I Have Returned!

The winter has been long, hard and cruel to my bike building ambitions. The Trail-a-bike remains in a pieces in the garage. Had this been a milder winter like last year I probably could have been found in the garage some nights. Since that was not the case I no have to play catch up.

The plan is to finish stripping the trail frame via chemical means, paint it and then reassemble. Using new ball bearings should smooth out the ride and new grips will update the appearance. I should be able to use it this summer with my daughter and then sell it.

My Spalding road bike is going to get a through cleaning, perhaps a little paint on the underside of the bottom bracket and then it too will be sold. I will list at $125 and settle for $100.

The most immediate need is the mountain bike I just purchased. I was lucky enough to find a Specialized Hardrock at The Broken Spoke that not only fit me but was in good working order. However what I didn't know until I got it home was that the previous owner was a smoker and the bike was obviously stored inside with the human chimney. The seat had to go and the bike needs a good washing with soap and another with vinegar. New grips and replacing the grip shifters with triggers is a must.

Quite a few projects (I haven't even mentioned cleaning off my work bench!) but nothing is impossible.

I'm Back

Yes it's been a while.  I've been working on the trail-a-bike just as often which is to say not much at all. Sanding the frame is a messy and noisy undertaking.  I won't be able to get into all the nooks and crannies with the electric sander.  It's a nice tool but hard to handle and very messy.  I've decided to find a 'green' paint stripper and finish the job.  With the temperature dropping, my time in the garage is becoming limited and I'm becoming impatient.  All I want to do is paint the frame so I can re-assemble the bike and move onto the next project.

I learned a good lesson today, it's not necessary to do cars a favor.  At the end of a short bike ride today I returned on the sidewalk on Muscatine. The nice new sidewalk....that was still dirty from construction. It splashed up mud all over my bike and legs. I don't mind some mud, it's just nice when I can expect it.   The Trek road bike got a good wipe down but this makes a good point. All bikes need a good partial breakdown and cleaning.  I want them shining like brand new and ready to ride in the spring.

Clean As A Whistle

The progress has been slow going. Trying to find enough time to get some serious sanding done has been difficult with the kids evening schedules filling up. I have been able to get about 90% of the front arm done thanks to my new toy, a Black & Decker power sander. 

As you can see the only area I have left is a bit on the handlebar clamp and the square end that attaches to the rest of the frame.

This is my new sander with a well worn sandpaper sheet. It's an inexpensive tool that has done wonders. My only complaint is that it's hard to get a comfortable grip.

I must apologize once again for the horrible lighting quality in these shots. The lightning issues in the garage are something that I'm definitely going to address this weekend. Some new fixtures in the ceiling and an under counter light over my bench should make things 100% better. 

Hot In Here

In preparation of sandblasting I have been doing the last bit of prep for the frame. It's now clean and without any labels or grease. To remove the grease I've been using a product called Contracter's Solvent. It's non-hazardous and non-corrosive which is a big deal because I'm trying to be as planet- (and me-) friendly as possible. I'm pleased with the results and any of the more difficult spots could probably be taken care of better with a wire brush instead of a nasty chemical. In line with my eco-friendly attitude is the method to remove stickers. I borrowed my wife's hair dryer and blasted each sticker on high for a minute.

The six stickers came off without leaving any sticky residue. Of course the area underneath the sticker was without blemishes. This makes me, for a moment, reluctant to remove the paint on the whole frame. I'm just hoping to make my finish as nice as the bike was originally. There's a very good chance it won't be and that's ok. This is a learning process that I'm doing so the next bike will be better. 

Speaking of the next bike. Toady, while riding my Spalding road bike to work, it creaked, groaned and pleaded for a tune-up. I've beaten it up pretty well this summer and it's served me well. Time to reward it with an overhaul. 

A Little Progress

It seems that whenever I am stuck at a particular point of this project I stumble across an answer on Youtube or another blog. Such was the case with the remaining pieces of the crank. I had trouble unscrewing the last couple of nuts because I wasn't able to hold it whilst using my tools. After some blog browsing I hit upon the idea of using a vise to hold the crank. Thankfully I have Gpa Charlie's shop vise mounted to my work bench and once I had the crank locked in there I made quick work of it.

Now that I have the crank completely dissembled and cleaned I'm eager to get it back together. Unfortunately I have to hold off until I can get the new ball bearings, grease and paint. I'm thinking about a green color.

First steps...

The original idea behind this blog was to show each step of dissembling, cleaning, reconditioning and reassembling of each bike. In my excitement to get started I didn't document the full break down or even take some 'before' pictures. Above you can see the frame of the trail-a-bike I decreed the guinea pig.

The trail-a-bike is a Kent Co-Pilot that we bought a couple of years ago for $20. The kids have used it well but are getting to big and heavy to make it practical. Since it's only half a bike with a coaster brake it is much easier to start on. The plan is to clean every part, strip off the blue paint and spray on a yet to be determined color, reassemble, test ride and then sell it. As the picture above shows, I have the crank out but not yet broken down and the bearing cups for the bottom bracket are still in. All the other pieces I'm keeping 'organized' by tossing them into a spare bin.

You can see where I've started sanding the front arm. This would be very time consuming to do, thankfully I've found a friend that has a sandblaster. Next on the list: Improving the lighting in my garage and getting replacement ball bearings.