The Flandria Fixed Gear (Fixie) Conversion Project - Wheels/Hubs

For Fixed Gear Conversions you have 4 options

1. Most Expensive, but Easy, Safe, and Pretty: Buy a replacement rear wheel with a wheel that has a track/fixed hub or flip flop hob (has both fixed gear side and single speed coasting side)

2. Easy, but Ugly:You can just keep your old multi speed cassette on, but remove the derailleur. Your chainline probably won't be perfect but should be close.

3. Some Work, Sorta Ugly: Take your old rear cassette and remove the outside lock ring. Then  remove all the different gear sprockets. Just pick the rear sprocket that you want and put on spacers instead of the other sprockets so the chain line is straight with the front chain ring.

4. Good Amount of Work, Not the Safest but Pretty: (This is the method I chose) Unscrew the whole rear cassette from the hub. The hub will only have the normal right-handed threads for the cog and not the additional reverse threads for the lockrings used on track/fixed hubs. Warning: There is the possibility that the sprocket on a hub without a lockring will unscrew while back pedaling. Therefore it is recommended to still have brakes on a fixed-gear bicycle using a converted freewheel hub in case the cog unscrews while back pedaling. It is also advisable to use a thread sealer for the cog and bottom bracket lockring. The rotafix (or "frame whipping") method may be helpful to securely install the sprocket.  

 You will have to buy a separate sprocket that has a thread that fits on to the hub. I suggest buying a name brand cog as I have read reviews that the cheap ones have weak threads that will strip. I bought a Surly cog off ebay for $20 shipped. Above is the easy part.

Next you will need to add spacers to your rear axle until the front chain ring lines up directly with the new rear sprocket. This is a bit of trail and error. Now you have a nice chain line that will run smoothly, reduce wear and reduce the chance of the chain falling off. 

The most difficult part is dishing then truing the rear wheel. What this means is that when you are looking at your rear spokes they will be longer on one side of the hub than the other. This is done to offset the hub because the rear cassette takes up a lot of room along the axle. And the tire needs to be centered between the rear stays to work with rear brakes. (If you don't have rear brakes the rear wheel doesn't have to be in the exact center, but the bike will run more efficiently without uneven wear on the tires). See the picture below for how it will look before you re-dish and true the wheel.

 

On to re-dishing, meaning to move the tire rim in relation to the hub. The spokes will need to be loosened on the short side (cassette side) and tightened on the long side. The spokes can be adjusted 2 ways; 1. Using a spoke wrench on the inner part of the rim or 2. (my preferred method) by removing the tire and inner-tube and adjusting the spokes with a screwdriver. The spoke wrench method is nice for trueing and small adjustments but the screwdriver method is much easier for large adjustments like re-dishing a converted fixed gear wheel.





Start at the inner-tube valve stem and work your way around. Apply some light oil or lube in all spoke screw holes to make sure you don't break a spoke because that is a game changer. Begin by loosing with 1 revolution then move to the next spoke and tighten 1 revolution. This process will take a while so keep going around until the rim is centered over the hub. 

Once you have re-dished the wheel now you must make it true. Truing just means to make sure the tire runs smoothly with no wobble. The best way to do this without an expensive truing stand is to set up a ruler between the rear stays. Now adjust the spokes one by one so they are centered on your ruler. I find it the easiest to pick one side and make sure that side of the rim stays at that point (see tape edge pictured above or watch this video on truing bike wheels). This takes a lot of patience, but if you succeed you will have accomplished one of the most difficult skills of a bike mechanic.

Good luck.

Step 1 - Background, Disassemble

Step 2 - Frame Painting

Step 3 - Handlebar & Fork Assembly

Step 4 - Gearing (Gear Ratio)

Step 5 - Wheels and Hubs

Step 6 - Custom Leather Saddle

Step 7 - Custom Leather Handlebars

Fiore Tandem Part 3: Assemble & Ride

It's done and with a pretty quick turnaround. Well, that's because I didn't have to do much. The hardest part of bike restoration is finding parts. And for this bike it wasn't difficult because we were not trying to keep it original. I really like how the bike turned out. And so were Meagan and Dan (look at those smiles).







 
The most difficult part of this bike was adjusting the brakes. For this style of pull brakes, you basically have to do a guess and check method. I first start out by holding the calipers against the rim. Then with the other hand I slide the nut up the brake line until it is tight. Maybe the picture will help.









For most of these bike repairs the Park Tools website is unbeatable and the best part it's free. I think its very important for people to know how their bikes work and are able to fix them. If not, go support your local bike shop.

