Need some old parts

gkammerer said:

The bicycle is a Specialized touring bike, 15 speed, circa mid to late
80's vintage.

My problem is this: I had it tuned up recently at the local bike shop, one
of the things being that a new chain was put on. After the tune up I
found that the chain would slip on three smallest rear gears.

Quoted message said:

guys at the shop said that the real problem was that the gears were worn
and that is why the chain slips.

That is a classic symptom: New chain on worn cogwheels causes skip. It's
because the pitch of the worn cogwheel doesn't match the pitch of the unworn
chain.

It sounds like you need a 5-speed freewheel. That may be difficult to find
but not impossible. Try some bike shops that have been around forever, they
may have one squirrelled away in the back. At worst, I think you could buy a
7-speed wheel. It's hub will be 6 mm wider, and yes the rear dropouts may
have to be spread (3mm each side). That's not a big deal on a steel frame.
If you do go for a 7-speed wheel, get one with a freehub/cassette system
rather than a screw-on freewheel.

See:
http://sheldonbrown.com/free-k7.html

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/upgrade.html

You might also find a 5-speed freewheel on eBay, but getting the old
freewheel off after all these years could be challenging.

A good bike shop should be able to resolve your problem, without trying to
sell you a new bike.

Art Harris

Arthur,

Thanks for the advice. After posting I lurked in here a bit and man, I'm an
infant among giants! If I had read before posting (which is usually
considered good form) I may not have posted for fear of getting laughed off
the group.

Thanks for links, I'll get on this ASAP.

-gk-

42N83W said:

Arthur,

Thanks for the advice. After posting I lurked in here a bit and man, I'm an
infant among giants! If I had read before posting (which is usually
considered good form) I may not have posted for fear of getting laughed off
the group.

The groups pretty helpful; I've personally gotten good advice on a few
things, some of which I personally didn't even ask about. So I'd say
posting was wise. It wouldn't surprise me if someone has the part you
want lying around, or knows where you can find it.

Rich

P.S. Don't bring up helmets, recommend riding on the wrong side of the
road, or suggest buying a bike from WalMart.

Arthur Harris said:

gkammerer said:

My problem is this: I had it tuned up recently at the local bike shop, one
of the things being that a new chain was put on. After the tune up I
found that the chain would slip on three smallest rear gears.

Quoted message said:

guys at the shop said that the real problem was that the gears were worn
and that is why the chain slips.

That is a classic symptom: New chain on worn cogwheels causes skip. It's
because the pitch of the worn cogwheel doesn't match the pitch of the unworn
chain.

It sounds like you need a 5-speed freewheel. That may be difficult to find
but not impossible. Try some bike shops that have been around forever, they
may have one squirrelled away in the back. At worst, I think you could buy a
7-speed wheel. It's hub will be 6 mm wider, and yes the rear dropouts may
have to be spread (3mm each side). That's not a big deal on a steel frame.
If you do go for a 7-speed wheel, get one with a freehub/cassette system
rather than a screw-on freewheel.

See:
http://sheldonbrown.com/free-k7.html

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/upgrade.html

You might also find a 5-speed freewheel on eBay, but getting the old
freewheel off after all these years could be challenging.

A 5-speed freewheel shouldn't be that hard to find. Here are just a
few online sources, in no particular order.

Harris Cyclery: http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/freewheels.html#5

Alfred E Bike:
http://aebike.com/site/page.cfm?PageID=30&Category=692&Brands=All&type=T

Bike Tools Etc.:
http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cgi?id=335355363103&c=Components&sc=Freewheels%20and%20Cassettes&tc=Freewheels

Loose Screws:
http://www.loosescrews.com/index.cgi?d=single&c=Freewheel&sc=Complete%20Freewheels&tc=Shimano&item_id=SH-Z51428&id=706153511101

The selection may not be huge, but you only need one. Any decent shop
should be able to get you a new 5-speed freewheel, and it shouldn't be
expensive.

Quoted message said:

A good bike shop should be able to resolve your problem, without trying to
sell you a new bike.

