Shogun Trailer Breaker 1 Restoration (Worklog)

[pteknae]

Hey guys,

Picked up an old rusty Shogun Trail Breaker 1 from a yard sale for $40, little more than i would've like to pay for a bike in such condition but ah well!



More pics here: https://imgur.com/a/ODKmSVg

I want to get the most improvement per $ whilst returning it to non-eyesore condition.

So far i've cleaned the drive train (was orange before!) and planning on:

* Shimano 7-speed freewheel - $15
* Shimano 7-speed chain - $10
* Shimano ST-EF51 shifters - $free
* Shimano V-brake set BR-T4000 - $35
* Maxxis Overdrive 26*1.75 - $35
* New seat - $10
* Ergo MTB grips - $7
-----------------------------------------------
Total: ~$120

Questions:

1. $40 + 120 = $160 for an upgraded junker, should i abort mission or just do new tyres/grips and leave it?

2. Im removing surface rust/oxidation off the bike, ive been using 0000 steel wool but not sure if this will remove the coating and make the problem worse.

3. The shimano vbrakes im looking at are alivio groupset, will they work with the non-groupset shifters ive chosen?

4. Apart from a freewheel remover tool, are there any other tricky things i'll run into with this?

Thanks!

[MattyK]

What's your plan for the bike? keeper or flip it?

Are the chain and freewheel in need of replacement? (I'd guess most bikes of this quality will get discarded/garaged before the drivetrain gets worn out...)

Were it mine, I'd stick to the following:
* Clean it. (I'd use soapy water, a metal polish like Autosol, and maybe a paste polish like Jif on anything more stubborn)
* Disassemble, clean, repack and properly adjust all the bearings
* Leave the canti brakes, but maybe clean/relube them and replace the pads with something decent
* True and retension the wheels
* Remove the reflectors
* Replace the cables if necessary. Recut the cable housing to neat lengths.
* Replace that fugly saddle and those cracked tyres

Actually, if it were mine, I'd probably rip off the drivetrain and convert it to a monster single speed with fat slicks...

[bychosis]

Yeah, don't worry about a new freewheel unlesss the other one isn't freewheeling. The chain can most likely be rescued, I've done a few. Free them up, lube well and provided it isn't worn (stretched) it'll be fine. Canti brakes will be OK with new pads unless you are planning on carting some extra load, like a kid.

Don't forget some bar end plugs.

As it isn't a high value bike I wouldn't throw much money at it unless it has sentimental value (as in it's the same as your first bike). New rubber, clean and ride.

[pteknae]

What's your plan for the bike? keeper or flip it?

Are the chain and freewheel in need of replacement? (I'd guess most bikes of this quality will get discarded/garaged before the drivetrain gets worn out...)

Were it mine, I'd stick to the following:
* Clean it. (I'd use soapy water, a metal polish like Autosol, and maybe a paste polish like Jif on anything more stubborn)
* Disassemble, clean, repack and properly adjust all the bearings
* Leave the canti brakes, but maybe clean/relube them and replace the pads with something decent
* True and retension the wheels
* Remove the reflectors
* Replace the cables if necessary. Recut the cable housing to neat lengths.
* Replace that fugly saddle and those cracked tyres

Actually, if it were mine, I'd probably rip off the drivetrain and convert it to a monster single speed with fat slicks...

Probably keep it, use it as a cafe/shopping centre beater that im not too devo about having stolen.

They aren't to my untrained eye, I dont have a chain wear tool but it shifts crisply into all gears even though it was all rusted which surprised me.

Freewheel is fine, however its a 6 speed and the shifters i have here are 7 speeds, i'd love to use them as they're sitting here.

I guess I could leave the cantilevers, they're just way out of alignment i've had to disconnect the rear brake as a stop gap.

It is tempting to swap out, even for a !! BAN ME NOW FOR SWEARING !! ebay set for $16 as the shifters i have are brake levers too.

I'll have to look into how to true and retension wheels.

I did actually want to convert it to a 1x crankset but primary reading says i need to make sure the bottom bracket/threads match up..and theres a whole bunch of BBs out there.

Any idea of how to figure out what im dealing with?

[pteknae]

Yeah, don't worry about a new freewheel unlesss the other one isn't freewheeling. The chain can most likely be rescued, I've done a few. Free them up, lube well and provided it isn't worn (stretched) it'll be fine. Canti brakes will be OK with new pads unless you are planning on carting some extra load, like a kid.

Don't forget some bar end plugs.

As it isn't a high value bike I wouldn't throw much money at it unless it has sentimental value (as in it's the same as your first bike). New rubber, clean and ride.

As above, i guess im tempted to get a 7 speed freewheel so i can use my 7 speed shifters which are much nicer than the ones on there now..but they work fine so maybe i'll save them for when i find another 7 speed junker.

Good point on the bar end plugs, it already come with some in the form of packed in dirt so i'll look into replacing those asap

[MattyK]

I did actually want to convert it to a 1x crankset but primary reading says i need to make sure the bottom bracket/threads match up..and theres a whole bunch of BBs out there.

Any idea of how to figure out what im dealing with?

Looks like a generic BSA threaded square taper job. Road bikes are usually 68mm wide, but being a MTB it is probably a 73mm BB (measure the width of the frame's hub shell).

[Thoglette]

As Matty K says, why spend money on bits that don't need replacing?

From the comments above, the only things it NEEDS are bar-end plugs.

If it has sat in a shed for two decades it's possible the brake pads might need changing.

But for a beater, it is otherwise perfect as is.

[10speedsemiracer]

These were a good thing, and the fact that there are so many still floating around, would lend weight to their durability.

