CiscoKydd

I bought a Diamondback Recoil 29 mountain bike from a neighbor recently. Everything is original on it.
The brake and gear cables have been cut off. It needs quite a bit of work to get it riding again. I am disabled with a spine injury. So I only want to ride it gently for exercise.
Anyway, I noticed the barrel adjuster screw for the front caliper is missing. I checked Amazon and eBay and I cannot find it. I also visited the Tektro website. I did not see it listed as a part. I can't find it anywhere! Does anyone know how or where I can get one of these?
Someone please help!

biker128pedal

Look here. You may find something compatible. I would not be surprised if another brands fit. If all else fails get another handlebar lever. Does not need to be the same brand.

https://www.loosescrews.com/

cxwrench

Pretty sure OP is talking about the barrel adjust ON the brake caliper...if that's the case hit your local bike shop and see if they have a random one laying around. If so, install it...BUT...do NOT use it to adjust the brake. Only adjust for pad wear by moving the pistons in. Plenty of videos on YT.

CiscoKydd

It is on the Tektro brake caliper..not on the handlebar.
Thanks. I will visit the local bike shop.

CiscoKydd

Update: My LBS did not have the part so I decided to order new, red, Zoom calipers front & rear. Thank you guys for your advice.
I am a complete newbie. I repaired multiple bikes as a teenager. But they are completely different now. I am learning as I go along.
I worked at my dad's gas stations since the age of six. And fixed bikes for family, friends and neighbors. So I have quite a bit of mechanical experience.
I have completely stripped the frame. I will keep it raw aluminum. Next, I decided to go with a red and black color theme. It's all very low-budget. I bought an SA Suntour XCR RL air fork black. IXF 1 X crank black with bb and Snail 32T narrow-wide chainring red, MZYRH aluminum 3 bearing pedals red & black. I added red crank protectors.
I still have not decided on which handlebar and stem yet. I ordered a Cane Creek/ Ahead zero stack headset. Everything I have learned about mountain bike concepts and terminology I credit to Bike Forums, Youtube (especially Park Tools videos) and Google. I am thankful for Bike Forums site. And I am thankful for the knowledge of the members. Thank all of you.
​​As I progress with my Winter project I hope that you guys don't mind answering the questions I have as I go along.
Thanks again.
QUESTION: Is it possible to convert to cartridge bearings instead of caged bearings? Does it make sense to attempt this? Are there advantages or disadvantages?

Kapusta

Which bearings are you talking about?

If a part is built with caged bearings, you can’t just stick a cartridge bearing in there.

But you can just change the part, such as a headset from a caged bearing unit to one with cartridge bearings.

CiscoKydd

Sorry. I meant the headset bearings. I understand that cartridge bearings on the fork crown race use a split crown race. It just seems so much easier to work with. Am I wrong??

prj71

With the money and time spent on this bike, I'm starting to think you could have purchased a better bike that wouldn't need any fixing.

Kapusta

I gotta ask: why are you looking to use different bearings? is there anything wrong with the headset? If it is not causing problems, then just clean it, grease it, and leave it be. That is certainly the easiest thing to do.

But to answer your question:

Yes, I think cartridge bearing headsets are easier to deal with in general, but the difference is not huge. One advantage of cartridge bearings is that when they are shot, you just pull the old one out and plop in in a new one. You can leave the headset in the head-tube and the crown race (which is not technically a race) on the fork. With caged bearing headsets, if you let them go TOO far, the headtube race and the fork crown race may need to be pressed off and new ones pressed on. Split crowns are obviously much easier to install and remove, but not all headsets with cartridge bearings use them.

But again, you can't just use cartridge bearings in a headset that is designed for caged bearings, you need to use whatever bearings the headset is designed for.

mack_turtle

yes. remove ALL parts of the headset, including the cups that are pressed into the frame and the crown race on the fork. purchase a headset with the correct SHIS measurements (look that up) for your frame and fork. install everything new.