Build a Bike From Junk

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Photo 8: Cleaning the Components. Wash off all the moving parts, using a toothbrush or rag dipped in kerosene. (The pieces pictured here are the bearings, left cup, lock ring, and crank spindle from an English bicycle.) After you've cleaned the bike's chain with kerosene, dip it in 30- or 40-weight oil and hang it up to drip dry.

Photo 9: Cleaning the Chrome. Remove any rust from your bike's chromed parts with fine steel wool dipped in solvent. (If you've salvaged and plan to use hand brakes, however, don't polish the sides of your wheel rims.)

REASSEMBLY

Photo 10: Greasing the Bearings. After everything's clean—and any chipped, pitted, or worn-out rings, balls, cones, or cups have been replaced with parts from a bike shop, industrial bearing supply company, or another used cycle—you can start putting the bicycle back together. Pack the loose ball bearings into a ring of grease in the cups. (If you lose some of the bearings, simply add enough to fill the cup, then take one out.)

Photo 11: Reinstalling the American Crank. The general rule for reassembling any units containing bearings is as follows: Tighten the bearing-covering cups (or cones) until they're snug, and then loosen them about one quarter-turn . . . so that the unit rotates freely with little or no side play. Remember that on an American bike you adjust the left crank side by pushing the slotted cone counterclockwise to tighten and clockwise to loosen.

Photo 12: Reinstalling the English Crank.

On an English crankshaft, hold the cup steady with a nail while you tighten the outer lock ring. If the ball-bearing holder slips during final tightening, you can use the nail as a punch to loosen it.

Support the cranks with your homemade block again when you drive the cotters back in . . . and set the two pins facing opposite directions (each rounded cotter head will face the back of the bike when a pedal's at the bottom of its stroke).

Photo 13: Reinstalling the Fork. When you're ready to put the fork back in the headset tube, install the lower bearings first. Then hold the fork snug against the front frame tube while you place the bearings in the upper cone and screw on the top cup. After that's done, you can reattach the stem and handlebars.

WHEEL WORK

Photo 14: The Hubs. Remove all the parts in the front wheel's hub. Then clean, grease, and reassemble them. The front axle pictured here is American, and its bearings are held by retainers. Some English front axles have no outside lock nuts. The cones on such wheels have to fit the fork snugly if they're to be held securely in place.

Remember, I recommend that you not tinker with a rear wheel hub (except to tighten or loosen the bearing cup) . . . just test to see that it spins freely—counterclockwise—and smoothly before you take it home.

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