Finished my project bike!

Pat said:

I was given a mountain bike in pretty sorry condition as a project bike. I
stripped it down to the empty frame and rebuilt it one piece at a time (with
the help of some bicycle repair books). Along the way I learned a ton about
how bikes are put together and some of the little "tricks" to getting them
to work right. Yesterday, I finished putting the new cables on the
derailleurs and I actually got them to work correctly!

I highly recommend this approach to learning how to work on a bike. By
removing a lot of the tension involved in working on a good bike, I wasn't
afraid to goof it up. But, now, I have confidence I could replace the
cables and cable housing on my good bike. I now see the way to fix that
front derailleur that has been auto-shifting from the middle chainring to
the granny gear by itself. And, as a bonus, I have a sense of
self-satisfaction that comes from working with my hands and brain to create
something of value---that actually works!

Don't get me wrong---I am not an accomplished "wrench" after doing this. I
spent about $100 on tools and supplies, and it took about 2 weeks to do,
working in spare time. Still, I have a good, workable, front-suspension
mountain bike without rust and grime on it. Everything works!

Pat in TX

Excellent idea. I don't even have to go far to find a junker. There
are one or two in my garage.

Pat said:

I was given a mountain bike in pretty sorry condition as a project bike. I
stripped it down to the empty frame and rebuilt it one piece at a time (with
the help of some bicycle repair books). Along the way I learned a ton about
how bikes are put together and some of the little "tricks" to getting them
to work right. Yesterday, I finished putting the new cables on the
derailleurs and I actually got them to work correctly!

Yeah!

Quoted message said:

I highly recommend this approach to learning how to work on a bike. By
removing a lot of the tension involved in working on a good bike, I wasn't
afraid to goof it up. But, now, I have confidence I could replace the
cables and cable housing on my good bike. I now see the way to fix that
front derailleur that has been auto-shifting from the middle chainring to
the granny gear by itself. And, as a bonus, I have a sense of
self-satisfaction that comes from working with my hands and brain to create
something of value---that actually works!

Yeah!

Quoted message said:

Don't get me wrong---I am not an accomplished "wrench" after doing this. I
spent about $100 on tools and supplies, and it took about 2 weeks to do,
working in spare time. Still, I have a good, workable, front-suspension
mountain bike without rust and grime on it. Everything works!

Yeah!

Great way to start: Be brave, it's already broke.

Another convert to the DIY way of truth and beauty.

Ron

Pat said:

I was given a mountain bike in pretty sorry condition as a project

bike. I

Quoted message said:

stripped it down to the empty frame and rebuilt it one piece at a

time (with

Quoted message said:

the help of some bicycle repair books). Along the way I learned a

ton about

Quoted message said:

how bikes are put together and some of the little "tricks" to getting

them

Quoted message said:

to work right. Yesterday, I finished putting the new cables on the
derailleurs and I actually got them to work correctly!

I highly recommend this approach to learning how to work on a bike.

By

Quoted message said:

removing a lot of the tension involved in working on a good bike, I

wasn't

Quoted message said:

afraid to goof it up. But, now, I have confidence I could replace

the

Quoted message said:

cables and cable housing on my good bike. I now see the way to fix

that

Quoted message said:

front derailleur that has been auto-shifting from the middle

chainring to

Quoted message said:

the granny gear by itself. And, as a bonus, I have a sense of
self-satisfaction that comes from working with my hands and brain to

create

Quoted message said:

something of value---that actually works!

Don't get me wrong---I am not an accomplished "wrench" after doing

this. I

Quoted message said:

spent about $100 on tools and supplies, and it took about 2 weeks to

do,

Quoted message said:

working in spare time. Still, I have a good, workable,

front-suspension

Quoted message said:

mountain bike without rust and grime on it. Everything works!

Pat in TX

That is so cool! Congratulations, Pat!

Yeah I agree with you Pat! I went one step further and cut up two old bikes
and built myself a short wheel based recumbent!
And yeah you definately will learn alot, I know I did.