Before you do anything in terms of parts, do as much as you can in terms of labour/refurbishment, before you spend on bits. The Maxxis Overdrive are surprisingly nice for the $s by the way. Personally, I would junk the canti brakes and replace with Shimano V-Brakes but these aren't expensive, and is also a little bit of personal preference.

As everyone else has said already, determine what really needs replacing by stripping, cleaning, lubing and tuning, and go from there.

[10speedsemiracer]

Oh and check which version of the ez-fire shifters you have. If they are V-Brake models, you will need to swap the cantilevers for v-brakes, because of the new levers (different pull rates). They (shifters) should have v-brake written on the front cover


I know the ef-65 does, I think the ef-51 does as well.
Some of the ef-51s could do both, there are two different positions for cable in the brake lever.

[Duck!]

Pretty sure most of the EF-series levers are both canti and V-brake compatible. If you pull the lever to expose the cable anchor you'll be able to see if it's fixed or if there's a slot which allows the anchor to be moved. If it's two-way compatible, there will be a red plastic stopper in the slot, marked with "V" at one end (the default position) and "CR" (for cantilever/roller) at the other. If yoy need to change the anchor position to suit, just pop the stopper out, move the cable anchor & replace the stopper.

All MTB V-brakes will work with all V-brake-compatible levers, so should you go ahead with the proposed update, the T4000 brakes will be fine with the EF levers.

[pteknae]

Thanks for the advice guys.

I think you're right. I'll leave things that don't need fixing.

Unbelievably, shifts smoothly through all the gears without hesitation so the drive train will remain an 18-speed, really wanted to use those EF51s

I might turn this into a mini work-log and post pics along the way.

So far the job list is:

- Wash/steel wool as much rust as possible.
- Re-grease the bearings in the BB + wheels if not to hard + fork
- Change handlebar grips
- Change seat
- Change tyres (Maxxis Crossmark 26 x 2.1 on the way)
- Raise the handlebars if theres enough length in the stem (hopefully)
- Try adjust canti's or give up and swap for promax v-brakes i pinched off an abandoned bike (or buy shimanos if they dont work)

Money spent so far:

- Tyres/tubes - $70 (justified by telling myself i'll salvage these for other builds)
- Grips - $7
- Seat - $9

[pteknae]

Also what bike grease do you guys use?

[bychosis]

Castrol boating grease.

[Duck!]

Whatever you have kicking around.

[10speedsemiracer]

Also what bike grease do you guys use?

I use a tub of Castrol Hi-Temp Marine grease for things like bearings and cranks/pedals etc. Have never had an issue. Much more cost-effective.

[Milpool]

I have a serious soft spot for the early shogun's. They always look awesome and seem like they were solid bikes until they went Kmart spec. Glad you're bringing it back to life!

[pteknae]

Also what bike grease do you guys use?

I use a tub of Castrol Hi-Temp Marine grease for things like bearings and cranks/pedals etc. Have never had an issue. Much more cost-effective.

I noticed RJ the bike guy uses marine grease too, might have a hunt around for some!

[pteknae]

I have a serious soft spot for the early shogun's. They always look awesome and seem like they were solid bikes until they went Kmart spec. Glad you're bringing it back to life!

Me too, admittedly i only discovered them a short while ago but theres something about them!

[10speedsemiracer]

As some know I have a serious weakness for older Shoguns, mostly the roadies. Was running a restomod Samurai as a training bike until a few weeks ago and an oblivious Camry.

The Trailbreaker was a good thing and this one should clean up well.

[Defy The Odds]

Such nostalgia.

The first bike that got me back into riding some 8 years ago was a Shogun Trailbreaker 3.... loved that bike. Was so durable !

[pteknae]

At 23 this thing is well before my time but im glad you old farts are getting some nostalgic return out of it!

Have slowly been acquiring tools/parts:

- Shimano MF-HG37 7 speed free wheel (40% off at rebel!)
- Shimano CN-HG40 (also at rebel!)
- Maxxis Crossmark 26x2.1 x2
- Freewheel removal tool ($1 from ebay)
- Vader MTB seat (ebay)
- Jagwire Cable Set (ebay, probably fake, please advise when i post pics)
- $40 No-name truing stand

[ValleyForge]

Also what bike grease do you guys use?

I use a tub of Castrol Hi-Temp Marine grease for things like bearings and cranks/pedals etc. Have never had an issue. Much more cost-effective.

Try getting the stains off clothes. It doesn't come off your bearings, and doesn't come off clothes either. Or car seats or upholstery. Or hotel carpets.

[pteknae]

Starting to take shape now!



So far i've:

- Raised the handlebars
- Replaced tires with Maxxis Crossmark 26x2.10s (rear around the wrong way woops)
- Replaced grips (faulty so i'll have to deal with them until replacements come)
- Replaced seat

Currently waiting on a freewheel tool remover so i can do the cassette and chain.

Changing the ugly seat made the biggest difference IMO, gave the bike a much more aggressive sporty look compared to the ugly thing from before!

I have a BBS02 conversion on a flat bar road bike but i'm thinking about swapping it to this bike as the ride is a bit rough on 700x32s, tried 38s but was much the same.

[MattyK]

Changing the ugly seat made the biggest difference IMO, gave the bike a much more aggressive sporty look compared to the ugly thing from before!

Agreed, looks schmick now.

Is your seatpost backwards?

[pteknae]

Changing the ugly seat made the biggest difference IMO, gave the bike a much more aggressive sporty look compared to the ugly thing from before!

Agreed, looks schmick now.

Is your seatpost backwards?

Wow good eye, i think you're right.

Does it make any difference? I havn't taken it out for a ride yet but may as well spin it around.