Build a Bike From Junk

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TAKING THE BICYCLE APART

Photo 3: The Stem and Fork. The first step in overhauling a bike is to disassemble the vehicle down to its bare frame . . . beginning with the front stem and fork. You won't have to use a hacksaw to handle this task—as I'm doing in the photo—unless your stem is "frozen" into the fork. In that case you saw the stem off, knock the fork out, and find some new front parts.

Normally, though, you'll simply loosen the bolt at the top of the stem (about three turns), tap the bolt head down, and pull the handlebars and stem off the bike. To take the fork out, put some newspaper on the floor—to catch any small, loose parts—and remove the lock nut, washers, adjusting cup, cone, and ball bearings from the upper headset. You can then pull the fork out . . . along with the lower bearings and cup (if you have to knock any ball-bearing cups out with a screwdriver, they'll need to be replaced).

You'll also remove the bicycle's chain about now, and replace—by using a punch to knock the rivets out over the hole of a large nut—any bad chain links . . . or simply find a better chain.

Photo 4: The American One-Part Crank. T he crank unit on most American-made bikes consists of a bent one-piece rod that holds both pedals. To remove it, first unscrew the left pedal, left lock nut, washer, and adjacent slotted adjusting cone (all these parts are left-threaded to keep them from loosening while you're pedaling . . . so they'll unscrew clockwise). Then take out the ball-bearing cup and slide the entire crank and sprocketed chain wheel off the right side.

Photo 5: The English Crank Rods. English cranks have three pieces: two pedal rods and a connecting spindle. The rods are held on by tapered cotters. To disassemble them, take the nut and washer off each pin . . . then support the crank on your homemade cotter-catching block and drive the pin out.

Photo 6: The English Crank Spindle. After the cranks are disconnected, you'll have to take the spindle out. To do this, first loosen the left side lock ring with slip-joint pliers. (A tight ring can be knocked loose—as is being done in the photo—with a punch made from the shaft of an old English bike pedal.) Then take off the ring, the adjusting cup with bearings (again, spread some newspaper on your work surface first), and the spindle. You can remove the right ballbearing cup—but do so only if it's pitted and needs to be replaced—by turning it clockwise.

Whether you have an American or an English crank unit, you'll need to oil your bike pedals. You can also use a very thin wrench to remove either of the foot-holders, should it need replacement. Remember: The left pedal has left-handed threads.

CLEANING TIME

Photo 7: Painting the Frame. Now that you're down to the bare bones of your bike, you can sand off the old chipped paint and give the frame a new undercoat and finish layer. I've found that regular brush-on enamel works best.

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