Bianchigirl: Yes! That poor ironing board gets more use than almost anything else in my house.

Rachel, you need to put that big spacer on the left-hand side on the outside of the cone as shown in the pic from Zaphod. I didn't check to see if the bearings were still in that hub. You see any in there?

Neal

Cool to see that the work day actually worked out!

It would be wise to invest in the remover for your freewheel; they're not expensive: https://tinyurl.com/248a6bu

Problem resolved! There are no bearings in the hub, and I think I need another spacer on that axle. To be continued...

Looks like the balls are missing, and honestly, you probably need someone to guide you a bit on the ball placement/axle insertion/cone adjustment/spacer placement part of the program. Somebody with cone wrenches.

You can probably get away without removing the freewheel, but it would be easier with it removed.

Balls are cheap, but you need a buddy with knowledge to get this right.

Rachel,

Try taking everything back to Hampshire, the axle, the wheel, etc. They should have on hand the appropriate spacers, washers, and locknuts. This is one of those projects that can be challenging the the first time you do it, and it's easy to miss pieces or put them in the wrong order. Best of luck.

Hi all,
You probably aren't following this thread anymore, but I've finally got a picture of my finished bicycle online and I thought I'd share it with you. Sorry it took me so long to post this!

I've had the bike up and running since late Spring, and have been enjoying it immensely. It's light(ish), comfortable, and fast. Compared to my GF Wingra hybrid, which I paid full price for a couple years ago and which I loved at the time, it's awesome. No comparison. Maybe I just needed to get on a different setup to notice the difference... I'm considering selling the Wingra because I never ride it anymore, actually.

Mostly I've been taking this thing on 15-mile rides up and down a bike path by my house, but I hope to get it out on the open road a bit more in the future.

I know the handlebar tape color is insane, but I love it. I actually get a lot of compliments!

So thanks again to Doc, Pastor Bob, and Neal for all your help, guidance, and encouragement. I am so happy with the finished product, and obviously I couldn't have done it without you.

Rachel

Nice bike! Dont worry your bar tape isnt insane, my girlfriend likes purple too...

Nice work! it must be nice to finally get this one on the road!

Now all you need are yellow valve stem caps, Rachel. Thanks for the feedback.

Brad

WOW. Just...WOW.

robertofergy, WOW, that thing is gorgeous. what kind of frame is it?

Doc, would you be more horrified if I'd chosen to go with pink handlebars? Because that was indeed on the table.

Not at all, it's all a matter of what bakes your cookies, floats your boat, rings your chimes.

Awesome! Nice work, Rachel.

Neal

Congrats on a successful resurrection. Looks like all that hard work paid off.

Thanks. Its a Norco very small (~47cm) frame that we repainted.