Very true. Look around for a shop that doesn't look at your old bike
with disdain. There should be at least one in a college town. It may
be a place that doesn't sell bikes, only doing repair work. It may
also be in a less than fashionable part of town, fixing bikes used as
transportation by less than affluent customers. Check your yellow
pages and call around.

Later,
Mark Muller

Arthur Harris said:

[A bunch of good advice]

It sounds like you need a 5-speed freewheel. That may be

difficult to

Quoted message said:

find but not impossible. Try some bike shops that have been

around

Quoted message said:

forever, they may have one squirrelled away in the back. At

worst, I

Quoted message said:

think you could buy a 7-speed wheel. It's hub will be 6 mm

wider, and

Quoted message said:

yes the rear dropouts may have to be spread (3mm each side).

That's

Quoted message said:

not a big deal on a steel frame. If you do go for a 7-speed

wheel,

Quoted message said:

get one with a freehub/cassette system rather than a

screw-on

Quoted message said:

freewheel.

5 speed used freewheels are a dime a dozen. Dumpster dive a
bit and you can likely find an old 27 inch steel wheel with a
5 speed freewheel. I've got a couple sitting around the
basement here, and I'm betting other group members with pack
rat tendencies have a few as well. To remove such freewheels
you need the right tool, which you don't have but a bike shop
does. They can also remove your current freewheel and put this
one on.
Show up when they aren't busy and their choices are cleaning
up or helping you and they may do it immediately. Expect a
modest labor charge for time and skill.
..
Arthur's right that older shops may have a new one in
inventory. Any shop that still has the word "Schwinn" in its
name is a good bet.

Quoted message said:

A good bike shop should be able to resolve your problem,

without

Quoted message said:

trying to sell you a new bike.

Yes, this isn't new bike territory by any means.
I personally would stick with the 5 speed rather than getting
into frame spreading.

--
Mike Kruger
Bike Chicago e-mail list info:
http://www.geocities.com/bvonmoss/bikechicago.html

On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 19:56:18 -0500, "42N83W" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I've begun riding a bike, mostly out of necessity. I live in a college town
where getting around on a bicycle is easy and I depend on my bicycle as my
main means of transportation.

The bicycle was given to me some years ago and I've lost touch with the
person who gave it to me, so what background info I can provide is based on
my own research.

The bicycle is a Specialized touring bike, 15 speed, circa mid to late 80's
vintage.

My problem is this: I had it tuned up recently at the local bike shop, one
of the things being that a new chain was put on. After the tune up I found
that the chain would slip on three smallest rear gears. I took it back
thinking maybe the derailer needed adjusting - or something. ANYWAY...the
guys at the shop said that the real problem was that the gears were worn and
that is why the chain slips. I'm not doubting their assessment, but I'm
also a little skeptical that they gave it their best shot (after all, the
chain didn't slip with the old chain).

What I'm looking for is options, and money is a concern. The guys at the
shop laid out a few factors for me to consider: because of the bike's age,
finding a set of gears for the rear would be difficult as the newer
cassettes are wider, and my rear forks probably wouldn't allow for a new
cassette. The also said that in some cases they can bend the rear forks
out, but that's a dicey move at best. They also said that should I find a 5
gear set that I'd likely need a new hub and wheel, maybe a new derailer,
thus making the "repair" costly and not worth it. If I had a spare bike I'd
gladly take the rear assembly part to see exactly what I'm dealing with, but
unfortunately that's just not an option. Nor is a new bike an option.

So...any thoughts? Could it be that the parts I need are easier to come by
than I think? Do I need to provide more specific info? Is taking it apart
the only way to determine the severity of the problem?

I know I don't have all the bike lingo, so please excuse any misuses I may
have made. I can accept the fact that I may be screwed, but I don't think
I've explored every option.

Any help or pointers or links would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

-gk-

I believe a Shimano 6-speed freewheel will fit, with no major changes
involved. A new freewheel 5 or 6-speed, should cost you about $20.

As others have said, find a different LBS.

Life is Good!
Jeff

42N83W said:

Thanks for links, I'll get on this ASAP.

A quick look on eBay showed lots of 5-speed freewheels at reasonable prices.
Try searching on "Suntour freewheel".

