The Lizard Part 3 - Headset

I wasn't really planning on taking the headset apart but thought i need to learn how to do it so i did.

The quill stem came out easy enough, i used the hammer trcik where you place achock of wood on top of the hex bolt that was loosened and she popped right out.

Stem removed,bearings grimy

Luckily i did take the headset apart it turns out the top luck nut was falling apart, will need to source a replacement.


Will need to remember the tool measurement i use, tools where a hex nut and a crescent wrench.


TNT

Home made Bike stand

So my trampoline got wrecked in some heavy winds last winter because someone didnt tie it down, ahmmmm

So i was left with some parts which have made a o.k bike stand, two trampoline legs tied to a post ad covered in insualtion foam and good old duct tape

Pics

The Lizard Part 2 - Bottom Bracket

So as the Lizard was a old style bike it comes with a large shell to accomadate a cup and cone bottom bracket, it looks like this

So you have your crank arm with a 14mm nut and you will also need whats called a crank puller, a lock ring bolt which required a 23mm wrench and the piece with the hole in it requires whats called a pin spanner to remove, there is actually two holes here the other one isn't in the shot.

Pin Spanner

Now these tools are what was required for the Lizard, i will put another post about sealed bottom brackets and some of the tools needed for different types of cup and cone brackets.

Crank arms removed, two holes for pin spanner clearly seen.

23mm locking nut comeing off

Bottom bracket removed, pretty grimy inside

Cup and cone bottom bracket, the long thing is the axle, the two circualr things are the ball bearing bearing races, all pretty grimy

Scrubbing up nicely

Axle length in case i need to purchase another one, these seem to be rather rare now, other options include some of the older style BMX three and one piece cranks that come off simialr bottom bracket shells as this one, i have purcahsed new races for this and shall be using this bottom bracket again as it seems it decent nick.

TNT

The Lizard-Part 1

So this is my first baby, i wanted to try a mountain bike first, an older one  with horizontal dropouts or as close as i could ge them, the Raleigh Lizard was a pretty nice colour as well and that sealed the deal.

So there she is, a Raleigh lizard and three wheels, managed to blag a cassette wheel so i can easily put a conversion kit on the back hub.

This is her after she was stripped down, didn't realise a bike needs specific bike tools so wasnt't able to take off crank arms,bottom bracket,chain or stem, lesson learned and tools ordered.

Plan is to change bottom bracket, find single piece crank set, convert rear wheel to singlespeed using a converson kit, new stem and handlebars, new seat post and saddle,new singlespeed chain, clean and repair brakes, put new brake cable on.

That should do her, i will probaly tinker about with things as i go.


Computer is playing up so will post more tomorrow

TNT

First Post

First post so here goes

I kind of got turned onto the idea of Singlespeed bikes/fixies becaue if im honest im a bit of a dummy when it comes to gear selectionon on a multi speed bike, i would get there in the end but for me it kind of ruined the experince faffing about with gears.

I biked quite a bit when i was little and biked to work when i was a bigger boy, mostly mountain bikes and at one stage BMX but that was short lived, never really got into road bikes, they just didn't feel as solid to me as my mountain bikes where.

I was pretty clueless as to bike repair and maintenace when i was younger as well, i think i coated everything in WD40! with the hope of it not breaking.

So now im a bit older and a tad wiser the bike bug has bitten me again and in a big way.

So i could go out a buy a brand new singlespeed/fixie but for me part of the appeal for these type of bikes was to do it myself, to make it mine, to stand back and say yeah i did that.

So i picked up a old Raleigh mountain bike frame and got started and HomeBrew bikes was created.

HomeBrew because they are all reconditioned bikes with some new but moslty re used parts, i didn't want cost to be a prohibitive factor if people want to buy these bikes, for me the chance to get people on thier bikes is more important.

The Raleigh is my first ans she shall be mine but hoping to build more including raod bikes which are probaly better suited to fixie/singlespeeds tha MTB.

TNT