Free advice on how to fix your bicycle

CCM folder bike conversion to multi-speed

2013-05-19T16:30:00.000-04:00

Sorry for skipping a week. The weather was bad (I'm outdoors you know.) and life was pretty busy. Didn't want to make a half ass post.

Beer can light Aluminium cranks or boat anchor heavy steel one piece crank? I think the choice is pretty obvious!

Step one in the build is to convert this once single speed bike to a multi-speed set-up. The first thing I wanted to do was to change the one piece crank to a 3 piece crank using a conversion kit. I got the kit from Pork Chop BMX some time ago for another project that never saw the light of day. The idea is to have a better selection of cranks and to shave off some weight.

Conversion axle and bearings with the dirty original CCM bearing cups.

The kit is pretty straight forward with an axle, bearings, cones and bearing cups. Simply install and put on your favourite crank arms. In my case I did hit a small snag where the bearing cups are a specific size to the CCM. I had to forgo the ones that came with the kit that are sized for conventional American BMXs.

Clean up must also involve the bottom bracket shell, loose dirt will get in the bearings. Here it also reveals the original mid 70's purple color of the bike.

The new bearings did fit in the older cups with no problem. Of course a clean up was in order and they were still in decent shape. I would suggest inspecting them has there is usually one side that is more used up than the other. depending on the rider being left handed or right handed, one side will see more usage than the other. Always put the better cup on the side that suits you, that way they will last a bit longer. In my case as a right handed guy, the better one went on the right side.

Cup and bearings packed with fresh grease. Don't forget to add a dab on the bearing cones as well on the axle. More is always better than not enough.

Completed conversion.

After the bottom bracket was installed, I put on the crank arms and lucky for me, they cleared, barely. I've faced such a situation before and let's just say that the solution wasn't pretty for the frame!

Check for clearance between the crank arm and frame. Also, check your picture for proper focus before publishing! Aaaaaaargh :X Notice also that tire clearance is not an issue.

Next I had to install the rear wheel and check for clearance in regards to the tire and frame. That's where I hit another little snag. The axle was a lot wider than what the frame would allow. I remedied the situation by spreading the frame a bit using a car jack.

Small discrepancy here!

Take note that you should never do what I did. Bending a frame is a last resort because you will ruin it or make it dangerously weak. I'm rolling the dice here doing this and only sharing it with you for information purposes. Yes, I'm an idiot, haters don't need to post it in the comments.

Do not ever do this, ever!

Final result.

I finished up by installing the derailleur and the chain. Everything works fine and nothing is rubbing the wrong way. I'm not planning for a front derailleur since the frame design won't allow it. No biggie, I have hands. :)

This is how it sits for now.

In case you have any questions about the different steps taken in this post, here's a list of links to post I've done in the past that relates to the work done here today:

One piece crank
3 piece crank
Installing a chain

And of course the links to all the how-to articles here.

Until next week, ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

CCM Folder Cargo Bike Project

2013-05-05T11:09:00.001-04:00

As promised earlier, here is this year's bike build project. Hopefully it won't fight me like last year's build that actually got a win over me. That bike will be revisited maybe in the coming years.

U-245 Hammerfish Bike, the starting point.

For now, a need has risen for a small cargo bike that can carry my 4X5 camera and tripod. That gear weighs over 20 pounds all together and I don't want to kill myself carrying it around the City. The folder bike is small so it can be stowed in the car on trips and the low centre of gravity means my camera stuff won't be falling from too high if I crash. Always plan for the worst!

One piece crank to 3 piece crank conversion kit.

The original bike was a coaster brake one speed CCM folder bike from 1976. Hills here in Montreal are not made for that set-up, so I'll be going for a multi speed hub with derailleur. I'll probably be replacing the one piece crank with a 3 piece bottom bracket using a conversion kit I bought some time ago. This and the aluminum rims I'll be using will help save some weight. The gear I will carry and the custom carriers I'll have to fabricate will be on the heavy side.

Aluminum rims and high pressure Maxxis Hookworms will be taking care of rolling duties.

The bike is entered in the annual bike build off contest at ratrodbikes.com and I intend to go with a U-Boat theme. However, since I'm modifying a lot of things, I need to proof concept the bike before I paint and start customizing. That means building it to ridable condition to make sure everything works right before I do all the fancy stuff.

1958 Brooks B66 saddle, still good and very comfortable.

First off, I have to dig thru my parts pile to find all the bits that were scaterred here and there when I took this bike apart some years ago. Keep posted.

Don't forget to check out the how-to articles.

Until next week, ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

First ride of Spring. So what does MY bike look like?