Ken

"marco007esq" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Pat said:

I was given a mountain bike in pretty sorry condition as a project

bike. I

Quoted message said:

stripped it down to the empty frame and rebuilt it one piece at a

time (with

Quoted message said:

the help of some bicycle repair books). Along the way I learned a

ton about

Quoted message said:

how bikes are put together and some of the little "tricks" to getting

them

Quoted message said:

to work right. Yesterday, I finished putting the new cables on the
derailleurs and I actually got them to work correctly!

I highly recommend this approach to learning how to work on a bike.

By

Quoted message said:

removing a lot of the tension involved in working on a good bike, I

wasn't

Quoted message said:

afraid to goof it up. But, now, I have confidence I could replace

the

Quoted message said:

cables and cable housing on my good bike. I now see the way to fix

that

Quoted message said:

front derailleur that has been auto-shifting from the middle

chainring to

Quoted message said:

the granny gear by itself. And, as a bonus, I have a sense of
self-satisfaction that comes from working with my hands and brain to

create

Quoted message said:

something of value---that actually works!

Don't get me wrong---I am not an accomplished "wrench" after doing

this. I

Quoted message said:

spent about $100 on tools and supplies, and it took about 2 weeks to

do,

Quoted message said:

working in spare time. Still, I have a good, workable,

front-suspension

Quoted message said:

mountain bike without rust and grime on it. Everything works!

Pat in TX

That is so cool! Congratulations, Pat!

Thu, 24 Feb 2005 10:05:35 -0600, <[email hidden]>,
"Pat" <[email hidden]> concluded:
\snip

Quoted message said:

Don't get me wrong---I am not an accomplished "wrench" after doing this. I
spent about $100 on tools and supplies, and it took about 2 weeks to do,
working in spare time. Still, I have a good, workable, front-suspension
mountain bike without rust and grime on it. Everything works!

Congratulations on a good job well done!

After that bike is long gone you'll still have the knowledge.
Rebuilding salvaged bikes is rewarding on so many levels watch out you
don't become obsessed with it. That's when storage becomes a problem.

Now that you have the tools it's amazing how quickly the odd-bits
multiply for the next project bike.
--
zk

:
: After that bike is long gone you'll still have the knowledge.
: Rebuilding salvaged bikes is rewarding on so many levels watch out you
: don't become obsessed with it. That's when storage becomes a problem.
:
: Now that you have the tools it's amazing how quickly the odd-bits
: multiply for the next project bike.
: --
: zk

Thanks for the good words. I have in the past worked with the group that
refurbishes old bikes and recycles them. Until now, I have been a kids'
bike specialist. I can work on those old friction brakes pretty well! Now,
though, I feel like I can step up to work on the adult bikes, too. This
way, I can learn by doing without worrying about accumulating more bikes!

Just doing something from start to finish and seeing the results is
rewarding. Now, I know why so many people like working in construction....

Pat

"Ken Marcet" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
: Yeah I agree with you Pat! I went one step further and cut up two old
bikes
: and built myself a short wheel based recumbent!
: And yeah you definately will learn alot, I know I did.
:
: Ken

Yeah--like welding, for one. And, what did you use to cut up the old bikes?
How did you figure out the angles to weld them together? I read your post,
and my first thought was: Gulp!

Pat

Thu, 24 Feb 2005 18:41:01 -0600, <[email hidden]>,

Pat said:

Yeah--like welding, for one. And, what did you use to cut up the old bikes?
How did you figure out the angles to weld them together? I read your post,
and my first thought was: Gulp!

Get "Tubemiter.exe" a sweet little program that plots the shape of the
cuts.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/rinard/framebuild.htm
Scroll down, It's near the bottom of the page.

Basically it's the same avenue you just took. Start with salvaged
frames and hack away at 'em until you gain enough experience to trust
your welds. MIG is simple compared to a torch.
--
zk

Thu, 24 Feb 2005 18:38:41 -0600, <[email hidden]>,

Pat said:

Just doing something from start to finish and seeing the results is
rewarding. Now, I know why so many people like working in construction....

It has its moments but you usually end up having worked yourself out
of a job. The daily progress in the early stages is satisfying but
when you get down to the details it can start to drag.
--
zk

Pat said:

I was given a mountain bike in pretty sorry condition as a project

bike. I

Quoted message said:

stripped it down to the empty frame and rebuilt it one piece at a

time (with

Quoted message said:

the help of some bicycle repair books). Along the way I learned a

ton about

Quoted message said:

how bikes are put together and some of the little "tricks" to getting

them

Quoted message said:

to work right. Yesterday, I finished putting the new cables on the
derailleurs and I actually got them to work correctly!