Have a great Bike to Work Week.

Step 1 - Dissemble & Document

Step 2 - Cleaning & Ordering Parts

Fiore Tandem Part 2: Cleaning & Ordering Parts

I'm trying to get a quick-turn around on this bike so Dan and Meagan can enjoy this bike while the weather is so nice. I ordered the following parts:







 
Chain - measure your cassette and chain ring widths to figure out the size of chain you need. There are 2 common sizes (3/32" and 1/8"). Just take a ruler and measure the inside width. A 1/8" chain is wider than a 3/32" so it will fit on a 3/32" crank but will be nosier and will probably not work with a derailleur. It is best to stick with the same size throughout your whole drive train. The other major option with chains is buying a single speed or multi-speed chain. The difference for these chains is in the construction, multi-speed chains are made to allow the chain to transfer from gear to gear. The do this by having beveled edges and more flex in the links. If you are doing a single speed or fixed gear conversion (like me) they also make 3/32" for single gears, but they are a bit harder to find.

Saddles - Riding tandems are all about style in my opinion. I think it is very important for both riders to match. So I got them so remakes of some retro mattress spring seats. I really like the look of these saddles (also on Ash's Huffy rebuild) and they are the right price, ~$15 each.

Handlebar Grips - to keep the matching theme going, plus the style of grips they had on there get kind of sticky with age. More remakes of retro style handle bar grips. With combined shipping only $6 a pair.

All the other parts on the bike just needed some good cleaning. The good news was the rust on this bike was pretty fresh so it was pretty easy to clean. For this job I just used 0000 steel wool, PB Blaster penetrating oil and elbow grease. For a few spots that were very stubborn I used the Stainless Steel brush. Then the whole bike gets cleaned with Pledge ( I read about this one in Bicycling magazine, it leaves a protective finish).

The last thing, I told Dan and Meagan that since they live in North Park. They will make their money back from this bike restore in no time thanks to the discounts from SD Bike Commuter.

Step 1 - Dissemble & Document



Step 3 - Assemble & Ride

Fiore Tandem Part 1: Disassemble & Document

I have a fun new bike project (I know I haven't finished the fixie, it will be done soon). My friends have been telling me about this bike for a while. I guess Dan (editor of the Scottish 60/- video) tried to jump this bike off a curb and well the rest is history. I have never worked on tandems, so this is a great chance for me to learn (read these tandem bike FAQs). The good thing about this bike is that it looks pretty basic and is already in good shape.

This is now my fourth project and I understand the need to take a lot of pictures. I mostly focus on the order of washers and screws. It is amazing the number of different size screws you can have on one bike and the thing that drives me crazy is there is no need. Plus, that means you need to keep changing tools during assembly (rant over). The lesson I really learned on the last project is the need to immediately add captions to the pictures. When you are taking macro photos of parts it is easy to lose the location on the overall bike. And I'm thinking this would be even more difficult when working on a tandem (2 of everything).

So I figured out what was wrong with the bike. It was about a 2 minute fix. Basically the rear (stoker) crank was locked up. I think when the bike was "supposedly" jumped off the curb the chain popped off and got caught between the 2 rear chain rings. It took a bit of convincing but I was able to get the chain removed. Unfortunately, this bike has just been sitting in a damp concrete garage with zero maintenance. Which on these older steel bikes means rust (lube your bikes). The good news is with a new rear chain and a bit of rust removal this thing will be looking good.

Enjoy the pictures.
Front Brakes

 Rear Brakes

Rear Derailleur

Step 2 - Cleaning & Ordering Parts

Step 3 - Assemble & Ride

Ash's Huffy Bike Build / Restore Step #3

So the bike is completely apart and I mean completely. I take all the metal parts that are chrome. I put these in a kiddie pool, you can use whatever storage container you have. The closer fitting to your parts is the best so you can use less water and oxalic acid.

Oxalic acid is also called wood bleach and the only place I have been able to find it is at Ace Hardware. It is a powder and all I do is sprinkle a few tablespoons in the container after it is filled with water. Then you walk away and the next day you will be amazed. All you will need to do is get a rag and wipe the parts down. This stuff is amazing, however it does not work very well on Aluminum or Steel. Yes, it is an acid but it is very mild and will not hurt you if it touches your skin. If you have sensitive skin wear some gloves.

Next with the bike frame.This is a huge area of debate. So do your research before you touch the frame and most importantly the paint. I have done considerable amounts and it all comes down to, what is you purpose for the bike.