2013-04-28T15:32:00.000-04:00

I've been spewing out advice for many years now about proper bike maintenance and every Spring I remind you folks about going over your ride before heading out into the joyous bliss of the first bike ride of the season. I figured it would be fun to show you what mine looked like this morning after a Winter spent in the shed.

I've written before about proper storage for your bike to survive the lay over period during the Winter. Do I follow my own advice? Well, not this year. I was basically busy and lazy and tossed everything in the shed real fast before the first big storm hit last Fall. So I was kind of worried on what I would have to deal with when I took her out of the shed this morning to go enjoy a nice warm and dry sunny day.

Overall it wasn't that bad. First order of business was to check tire pressure and as you can see it wasn't a bad idea. A 40 psi difference between what it was and what it should be is huge. My tires are rated for 65 psi but I keep them at 60 for a bit more comfort. 20 psi would have been murder on my inactive Winter legs. I was happy to find that despite the fact that the bike was not hung up on the ceiling, I had no flat spots on my tires.

That's not good!

Next was cables and brakes. I found a dry front brake cable which is showing some rust. It will have to be replaced since it is the main brake on this bike. The rear one is more of a "slow me down" type of job.

Dry and rusted, it will have to be replaced

Chain and gears were fine since they were properly lubed late last season. However I did make one mistake. I forgot to upshift before storage in order to take tension off the cable and the derailleur spring. The old derailleur didn't like that too much and the now fatigued spring prevents the derailleur to bring the chain down to the last gear. It will fix itself over time or I'll get off my lazy butt and replace it.

Will be trying some wishful thinking before actual replacement.

The first ride was sweet and I was surprised to feel my legs in decent shape despite the fact that I almost didn't ride last year. I'm happy I went out there and enjoyed myself today. Now to go and find that upcoming folder project in the mess that is my shed!

Somewhere in there hides a great folder bike project.

Don't forget to check out the how-to articles.

Until next week, ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

2013 riding season starts, be careful out there!

2013-04-21T21:30:00.001-04:00

Well folks another riding season starts for those of us living in the snow belt. For those of you living in warm weather all year, you can keep on reading, laugh or thank your lucky stars you can ride all year.

As most of you know starting the riding season, this means taking at least a glance at your faithful ride before taking it out the first time. Pumping the tires up to proper pressure should be your first task on the list. Your out of shape legs will remind you pretty quick that low pressure tires slow you down for the effort you are putting in. Brakes, cables and lubricating the chain is next while also making sure that everything is there and working properly.

Remember that most drivers are not used to seeing too many of us for the last couple of months and they are driving a lot faster since conditions are good. Collisions happen mostly during dry and clement weather. Drivers are usually careful and very attentive in blinding blizzards. Nothing says "carefree" like dry pavement and a blue sky, which usually results with you becoming invisible to them on your bike.

My last but very important piece of advice is the roads and pathways you'll be riding on. Loose gravel and other possible problems caused by infrastructures not yet maintained could cause you harm. Your front wheel being swallowed up by a huge pothole could ruin not only your day, but your entire season. So keep your eyes open and be careful out there.

Until next time, ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

Can you help my friend?

2013-02-11T17:41:00.000-05:00

Lyndsay, who writes a wonderful bike blog called "You ain't got Jack", has packed up her stuff sold everything she couldn't carry in her suitcase and moved back to the UK recently. Being a UK subject, married for 7 years to the same guy and having a kid, you'd think it wouldn't be an issue to live and work there. Think again! British bureaucracy has smashed her to pieces. Here's her article on the matter, read on and see if you couldn't help her out. Many thanks to all of you in advance.

Gerry :)

"Unrequited Love In The U.K.

Posted: 10 Feb 2013 04:59 PM PST

Last Thursday was an utterly miserable day, we finally met with our immigration lawyer. I'd been trying to get assistance from two lawyers that work with low income households since November, but neither had worked out until now- so off we go to Bristol, looking forward to getting some idea of what we need to do to get Kyle in a position where he can work, as he is our main bread winner and our savings are dwindled and gone. We'd heard that we would probably have an easy case as we've been married for 7 years, together for 10 and oh yes, we have a son together, so we hardly fit the profile of a convenience marriage!

One of the first things we were enlightened to was that the government expects us to live elsewhere unless I can fulfil a high wage job to support us both, that just because I'm British it doesn't mean I can live here with my family and that if we CAN live in America then we should return there, as "you don't get to choose where you live". I wish I could say it was a complete shock, but after dealing with the wrong side of immigration for the majority of my life, its really not. I guess I just expected more common sense from the government...OK you can laugh now, that was my first mistake. My second was thinking that our case would be considered on a compassionate grounds, as we don't want to abuse any systems or government funds, we simply want to work and live in a country where 2 of us have citizenship, and the other is a spouse and father to two British Citizens.

