yeah. I need to get some grease at the bike shop too; Neal brought some greenish-blue stuff that seemed to work well.

https://www.niagaracycle.com/product_...ucts_id=433133

This'll work as a replacement rear wheel for my frame, yes? Neal or Doc?

I'd pass on that one as it's a steel rim. That'll be heavy and stop poorly when wet. This one would be better:

https://www.niagaracycle.com/product_...ducts_id=34353

Neal

I have used that Suntour sealed BB and it's a mighty fine piece o' gear. Very easy to work with.

J

Yep, that will work. Might be worth calling them to confirm that it's a 126OLD width. I ordered one from them once and it was wider, had to send it back at my expense. Yes, that's right- a freewheel hub that was set at more than 126.

If you need any more help I'll almost definitely be out in Amherst the week after Christmas and be more than willing to give you a hand.

Thanks for the tip, Doc--gonna go to Hampshire Bike Exchange before I order and make sure I can't get it locally. I did finally get the Park Tools Blue Book, which is awesome, so thanks for the rec on that. It's crazy how many bad bicycle repair books are out there.

Yuoil, I will let you know if I need a hand the week after Christmas! Thanks!

Quick update on my project: I went to Hampshire Bicycle Exchange today, which I must put in a plug for--the service is friendly and efficient, and they have pretty much any part you could think to look for. Great place. They didn't have any bearing grease in stock so they gave me a little bit to tide me over for free, which I thought was classy.

Anyway, I bought an axle for my rear wheel and some pedals, got the axle home and tried to figure out how to install it on the wheel, and promptly hit another stopping point. Seems I'm missing one of two things, and I'm not sure which: either sufficient spacers on the axle to prevent it from slipping into the body of the hub, or a piece of the hub itself. The axle itself did come with one spacer, but it appears to be meant for use on the other side (not the side with the freewheel). So now I'm not sure if I need to buy a new rear hub or a new wheel, or both.

I'm definitely frustrated, but am appreciating the challenge here--putting this thing together is forcing me to use a part of my brain I'm not accustomed to using!

So that's my update, and I'll keep you guys posted.

Freewheel hub bodies are a single piece, so there's not really anything you can be missing other than some stuff that threads on to the axle.

Spacers and Locknuts come into the picture once you've got the axle installed in the hub with the bearings in place.

For now concentrate on getting the axle in the hub. Aside from the hub You need 3 parts.

1. The Axle
2. Bearings
3. Axle Cones

I have a funny feeling you might be without axle cones....They thread on to the axle and provide the other surface that the bearings roll on.

This picture shows the parts that go on the axle. What are you missing? The dust cap is an optional piece.

glad to here someone got there to help her. I love the improvised 'work bench' in the background. I have to start checking goodwill for a few used ones.


PS if you travel alot they make great suitcase stands too

I've got the cones and the axle:

The bearings would be located inside the hub, correct? Unfortunately I don't have the freewheel removal tool so I can't get that off to properly inspect my hub; here's a picture of the hub from above.


The problem is that the axle rattles around in the hub, even when I move the cones and spacers around in different configurations. I can't seem to get it to a point where the axle feels securely in place inside the hub.