BTW, a Suntour "Ultra 6" freewheel is narrow spaced and will fit on your
5-speed hub without having to widen the frame's rear spacing. It may require
a narrower chain, depending on what you have now. Have a bike shop remove
the old freewheel as it's easy to mess up the removal notches if you don't
have the right tools and technique.

Art Harris

Once again, thanks for all the tips, guys. I live in Lawrence, Kansas - the
local bikeshop is Sunflower Bicycles, anybody familiar with them? I hear
all kinds of good things, but like I said my initial impression with them
was that they were less interested in doing the legwork and more interested
in convincing me to buy new.

At any rate, it seems the parts won't be so hard to come by after all.

I'll post back when it's all said and done.

You guys rock.

-gk-

"42N83W" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've begun riding a bike, mostly out of necessity. I live in a college
town where getting around on a bicycle is easy and I depend on my bicycle
as my main means of transportation.

The bicycle was given to me some years ago and I've lost touch with the
person who gave it to me, so what background info I can provide is based
on my own research.

The bicycle is a Specialized touring bike, 15 speed, circa mid to late
80's vintage.

My problem is this: I had it tuned up recently at the local bike shop, one
of the things being that a new chain was put on. After the tune up I
found that the chain would slip on three smallest rear gears. I took it
back thinking maybe the derailer needed adjusting - or something.
ANYWAY...the guys at the shop said that the real problem was that the
gears were worn and that is why the chain slips. I'm not doubting their
assessment, but I'm also a little skeptical that they gave it their best
shot (after all, the chain didn't slip with the old chain).

What I'm looking for is options, and money is a concern. The guys at the
shop laid out a few factors for me to consider: because of the bike's
age, finding a set of gears for the rear would be difficult as the newer
cassettes are wider, and my rear forks probably wouldn't allow for a new
cassette. The also said that in some cases they can bend the rear forks
out, but that's a dicey move at best. They also said that should I find a
5 gear set that I'd likely need a new hub and wheel, maybe a new derailer,
thus making the "repair" costly and not worth it. If I had a spare bike
I'd gladly take the rear assembly part to see exactly what I'm dealing
with, but unfortunately that's just not an option. Nor is a new bike an
option.

So...any thoughts? Could it be that the parts I need are easier to come
by than I think? Do I need to provide more specific info? Is taking it
apart the only way to determine the severity of the problem?

I know I don't have all the bike lingo, so please excuse any misuses I may
have made. I can accept the fact that I may be screwed, but I don't think
I've explored every option.

Any help or pointers or links would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

-gk-

--
=================================================
The creative act is not the province of remote oracles or rarefied
geniuses
but a transparent process that is open to everyone.
-Greg Kot in Wilco Learning How To Die-

Rich said:

42N83W said:

Arthur,

Thanks for the advice. After posting I lurked in here a bit and man, I'm
an
infant among giants! If I had read before posting (which is usually
considered good form) I may not have posted for fear of getting laughed
off the group.

The groups pretty helpful; I've personally gotten good advice on a few
things, some of which I personally didn't even ask about. So I'd say
posting was wise. It wouldn't surprise me if someone has the part you
want lying around, or knows where you can find it.

Rich

P.S. Don't bring up helmets, recommend riding on the wrong side of the
road, or suggest buying a bike from WalMart.

I'm still here riding my Wal Mart Mongoose, no helmet and riding on the
wrong side of the road on occasion.
Helmets make my head sweat even worse than usual.
My cheap Mongoose has yet to break anything at all.

And there are some roads that force the wrong side issue. One come over with
a narrow sidewalk and then dumps you into a freeway, no bicycles allowed so
I ride the wrong way over that bridge and come out on a piece of wrong way
(but safe) road for another quarter mile before I can get onto a sidewalk
and ride at 5MPH before finding a LEGAL light and crosswalk to get onto the
right side. Even trying to be legal all the time is impossible at some
points. I won't try to claim the lane on a freeway, <sheesh>.
Bill Baka

"42N83W" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

[snip]

Quoted message said:

My problem is this: I had it tuned up recently at the local bike shop, one
of the things being that a new chain was put on. After the tune up I
found that the chain would slip on three smallest rear gears. I took it
back thinking maybe the derailer needed adjusting - or something.
ANYWAY...the guys at the shop said that the real problem was that the
gears were worn and that is why the chain slips. I'm not doubting their
assessment, but I'm also a little skeptical that they gave it their best
shot (after all, the chain didn't slip with the old chain).