Our lawyer, who was very nice, went on to tell us there was hope and we could accomplish our goal, but it would take lots of money, lots of time, lots of British Bureaucracy and most likely a few years or more of not living as a family, but rather being separated by 1000's of miles and 1000's of pounds/dollars.

This isn't the kind of thing where you say "oh, my bad, we'll just forget that idea". I mean I'm not being funny when I say I might be physically allergic to America, I break out in hives just thinking about moving back there. I realize that may be slightly offensive to some people, but my American experience is likely not the same as yours. Mine involved being dragged there at 13 years old and having my mother join a cult pretty much the week we landed, we left behind a lovely house in Shrewsbury, England, and I was 17 before I ever lived in an American house- the 5 years between we were homeless, roaming 22 states in all, with crazy religious people.

Now back to last Thursday, where was I?

Oh yeah, the lawyer pretty much dashed our hopes and dreams and then told us what would become our ray of hope. She told us that as I'm European, I can go live and work in any other European country with my family, and that as long as I work, so can Kyle. Brilliant! What a concept, that people should be able to bring their family, work, live, pay taxes and contribute to a society they believe in! Of course this news was great, BUT I really wish we'd have heard it before we spent all our savings moving to England, talk about a royal F*** Up.

So now we have to move to Europe (in the next 8 weeks, before Kyle's visa runs out) and as neither of us speak much in the way of a foreign language, our thoughts are either Ireland (English speaking) or the Netherlands (Lots of English Speaking). Apparently after we've lived in another European country for 12 months we can move back to England and Kyle can work the next day...it's some kind of ridiculous loophole. But to be honest as much as I love England, it can shove off with it's unrequited love, we'd much rather live in the Netherlands or Ireland...or France...or Spain...or wherever opportunity and a hope of stability take us. We're willing to work hard for what we want in life, we always have done, but it's going to take a bloody miracle this time.

I spent 2 days being heartbroken and today being pissed off. Tomorrow I start trying to make magic happen. We have one more asset to sell, it's a green Boda Boda. Then we have to find some work and a temporary place to live in any European country, then we have to get there and in the mean time we have to survive. I just passed 40,000 views on this blog and a lot of them happen in Europe, so if you know of anyone looking for one or two people to do some work for them let us know! If you can think of someone who might have a temporary roof they can place over our heads let us know! We're pretty talented if I do say so myself, here's a list of what we've done with some success in the past:

Office Manager
Personal Banker / Loan Officer
Hotel Operations
Sandwich Shop Manager
Radio Personality
Bistro Manager
Graphic Designer
Sales Person
Logistics
Nanny
Core Driller
Barista
Pizza Delivery Person
Cook and Cleaner
Gardener
Dressage Horse Trainer & Stable Worker
Guitar player and singer
Cocktail Waitress
Medical Herb Distributor
Cult Member
Blog Writer

Can you guess which jobs were mine and which were Kyles?

Got any great ideas to share, a little advice, an option we might not have thought of?
Email me: youaintgotjack@yahoo.com

Thanks for reading! L"

Montreal Snow Storm Biking

2012-12-28T12:44:00.003-05:00

Montreal is known for people biking during its harsh winters. You'll find anything from old bikes to fixies going at it in the snow, slush and ice covered streets. The sometime Arctic cold is not even a deterrent for most.

Yesterday however was another story with the biggest snow storm to hit the City in the last 41 years, 45 cm of snow on the same day. I went about most of the downtown and Plateau area to find one lone cyclist pushing her ride off to the sidewalk. Most bikes were snowed in for the day. Enjoy the pictures I took while walking about in the storm.

I'd like to wish a Happy New Year and all the best for the Holidays.

Ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

Lighting, thinking outside the bike or the Xfire safety light.

2012-10-17T17:24:00.002-04:00

I saw this video on You tube and at first I was sure it was a joke. Well it's not. The people at Xfire came up with a great idea for lighting by thinking outside the box or more precisely outside the bike.

Their rear light actually draws two red lines on the ground creating what is usually the imaginary safety box occupied by a bike and its rider. This visible cue for oncoming drivers is the best lighting application I have ever seen. The price is very decent at $39.99 and I can guaranty you that I'm getting one for next season. Check it out here: thexfire.com .

Until next time, ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

Cargo Bikes, the future from the past!

2012-09-24T20:33:00.001-04:00

Cargo Bike, photo by Brian Yap.

Could it be that cargo bikes, who were ever so present in the past in most big cities, make a come back? This article in Lowtechmagazine seems to say yes . I would agree since a cargo bike is much more agile in inner city traffic than a van or truck and many cities are seeing them operate right now.

