Building up a Dodsun-triaction.
Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 4:19 pm
Hey folks,
After recently purchasing a new bike and realising how out of shape and dirty my old Dodsun was, I've decided to do a full clean and conversion of it into a flat bar roadie to commute on.
Here are some reference pics, I hope they're not too big:
And a video of how noisy it is. I think the jockey wheels might be loose and upon testing them they shifted side to side a little. Maybe there are some other problems you gurus can identify/suggest from the noise alone.
I don't know much about the bike's history except that it was made in Taiwan and apparently sold in the early nineties. I picked it up second hand in about 2005, rode it for about a year, then left it in the shed until I had it serviced and fixed last year. When it wasn't so filthy it was actually quite nimble and reasonably quick and enjoyable to ride.
As you can see there is dirt/grit/rust around the bottom bracket, cranks, derailleurs, chain etc. All those great parts that drive the bike. I'm definitely a newbie mechanic. I can do every the average schmoe can like change a tire, tube, adjust derailleur limits etc. but my mechanical adventures have not gone past there.
Lately I've been reading Zinn's roadbike maintenance manual and ordered a decent toolset, and I'm determined to do all the repairs/upgrades myself no matter how long it takes or how frustrating it gets . I can build just about any computer from scratch so I'm confident that with the right tools and information I should be able to repair the bike and clean everything.
So, sorry for waffling on. Here are my plans:
New flat bar. Will this mean new brake levers as well?
Shimano r500 wheelset. This wheel is designed for 8,9 or 10spd cassettes. Is it possible to use with my 7spd with some kind of spacer? (edit: nope it's a freewheel not a cassette.)
New flat pedals. Quills without toe clips aren't that comfortable.
New paint job. What's the best way to strip paint myself?
New saddle & seat post. That gel plush one is uncomfortable (believe it or not) and the seat post is rusted/too heavy.
And I don't know about these ones, but was hoping you guys could give me some advice based on what you've seen:
New chain? I was going to give this one a thorough cleaning and lubing but it does look pretty rooted. Note that it has been ridden in the wet and not lubricated ONCE (unless by the shop) since I've started riding it.
New freewheel? Teeth don't look that worn to me. Also don't know where I'd source a similar spec one from to avoid replacing too many other parts. Seems everywhere just stocks 9-11spd.
I was also wondering what tool I'd need to remove that freewheel? I remember going to my LBS when I was trying to get it changed over to a new rear wheel and the bloke came back and said, 'sorry we don't have the tools for this anymore, it's too old'. Bit bizarre. At least I think it's a freewheel and not a cassette.
But I'm fairly sure the r500 wheels have cassette freehubs. If I were to get a new cassette, could I just ditch a few rings? Or could I theoretically change it to a 9spd for instance?
Any help would be great!
After recently purchasing a new bike and realising how out of shape and dirty my old Dodsun was, I've decided to do a full clean and conversion of it into a flat bar roadie to commute on.
Here are some reference pics, I hope they're not too big:
And a video of how noisy it is. I think the jockey wheels might be loose and upon testing them they shifted side to side a little. Maybe there are some other problems you gurus can identify/suggest from the noise alone.
I don't know much about the bike's history except that it was made in Taiwan and apparently sold in the early nineties. I picked it up second hand in about 2005, rode it for about a year, then left it in the shed until I had it serviced and fixed last year. When it wasn't so filthy it was actually quite nimble and reasonably quick and enjoyable to ride.
As you can see there is dirt/grit/rust around the bottom bracket, cranks, derailleurs, chain etc. All those great parts that drive the bike. I'm definitely a newbie mechanic. I can do every the average schmoe can like change a tire, tube, adjust derailleur limits etc. but my mechanical adventures have not gone past there.
Lately I've been reading Zinn's roadbike maintenance manual and ordered a decent toolset, and I'm determined to do all the repairs/upgrades myself no matter how long it takes or how frustrating it gets . I can build just about any computer from scratch so I'm confident that with the right tools and information I should be able to repair the bike and clean everything.
So, sorry for waffling on. Here are my plans:
New flat bar. Will this mean new brake levers as well?
Shimano r500 wheelset. This wheel is designed for 8,9 or 10spd cassettes. Is it possible to use with my 7spd with some kind of spacer? (edit: nope it's a freewheel not a cassette.)
New flat pedals. Quills without toe clips aren't that comfortable.
New paint job. What's the best way to strip paint myself?
New saddle & seat post. That gel plush one is uncomfortable (believe it or not) and the seat post is rusted/too heavy.
And I don't know about these ones, but was hoping you guys could give me some advice based on what you've seen:
New chain? I was going to give this one a thorough cleaning and lubing but it does look pretty rooted. Note that it has been ridden in the wet and not lubricated ONCE (unless by the shop) since I've started riding it.
New freewheel? Teeth don't look that worn to me. Also don't know where I'd source a similar spec one from to avoid replacing too many other parts. Seems everywhere just stocks 9-11spd.
I was also wondering what tool I'd need to remove that freewheel? I remember going to my LBS when I was trying to get it changed over to a new rear wheel and the bloke came back and said, 'sorry we don't have the tools for this anymore, it's too old'. Bit bizarre. At least I think it's a freewheel and not a cassette.
But I'm fairly sure the r500 wheels have cassette freehubs. If I were to get a new cassette, could I just ditch a few rings? Or could I theoretically change it to a 9spd for instance?
Any help would be great!