1. If you want a collectible that will be worth money then don't touch the paint no matter how bad it is.

2. If you want an older bike that still looks original and you don't expect selling it, at least for much money, then you can refinish the bike (600 grit wet sand paper to remove patina, then clear coat) or do use touch-up paint (good luck color matching).

3. If you want a bike that looks new but has old style and feel, then re-paint it. You won't be able to sell it for much money but that should not be your purpose if choosing this option.

For this project I chose option #3. My wife likes things clean and shiny. Plus she wanted a white bike, and those are about impossible to find with original paint. So from here you have several options for re-painting a bike:

1. Take the bike to a professional body shop where they will sand blast the frame then powder coat it. This way the bike basically be brand new and the paint is very durable. The price varies considerably but expect in the hundreds.

2. Prepare the frame (Multiple choices on this also 1. If paint is pretty good keep and just rough up surface with fine grit sand paper 2. If paint is bad /rusting then you should strip the paint to bare metal, this can be done chemically(not my choice, stinks and toxic) or mechanically (with an attachment for an angle grinder or drill)) then paint with car auto body paint with a paint sprayer. Not sure the price and depends on quality of paint sprayer and paint (my guess $50 -100 for the bike, but cheaper after having the equipment)

3. Prepare the frame (as described above) but use spray cans to apply the paint. You will need a primer (auto body type works well), your base coat color or colors, then your clear coat (varying degrees of gloss). The price of about 5 spray cans ($15 -20), sand paper, and paint remover attachment ($30).
For this project I chose Option #3 just to see how well it works. If it doesn't look good or end up being very durable then I will invest in the spray gun.

So quick RE-cap of my process:
1. Angle grinder to remove bulk of paint
2. Drill attachment/ sand paper to remove in crevices
3. Wipe down very well to remove oils
4. Plug holes and hang with coat hangers
5. Spray 2 light coats of primer
6. After 24 hours, use 600 grit wet sand paper to smooth problem areas and give good surface adhesion
7. Spray 2 light coats of Base color
8. After 24 hours, use 600 grit wet sand paper
9. Spray 2 light coats of Base color
10. After 24 hours, use 600 grit wet sand paper
11. Spray 2 light coats of Base color
12. After 24 hours, use 600 grit wet sand paper
13. Spray 2 light coats of clear coat
14. Allow a week before reassembly

I think the next bike I'll try the paint sprayer and report back on that.

Ash's Huffy Bike Build / Restore Step 2

The first thing you must do with every restoration projects is take as many pictures as possible. Especially take pictures at the important components. Also in places where you will need to reassemble multiple layers (headset). You cannot take too many pictures.

The other good trick is to lay out each part as you take it off. Then take a picture of this and you have your own exploded view.

Time to Dismantle:

There is no particular order you have to do this in. Just make sure you use the right tools to take apart the bike. Some of the bolts and screws on the bike can be difficult to find and replace so be careful when removing them. Also have some PB buster or WD-40 to help loosen rusted parts. Often times the part must soak over night or even for a few days. Be patient.

Ash's Azuki Bike Build / Restore: Frame

So I have started to make some progress. I completely take apart the bike. I mean everything down to the screws.

For the frame I decided I needed to start fresh since the paint is in horrible condition and there is a lot of rust. Normally with a restore you don't want to touch the paint or you lose value but for this project the original bike has no value and my wife cares more that it looks pretty than being authentic. So out comes the angle grinder with a wire brush attachment. (this is not the professional way, if you want to have a great paint job take it to a shop to get sand/bead blasted then powder coated cost $75 - $300 (my way about $12+labor)). This took me a couple hours and with the tight spots you will have sand by hand.
Now with a bare frame I wiped it down with degreaser and then soap and water. I stuffed newspaper into the openings and jammed coat hangers through the openings. Then hang up the frame and fork and surround yourself with plastic or sheets.


Now onto the paint, the best stuff to use is automotive paint. And you will need primer, base coat (color) and a clear coat. I could not find auto paint so I went with Krylon paint from HD. This is a $12 test and if it doesn't last then I'll redo with more expensive paint. But make sure that your paint is all the same brand. So on a very clean frame I sprayed 2 very light coats on the frame. Then within 10 minutes I added 2 thin layer of base coat (gloss white). And then again within 10 minutes, 2 more coats of glossy clear coat. With all this painting the quality all depends on the surface preparation. It must be clear of dirt, hand grease and old paint. And if you notice any drips (shouldn't since you are doing several light coats) then wait till it drys to the touch (30 min) and wet sand with 600 grit paper.

I like how the frame turned out and now I'll wait about a week for the paint to really cure, then onto to the components.