Great article and good read: http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2012/09/jobs-of-the-future-cargo-cyclist.html#more

Ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

Montreal Mini Maker Fair

2012-08-20T20:13:00.001-04:00

On August 25th and 26th from 12 to 6, I'll be at Monttreal Olympic Stadium with a couple of friends and our home made custom bikes. If you make it to the fair, don't be shy and come to say Hi. It will be our pleasure to meet you.

Gerry :)

A Blogger friend needs your help.

2012-08-19T11:40:00.001-04:00

Lindsay from You ain't got Jack is moving her whole family to England and she is facing some logistical issues. If you are in the UK, take the time to read her post and see if you can't help her out in any way. I'm sure there is someone who reads this that can give the some assistance.

Thanking you in advance.

Gerry :)

You Ain't Got Jack: Your thoughts and ideas are needed-: I know we've all moved before, we all know it sucks, yada yada...but I've never moved on such a limited budget and an international move at...

Time capsule from the 1990's

2012-08-16T21:28:00.001-04:00

I recently found a bunch of films in my fridge that was almost 20 years old and had them processed this week. What a surprise when I found these 3 shots. All of which represent a first in my cycling life.

My first commuter bike, a cheapo mountain bike from Consumer's Distributing. It came in a box and I had to assemble it myself to save $10.

My first real mountain bike, a Velo Sport made here in Quebec. Until about 5 years ago it still had the rigid fork. The only reason that motivated that purchase was the bike's colour: red!

And this one, the genesis to all my recumbent builds. It wasn't the best looking, weighed a ton but it did the job very well. This picture was taken after it's very first ride. This machine was the result of my very first search on the web.

I'm glad I finally got these processed.

Hope you enjoyed these as much as I did.

Gerry :)

Bike project 2012 from Hell!

2012-08-07T21:32:00.000-04:00

I've heard of the book "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance". Until recently I never bothered to do the search on Google of what it actually was. I imagined it was about being Zen when actually doing motorbike repair. Turns out I know as much about that book as I do about motorcycle insurance!

If my original understanding was true that the book was about being Zen when working on a bike, I could say that I've hit a massive wall. Talk about the Universe turning on its ass to tell you, you are waisting your time!

In the beginning the idea was to get a decent City bike together in order to have a ride to take me around town during my first vacation week in May. I needed something to carry my photo gear, my new found passion. As some of you know, it was going pretty well until this happened:

Don't let the image fool you, the streets are not ablaze every night, in fact this was a rare occasion and I was lucky to be at the right place, at the right time.

Daily protest in Montreal, my hometown, that started out for student tuition hikes and then rallied the rest of the population against a corrupt government. When you dream of someday being a photojournalist and this type of thing is right at your doorstep, you just have to be there.

The one thing that is present every night is the no quarters given to media people from the Police on the streets. A camera is not a get out of jail or all access pass. This factor is important because when people get arrested, that's a risk present every evening, when they have a bike, it just gets tossed in a pile by Police on the side of the street. The owner is lucky if the bike is still there when released 10 hours later.

Carrying a bike also slows you down and that's not a good thing when riot geared cops are running around. Walking and the subway in this case is the best way to get around town. So that kinda killed the motivation behind the project.

Whenever I actually had time to work on the bike, tools magically vanished, parts disappeared and things that usually mesh together started to get out of whack and refused to work in unison. I mean fenders are pretty straight forward and on this set up I might have to go with a full homebuilt custom job. But the cherry on the sunday is the rear tire.

After finishing the paint and installing the fork, I decided to put on the wheels and tires in order to see how this was coming along. Slapped my white Fat Franks on the rims, pumped the air up and installed the wheels on the bike. BOOM! That's what happened 30 minutes later while the damn thing was on the work rack in the Sun. Left it like that until I worked on the bike the following week. Check the tube, found a hole that indicated shavings on the inside of the rim. Fixed the rim, changed the tube, put in some air with 10 psi of loose just in case.

That was in the morning, in the late afternoon...POOF! AGAIN! Took it apart again, looked like I didn't do a proper job on the rim, fixed it, changed the tube, pumped it, left 10 psi loose and parked it. Guess what I found when I went back to work on it a week later? You guessed it, the rear tire flat as a pancake. So I just closed the door to the shed and decided to give it a rest.

The project is not dead. At some point in time the feel for it will come back and you will be the first ones to hear about it. This is not the first project I've tackled that came to a screeching halt before the finish and it won't be the last. Funny thing is when I do get back to it, it might get done in a day or two. Hey, a guy can dream right?

Don't forget to check out the how-to articles.

Ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

Man tries to steal a bicycle from a cop in Montreal

2012-06-03T13:34:00.000-04:00

Warning, some sarcasm ahead!

