Build a Bike From Junk

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One last "tool" is essential for work on English bikes: a block of wood with a 3/8" hole drilled near one end. This homemade device will help you knock out the cotters that fasten British pedal cranks onto the body of the cycle.

THE ESSENCE OF BIKE BUILDING

I figure the easiest way to explain the bicycle construction process is with pictures, so I'm going to use a sequence of photos to lead you through the procedure. In essence, you'll [a] select the components . . . [b] dismantle almost everything and tidy up the frame . . . [c] clean the moving parts . . . [d] replace any defective pieces . . . [e] reassemble the "overhauled" components . . . and [f] fix any wobbles or projecting spokes in the wheels.

Building a "junk" bicycle is a bit like cooking with leftovers: You may have to bend the recipe to fit the ingredients at hand. So despite the fact that I've tried to make my instructions as detailed as possible, you'll probably have to do a bit of "creative cookery".

And don't let any complicated-sounding jargon you encounter in my directions worry you. Bike rebuilding is a lot easier done than said. Bicycles are really marvelously simple in design (when you stay away from those ten-speed derailleurs and all) and are therefore quite easy to work on. Just remember the sequence of pieces when you take something apart . . . so you can reverse the order to put it back together. It's my guess that—even if you've never assembled anything more complicated than a twopiece curtain rod—you'll soon be a master cycle recycler.

Now, let's get started.

THE PARTS

Photo 1: The Naming of Parts. Although you can figure out what the bike pieces do by looking at them, I can't talk about them without naming them, using the terms given in this photo. The sections that you'll need to dismantle—which are all detailed in the accompanying drawings—are the stem and fork (they both fit into the head tube), the entire crank unit, and the front wheel hub. The complicated rear hub contains the brake—and gears, too, on a three-speed—so it's best to avoid trouble by starting with a healthy back wheel.

By the way, the bike you see here is an $8.00 international junk classic. It has an American frame, an English front wheel, a German rear hub, a Japanese stem, and a Dutch handlebar!

CHOOSING YOUR BIKE

Photo 2: The Frame. The bicycle's structural base is its frame. Diamond-shaped English bike skeletons (from the once popular "English racers") are among the best frames to use because they're strong, lightweight, and easy to find. Be sure to sight along each member of any "diamond" you mine from a trashpile or junkyard . . . to see whether it's straight. You might want to measure the wheelbase, as well: If the distance between the hub slots on a standard English frame (with a 21 " seat tube) is less than 41-1/2", you've got a bent bike.

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