[snip]

I'll be damned. It being Saturday and nice and sunny I took hobbled bike
downtown and into the shop. Turns out they can order a 5-speed freewheel.
$15 in parts and about $10 bucks in labor. So on Friday I'll have new gears
for $25 bucks.

WHAT WAS SO HARD THE LAST TIME I WAS THERE THAT THEY COULDN'T HAVE TOLD ME
THAT THEN?!?!?!?

While I waited I did get to look at shiny new bicycles. As much as I like
the one I have, it's time to bite the bullet and start saving my pennies.
The one I have now will make an excellent backup anyway.

Once again, thanks for all the feedback.

-gk-

39N 95W said:

"42N83W" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

[snip]

Quoted message said:

My problem is this: I had it tuned up recently at the local bike shop, one
of the things being that a new chain was put on. After the tune up I
found that the chain would slip on three smallest rear gears. I took it
back thinking maybe the derailer needed adjusting - or something.
ANYWAY...the guys at the shop said that the real problem was that the
gears were worn and that is why the chain slips. I'm not doubting their
assessment, but I'm also a little skeptical that they gave it their best
shot (after all, the chain didn't slip with the old chain).

[snip]

I'll be damned. It being Saturday and nice and sunny I took hobbled bike
downtown and into the shop. Turns out they can order a 5-speed freewheel.
$15 in parts and about $10 bucks in labor. So on Friday I'll have new gears
for $25 bucks.

WHAT WAS SO HARD THE LAST TIME I WAS THERE THAT THEY COULDN'T HAVE TOLD ME
THAT THEN?!?!?!?

Because they probably didn't want to, once you insisted, they decided
better to make $15 then nothing at all......

W

39N 95W said:

"42N83W" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

[snip]

Quoted message said:

My problem is this: I had it tuned up recently at the local bike shop, one
of the things being that a new chain was put on. After the tune up I
found that the chain would slip on three smallest rear gears. I took it
back thinking maybe the derailer needed adjusting - or something.
ANYWAY...the guys at the shop said that the real problem was that the
gears were worn and that is why the chain slips. I'm not doubting their
assessment, but I'm also a little skeptical that they gave it their best
shot (after all, the chain didn't slip with the old chain).

[snip]

<snip>

Quoted message said:

While I waited I did get to look at shiny new bicycles. As much as I like
the one I have, it's time to bite the bullet and start saving my pennies.
The one I have now will make an excellent backup anyway.

Once again, thanks for all the feedback.

-gk-

I'm gonna duck after I say this, but since you're on a budget (like me)
I'll go ahead...

Wait for REI to have a big sale where new Co-op members get 20% their
first purchase. Then go in and snag a K2 Mach 1.0. That's how I got my
first "nice" bike. 24 gears, light weight, integrated shifting...all
for $440 + $15 for membership (it was $550 originally).

To my defense though...REI was the only place that didn't try to laugh
me out of the store when I told them my budget.

--
Paul M. Hobson
Georgia Institute of Technology
http://www.underthecouch.org
..:you may want to fix my email
address before you send anything:.

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

Quoted message said:

39N 95W said:

I'll be damned. It being Saturday and nice and sunny I

took hobbled bike

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

downtown and into the shop. Turns out they can order a

5-speed freewheel.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

$15 in parts and about $10 bucks in labor. So on Friday

I'll have new gears

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

for $25 bucks.

WHAT WAS SO HARD THE LAST TIME I WAS THERE THAT THEY

COULDN'T HAVE TOLD ME

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

THAT THEN?!?!?!?

Because they probably didn't want to, once you insisted,

they decided

Quoted message said:

better to make $15 then nothing at all......

More charitably, maybe there was competent staff there on
Saturday.
Hard to tell from here whether charity is warranted or not. I
would think lots of people use their chains too long and that
worn cogs would be a pretty common repair problem.