So here in Montreal for over 110 days, people have been protesting in the streets every evening. It all started with the students protesting tuition hikes and then the Provincial Government passed a Law to limit the right to protest and it became a whole new ball game. There's a lot more to it but it's basically that in a nutshell.

Which brings us to this incident last May 20th in Émilie-Gamelin Park where a police officer and a citizen were having a verbal exchange, content of which is unknown. Unfortunately it turned physical and the man ended up unconscious, in tie wraps and finally transported to hospital where he woke up the next day. He was promptly charged with attempting to steal the police officer's bike, a criminal charge.

The man is Sebastien Tranchard, a teacher and a physicist. Even though he has enough brains to become a physicist, it seems that the Montreal Police thinks he was dumb enough to try and steal a bike from an armed cop with 20 of his colleagues around and hundreds of witnesses, some of which had cameras.

I invite you to watch the video and draw your own conclusions.

Gerry

Chicago PD on Cycling in the City.

2012-05-15T17:34:00.001-04:00

I heard that Chicago was making leapts and bounds in regards to bike lanes and making the roads more accessible to cyclists but I had no idea that it went this far.

The Chicago Police Department has put together a very well done video promoting not only bike safety but motorist safety as well and they seem to take bikes very seriously. Here's hoping that this becomes the case everywhere.

Don't forget to check out the how-to articles.
Until next time, ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

City Bike Build, the semi-gloss black paint coat

2012-05-07T21:25:00.001-04:00

The stars finally lined up. The weather was nice, temperature was not of the arctic variety, the winds were not of biblical proportions and I wasn't being attacked by a virus, time to get back to building a bike!

Rack, fenders and rigid fork have been installed

Since the primer had ample time to dry I wasn't too worried about scuffing it. The final coat of semi-gloss black was another thing however. Since time is getting shorter by the day for this build, I need to get in gear and waiting days for paint to dry is not an option.

Always check for clearance of fenders and brackets prior to paint.

The next best thing is to attach the most parts I can and than shoot everything right there on the bike. This doesn't make for a very good or durable paint job but since I'm using semi-gloss black it's really not a real problem. Touch ups are a breeze and paint is cheap, time isn't.

After the first coats have been applied. Kinda looks like Batman's bike!

So I pulled out a pair of plastic fenders I had lying around. These are perfect because they are light. I'm building a fully dressed bike and weight can go up real fast if you don't watch it. Next was a nice Aluminum rack, light weight and sturdy. Since I don't want to mess around with any of this after paint, it was important to get the proper nuts, bolts, lock washers and brackets right off the bat.

After painting, bake it in the Sun. Every little bit helps.

Nuts and bolts were the hard part. I'm sure you're wondering why. Turns out that my filing system for spare parts is not the best. I just take a bucket, box or toolbox and fill it until it's full. Then I fill another one. Every time I end up doing a build I am reminded that my system has a serious issue when it comes to small parts. They always end up at the bottom. After covering my shop floor with three buckets I found my small nuts and bolts and realized I was running low on these. The washers were not a problem, the nice people who made the box I bought had them all filed in separate compartments by size. I also have a bucket full of brackets somewhere but of course, it was nowhere to be found.

The rack will be carrying my camera gear so it has to be sturdy. This baby ain't going nowhere!

I did the next best thing, I built a set of brackets to hold that rack to the frame. I made them using a roll of punched sheet-metal strip used by plumbers and a pair of snips. If you ever want to play with any kind of sheet metal, you need a pair of snips. They are the scissors for sheet steel and aluminum.

This is what I used to make the brackets for the rack.

After everything was installed nice and sturdy, I took the bike outside and applied the Krylon semi-gloss black. Multiple light coats were done in two applications with about an hour between them. The frame is now drying off and I might be able to pursue this build within a week weather permitting. So far it's not looking good but you never know.

Don't forget to check out the how-to articles.

Until next time, ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

City Bike Build, applying the primer.

2012-04-08T11:26:00.001-04:00

Well since I'm working outdoors and the Montreal weather hasn't been the warmest lately, shooting paint has been put on hold until yesterday. I managed to lay the primer on between 2 gusts of wind and still got some over-spray in my glasses.

I found a place to hang the frame and as you can see from the images, it wasn't a pretty place! My number one concern was not to get any paint fly off on the finish of my car or the neighbor's house while still being able to have good access to the frame for the paint application.

Not a pretty paint booth but it works.

Since the surface to prime was already sanded and clean, see previous post, I was ready to shoot. The first thing you apply the paint to is underneath the frame and all those hard to get places. The top and sides always get ample coverage, it's always the bottom and those little nooks and crannies that get ignored in the process. So good coverage there when you start is a pretty good guaranty that you won't miss anything.

Start priming underneath and in those hard to reach places first.