I highly recommend this approach to learning how to work on a bike.

Reminds me of how I got my first "good" bike.

I was riding a ten (count 'em, 10) speed I bought in a drug store,
believe it and drool, but I was newly married and scrimping. I
figured the Raleigh Super Course would _someday_ be within my budget...

Then I found out my guitar teacher had one lying in his basement.
Seems he'd bought it, fell off, and never rode it again. Soon we had a
deal: He got the Staiger, perfectly tuned and trued. I got the Super
Course - with the tweaked plastic derailleur, the wheels out of true,
the freewheel that freewheeled both directions, the cables that were
rusted solid, etc.

It took a week of vacation to get it right, working in our tiny living
room. I learned a lot, indeed! But the bike was such an improvement
over what I'd had! I wanted to ride it forever.

And I may. That was 1976. It was the bike I took on my first overseas
tour, my first cross-state tour, my first century, my first road race,
etc etc. And it's still the bike I ride to work, 29 years later!

Except, that is, for the few upgrades I made along the way. New tires,
hubs, rims, spokes, saddle, seatpost, cogs, cranks, shifters,
handlebars, stem, seatpost, brakes, paint...

Well I already knew about welding, and as far as angle go I mostly looked at
other people bikes to find out about how to build a frame. And cutting steel
frames is easy with a good sharp hacksaw!

Ken

"Pat" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Ken Marcet" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
: Yeah I agree with you Pat! I went one step further and cut up two old
bikes
: and built myself a short wheel based recumbent!
: And yeah you definately will learn alot, I know I did.
:
: Ken

Yeah--like welding, for one. And, what did you use to cut up the old

bikes?

Quoted message said:

How did you figure out the angles to weld them together? I read your

post,

Quoted message said:

and my first thought was: Gulp!

Pat

:
: And I may. That was 1976. It was the bike I took on my first overseas
: tour, my first cross-state tour, my first century, my first road race,
: etc etc. And it's still the bike I ride to work, 29 years later!
:
: Except, that is, for the few upgrades I made along the way. New tires,
: hubs, rims, spokes, saddle, seatpost, cogs, cranks, shifters,
: handlebars, stem, seatpost, brakes, paint...

looks like you've gotten the perfect frame geometry for you. I suggest that
you figure out exactly what that is---angles, tube lengths, etc., and write
those down somewhere.

Pat
:

Zoot Katz said:

Thu, 24 Feb 2005 18:38:41 -0600, <[email hidden]>,

Pat said:

Just doing something from start to finish and seeing the results is
rewarding. Now, I know why so many people like working in construction....

It has its moments but you usually end up having worked yourself out
of a job. The daily progress in the early stages is satisfying but
when you get down to the details it can start to drag.

Punch list!

The best part of construction is arguing over payment for change orders
and changed conditions. 🙁

--
Tom Sherman - Earth

Sun, 27 Feb 2005 22:18:53 -0600, <[email hidden]>,

Tom Sherman said:

Punch list!

The best part of construction is arguing over payment for change orders
and changed conditions. 🙁

That was my speciality - from foundation to finish.

Lots of jobs were done by the "just in time" method so there were
always new things cropping up. It kept my interest peaking for years.

I have a many horror stories of "tradesmen's" gross ineptitude.
--
zk

: >
: >The best part of construction is arguing over payment for change orders
: >and changed conditions. 🙁
:
: That was my speciality - from foundation to finish.
:
: Lots of jobs were done by the "just in time" method so there were
: always new things cropping up. It kept my interest peaking for years.
:
: I have a many horror stories of "tradesmen's" gross ineptitude.
: --
: zk

I'll bet you do--because I have a few myself just from the position of being
the "home owner". For example, when the plumbers removed that blue plastic
protective cover from the bathroom sink, they just stuffed it down the
toilet! I didn't find that out for about a week or so when I had to have a
guy come out to fix the drainage and he fished that out of the drain....