Next you shoot the rest of the frame and make sure you have covered the entire frame. In this case it's pretty easy for me since I'm using a black Krylon Rust Tough primer on a red surface. Missed areas pop out pretty quick. Lay the paint in many thin coats, this will greatly reduce any drips. If you have drips that show up on your paint job, you're pretty much screwed at this point. Don't add more paint to the area, this will make it worst. Wait for the entire frame to dry, sand the spot in question and re-shoot the spot.

Frame fully covered in primer.

Talking about drying, you should wait at least 24 hours before shooting over with the finishing coats on the primer. Spray paint works this way, the color pigments are carried to the surface with thinners and you also have some propellant gases in the mixture to get all this stuff out of the can. It takes some time for all those chemicals to evaporate from the surface. Adding more to the mix by shooting another coat of paint over this doesn't help matters.

Direct sunlight will help the drying process and make any mistake pop out like Pee Wee Herman at a Board meeting!

One of the best ways to dry paint and stabilize this chemical cocktail is to expose your work in the Sun. I was lucky yesterday with bright sunshine and I was able to hang the frame in the sunlight for the afternoon. Despite this, I can still smell the evaporating thinners from the paint job this morning in my shop. I'll probaly wait another 24 hours to shoot the finish coat. Direct sunlight also has the advantage of making any spot you missed pop out instantly. It's nature's way of slapping you with a "You missed a spot".

Parts gathered so far.

I've started gathering some parts from my parts bin and other bikes that I have that are on ice for the time being. I hope to keep cost down by using what I have.

That's it for now.

Don't forget to check out the how-to articles.

Until next time, ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

City Bike Build, prepping the frame for paint

2012-03-25T14:51:00.000-04:00

Now that all those funky stickers have been removed, it's time to prep the frame for paint. The one thing that is of the utmost importance for making a great looking paint job is proper surface preparation. The time you spend here will save you an enormous amount of time later for fixing mistakes or even worst, starting all over again.

A well prepared surface is the key to any, and I do mean any, paint job. The first thing we need to do is to clean the frame in order to have a clean surface before doing anything else. I removed the left over glue from the old stickers with lighter fluid. You can use other products as well like WD40 or other goop removers. I hope that if you do use lighter fluid, you have at least half a brain to do this outside or else...BOOM!

Removing left over glue.

Next we need to clean the surface. After making sure that all the glue was gone, I went over the frame once with mild dish soap and rinsed it. I then went over the entire frame again with paper towels in order to dry it.

Washing the frame down.

Now that the frame is clean and degreased, it's time to sand. Some of you might think that in order to do a proper job it means to sand this sucker down to the bare metal. If you plan to have the frame powder coated or painted by a professional, it's not a bad idea. If, like me, you're planning a straight spray can job, I don't recommend it. No amount of spray cans can equal the toughness of the original finish when it comes to protecting the frame from corrosion and dings.

Exposed metals dings smoothed out with rough sand paper.

So what I am doing is going over the exposed metal areas with a rough sand paper in order to smooth it out with the surrounding finish. While doing this, I try to keep as much of the original finish as I can. After taking care of all those rough spots, I went over the rest of the frame with a fine sandpaper in order to give grip to the first coat of primer. Again, I do this while trying to keep as much of the original paint job as I can. A good way to know if you've done enough is to remove the shine out of the finish. Don't freak out if you see metal coming through fast, some bikes have very poor and thin paint originally.

Entire frame done with a fine grit sand paper. Original shine of the finish is gone.

After this was all done, I wiped the frame down with a tacky cloth to remove all the dust. I also sprayed all the exposed bare metal spots with primer in order to prevent rust until I have time to work on it again. Exposed metal can rust pretty fast especially when exposed to any kind of moisture. I use Krylon's Rust Tough since it reacts with rust and this will inhibit any that I have missed in the sanding process. Those spots of paint will also tell you if your surface is clean for more spraying later on. If there was any problem with the surface, you would see bad reactions like fish eye or orange peel on your new coat of primer. If this happens, strip it, clean it and start over.

Ready for primer.

That's it for now, next step: Primer and paint.

Don't forget to check out the how-to articles.

Until next time, ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

City Bike build, getting down to the bare frame.

2012-03-17T20:26:00.000-04:00

There wasn't much left on the bike but I still had to get it down to the bare frame. First thing to go is the fork. I'm not planning on using the bike in trails anytime soon so no need for the extra weight of the suspension fork. It will be replaced by a leaner rigid fork.

Removal of a threaded fork is quite easy. After removing the stem by unscrewing the top bolt a few turns, punching it down with a hammer and pulling it out, you can start removing the fork by unscrewing the locking nut, that's the real big one. Then the rest comes off easy, the washer, unscrew the bearing cone off and then just slide the fork out. The bearing cups on the frame can be removed by gently tapping them inside the frame with a hammer and a long piece of steel like a worn out screwdriver. I've re-installed all those components back on the fork afterwards for storage. Until I locate a decent replacement fork, I don't want to lose those bits in my shop somewhere.

Next up is the crank arms and the sealed cartridge bottom bracket. Here you need bike specific tools like the puller and the sealed BB socket. There's no going around those.

To remove the cranks, start by taking off the locking nuts inside the crank arm with a 14mm socket wrench. Before you insert the puller tool, lubricate everything that moves on it. The friction you are about to create is the enemy of that tool. Protect your investment and make the job easier by taking a few seconds to do this. Clean the threads in the crank arm with an old tooth brush before you proceed. Screw the tool in by hand all the way in. If you are having a hard time doing this by hand, you have dirt in there, clean it again. If you don't screw it all the way in, you take a chance of pulling the threads out and if you do that, YOU are screwed! Once you have all that done, turn the handle and the arm should come right off.

Next is the sealed bottom bracket cartridge. Insert the special socket on the chain side and go clockwise in order to unscrew it. The thread is reversed on that side of the bike. Once it's out, remove the cartridge and proceed to remove the holder on the other side by unscrewing it counter-clockwise.

My seat post was stuck, so I installed a seat on it to use for leverage and managed to pull it out easily.

The last thing left to remove was the stickers. The best way to go about that is to heat the sticker using a hair blower on the warmest setting. This will melt the glue partially and help you remove the stickers with less residue on the frame. Whatever is still left can be removed with WD40 or other stuff made for that.

That's it for now. Next step will be to prepare the frame for primer and paint.

Don't forget to check out the how-to articles.

Ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

Announcing Bike Project 2012

2012-03-13T18:27:00.000-04:00

The snow is melting away and it is time to prepare for the new riding season here in Montreal. Last year I had some fun with my fleet of 3 bikes but i felt there was definitely a hole to fill and I also did some changes.

The big bike known as Jenna Saykwa will be transfered to my Son who has been salivating over it ever since it's been created. Since I built my stretched Chopper, I don't have a need for it anymore. The 1958 Raleigh Sports will be sent to semi-retirement after surviving last year's Beat the Main race. Turns out my Dad had the exact same bike back in 1958 so I want to preserve it.

Not much to look at but you know me.

That leaves me with nothing to ride around town and haul my photo equipment. That means it's time for a bike build. I need a versatile ride that's comfortable and that can carry a small load. The pile of junk that you see here comes into play.

This use to actually mean something and it will again.

This is the very first mountain bike that I ever bought back in 1992. It took me on off road single track, the city as a commuter and even served as a Winter bike for a very short time. It's been gathering dust for many years and gave away most of its parts for various projects. I love how this frame rides and I never had the guts to get rid of it, smart move!

Yeah those are ape hanger handle bars on there...don't ask!

The first step is to clean the frame and paint it in order to rebuild the bike. Keep posted as I will document this build from beginning to end.

Don't forget to check out the how-to articles.

Ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

One carless year!

2012-01-17T18:35:00.000-05:00

One of our readers has decided on one big challenge for herself this year, to go without a car for an entire year. Most would say, "so what's the big deal?". Well Lyndsay lives in Washington State and will not only have to carry herself, but also her 20 month old toddler where ever she goes.

Lyndsay is not an avid over the top cyclist. She even describes herself as a couch potato. She did the smart thing and researched her bike well. She needs not only a bike that can carry her and her stuff but she needs to carry all that with her kid safely every where.

She settled down on a Yuba Mundo. A serious cargo machine with a good child seat and a sturdy kickstand. I think she planned her adventure well and she should be able to pull it off.

Let's give her some morale support. You can follow her blog here: You ain't got Jack.

Go for it Girl, you can do it.

Ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

2011 HTFB wrap up

2011-12-31T12:43:00.002-05:00

Well I figured I should wrap up the year with a post that would both cover this past season and give you a glimpse of what may and might happen for 2012.

2011 was a wonderful year for me as I rediscovered the joys of riding my City. The heart attack 2 years ago had put a damper on things and I realize now that it took me a while to be comfortable in the saddle again. Not that it was physically hard, but the soul just wasn't in it for whatever reason.

This is where old and new friends come into play to get you motivated even if they don't know they're actually doing it. One ride in the spring with some old friends got me going again and hooked me up with new dynamic people living the bike dream every day. It's great to be young and if you're not, hang out just a bit with them and you will be again.