Pat in TX

Tom Sherman said:

Zoot Katz said:

Thu, 24 Feb 2005 18:38:41 -0600, <[email hidden]>,

Pat said:

Just doing something from start to finish and seeing the results is
rewarding. Now, I know why so many people like working in

construction....

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

It has its moments but you usually end up having worked yourself

out

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

of a job. The daily progress in the early stages is satisfying but
when you get down to the details it can start to drag.

Punch list!

The best part of construction is arguing over payment for change

orders

Quoted message said:

and changed conditions. 🙁

--
Tom Sherman - Earth

Someone is speaking my language. The never ending punch list and
"Change Orders" the nectar of construction. I may not know anything
about bicycles yet, but I know the field of commercial construction.

Anyone who finds construction rewarding never worked with architects,
engineers, town officials and subcontractors who won't follow the
project schedule.

And lets not even discuss liquidated damages if you do not finish on
schedule. When the consent to final payment and all release of liens
are signed and the state is happy the nightmare is over....the picture
of the building is finally your reward. The reward meaning you can get
the hell off that job site and move on.

The only rewarding construction is building a shed in the back yard for
yourself. Or building anything on your own. And even then you may have
to deal with zoning. Maybe building a birdhouse would be rewarding. A
10 million dollar building is another story. It is one cut throat back
stabbing business and you have to be tough as nails to be in it to win
it.
All Good Things,
Maggie.

Zoot Katz said:

I have a many horror stories of "tradesmen's" gross ineptitude.
--
zk

How about the gross ineptitude of the architects who design the
building without being able to hammer in a nail. The war between
contractor and architect is a delight to watch. It's like a dance with
swords. And someone will end up cut to pieces.
All good things,
Maggie

28 Feb 2005 08:49:34 -0800,
<[email hidden]>,

Maggie said:

Zoot Katz said:

I have a many horror stories of "tradesmen's" gross ineptitude.

How about the gross ineptitude of the architects who design the
building without being able to hammer in a nail. The war between
contractor and architect is a delight to watch. It's like a dance with
swords. And someone will end up cut to pieces.

Young architects working on their first or second commission are
problems. They know squat about working in three dimensions.
Everything was flat on their drawing boards. Maybe they're better now
with 3-D modelling software but I've had to show them with cardboard
mock-ups how their drawings wouldn't fit the real world.

Worse are interior designers and interior decorators when they start
arguing. The owner ends up asking _me_ what they should do. I just
recommend the solution that makes _my_ job easier.

Doing major renovations with architects, owners, sub-contractors,
designers, decorators, landscape architects etc. I always suggest they
retain a psychologist in the beginning rather than hiring a lawyer
after the fact.
--
zk

28 Feb 2005 08:37:21 -0800,
<[email hidden]>,
"Maggie" <[email hidden]> wrote, in part:

Quoted message said:

And lets not even discuss liquidated damages if you do not finish on
schedule. When the consent to final payment and all release of liens
are signed and the state is happy the nightmare is over....the picture
of the building is finally your reward. The reward meaning you can get
the hell off that job site and move on.

I always figured you're not done until the pile of paper equals the
height of the building.

Construction Definitions excerpted from the Sudbury Home Builders
Association Newsletter which appeared in the Greater Vancouver
Division of the Canadian Home Builders Association Newsletter and is
now appearing here without anybody's permission.

Contractor:
- A gambler who never gets to shuffle, cut or deal.

Bid Opening:
- A poker game in which the losing hand wins.

Bid:
- A wild guess carried out to two decimal places.

Successful Low Bidder:
-A contractor who is wondering what he left out.

Home Office Estimate:
-The cost of construction in heaven.

Project Manager:
-The conductor of an orchestra in which every musician is playing a
different song.

Construction Claim:
-The contractor's guess at the amount of money needed to transform a
net loss into a gross profit.

Critical Path Method:
-A management technique for losing your shirt under perfect control.

Strike:
-An effort to increase egg production by strangling the chicken.

Delayed Payment:
-A tourniquet applied to the pockets.

Completion Date:
-A point at which liquidated damages begin.

Liquidated Damages:
-A penalty for failing to achieve the impossible.

Auditors:
-People who go in after the battle is lost and bayonet the wounded.

Lawyers:
-People who go in after the auditors and strip the bodies.
--
zk