The biggest thrill for me was riding and hanging out with the Red Dress and Starley Rover Society bike clubs. These emerging Montreal bike clubs have brought the fun back into biking in groups. Riding for the sake of riding is what it is and what it should be. Sure advocacy is good but at some point you should stop and smell the roses because that's what you're advocating. These guys and gals do smell those roses...hard! They are also responsible for helping me out in the ultimate event of my life 2011(Second to becoming a Grandfather), the Beat the Main race. They were supportive before and during that crazy ride. I'm still debating about doing it again in 2012... I probably will.

As for 2012, I have a few things lined up. My friend Vlad is planning a trip to Africa by bike and I hope to help him out with the blog and keep you entertained in the process. I have a bike build planned to have a decent ride this summer in order to help me in my new found passion, photography. So keep posted.

Lastly I want to thank all of you for supporting this blog the way you do. We passed the 2 million views mark this year and for me that's pretty impressive. I hope to bring you even more in the coming years, inspiring more people to ride and get their hands dirty.

Until next time, ride safe and free.

Happy New Year, all the best to you and your family.

Gerry :)

Merry Christmas to all of you.

2011-12-24T17:49:00.001-05:00

To all of you and your families I wish you a peaceful and merry Christmas. Many thanks for supporting this blog and I hope that like me, you will have a wonderful Holiday Season.

Ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

What to give to a cyclist for Christmas

2011-12-10T09:54:00.001-05:00

With the coming Holidays many of you are asking themselves what to give a cyclist for Christmas. Well here is my suggestion: TOOLS!

Here's a good selection of bike specific tools.

You can be very well intentioned and get him or her a seat, tires, bags or a myriad of bike accessories available out there. Unless that significant other has spelled out word for word exactly what they want, if you go out and get something only armed with good intentions, your setting yourself up for disappointment.

Nothing sucks more than getting a doodad for your bike that you don't need or really don't like and then get stuck using it in order not to displease the person who gave it to you. Let's face it, you have to be quite the douche to tell someone that got you something, they think, is nice, that you don't like it or can't for the life of you figure out how you can possibly find something useful to do with that pink thingamajig.

One easy way to avoid the trappings of misguided cycling gift giving is to get them bike specific tools. Any semi-avid cyclist will appreciate receiving a tool that will save them money and worry. This could also propel said person to develop new skills. Should this happen, your gift would be exponentially bigger for no extra cash.

So which tool to get? First of all aim for quality, not quantity. A good tool will last a lifetime and that person will think of you every time they use it. The best place to shop for them is at your local bike shop. Forget the box stores, they sell crap and the chances of you getting somebody who knows what they are talking about to help you out, are slim.

If the person in question has no tools, the first one to get is a good chaintool. After that I would go for quality tire levers, the quikstick comes to mind, a crank puller is next to remove cranks from the bottom bracket, a set of hex keys, spoke wrench, etc.

On the left, a quality Park chaintool. On the right, a crappy cheap one.

Keep in mind size, if your target doesn't do regular bike fixing at the house but does worry about failures while riding, buy a tool that will be small enough to carry. Talk with the rep at the bike shop, most of them ride as well. If you don't feel like they are interested to help you, go to another shop or see if someone else in the store is actually passionate about what they do (I feel that this quality is getting so rare, it should be labeled as a superpower.).

If you are unsure about what to get as far as tools go, my only recommendation is to get a good quality multi-tool. They are great for emergencies and at least you have something to fix almost everything. Don't forget, something is better than nothing.

Until next time, ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

Calling out to all readers

2011-11-29T20:36:00.001-05:00

Hello everybody, I feel a bit odd asking for this but I'm in need of some equipment and cash is hard to come by these days. My trustee Nikon is on its last leg after taking over 6 000 pictures, being dropped a few times, getting dust in the lens and sprayed with water (Happened while waiting for my first Grandson to join this world in the hospital...don't ask.).

This faithful camera has brought you the great pictures I've been taking throughout the summer of 2011 and I need to replace it. I'm looking at a rugged built Canon G12 since it does just about everything but launch a rocket to Mars and doesn't require to lug around a bunch of gear like a DSLR would. As bike riders I'm sure you can appreciate that.

If you've been thinking about contributing to this blog, now is your chance. Making a donation, of any amount, will permit me to mesmerize you even more in the coming summers to come. Your eyes will be riveted by tools doing their thing on a bike, blinded by shiny chrome brought back from the death grip of rust, water at the sight of lusty lugged framed beauty and gawking at grease oozing from freshly cleaned bearings...

Sorry I had to go change! Many thanks to those of you who have already donated, you guys and gals are troopers. If you, yeah you, have been thinking about it before? Dude now is the time and you would help me out like you wouldn't believe.

Thanks again and I'll let you guys know as soon as I get my hands on it.

Ride safe and free.

Gerry :)

The Bike Song

2011-11-20T15:18:00.001-05:00

An awesome feel good song and a very well shot video. It's got that late 60's innocence feel to it.