cdmurphy

For smooth post canti brakes, there are a lot of options. Easiest would probably be the Kool Stop Eagle 2. Personally, I would use the black compound, rather than salmon. Salmon is great for the rain, but I find it's so grabby that getting them not to squeal can be a real challenge on about half the bikes I used them on. (Yes, all manner of toe-in, or out, cleaned rims, sanded rims, etc. They would be quiet for a ride or two, then right back to howling.) Since I started using the black, nothing but silent braking, and only a tiny reduction in perceived braking grip.

In regard to bearings, you will want to just replace the balls. They're so cheap, it just doesn't make sense to reuse them unless you know they're in perfect shape. (It's maybe $2 worth of bearing balls to redo a bike, while the labor is a pain.) Grease doesn't matter too much, as the big problem is contamination from dirt and dust. Much better to repack them often with crappy grease, then to let the worlds best grease go longer with dirt in it. Any sort of wheel bearing grease will do just fine.

Finally, for chains, I would go with the KMC 72. It's cheaper, and still works great with 5 speed freewheels. (They do make 5 and 6 speed specific chain, but it's often more money, and usually doesn't shift as well.

FrenchFit 

Agreed, but I use the green Phil Wood grease on everything. One tube lasts me for years. "Simichrome" for chrome polishing.

t1k

Thank you for the great fitting ideas. I didn't even think about lowering the handlebar. For some reason I thought that it'll make the reach shorter and force me to bend my back even more. I'll try to lower the bars and see how it feels.

I've swapped the stock Selle Royal saddle with a Brooks B17 saddle which allowed me to push the saddle about 10mm further back. And on a short test ride the new saddle/position felt better.

That's exactly how I feel. I'll do the little tweaks to the bike as I identify what need/could be improved. At the same time I'll get more used to (and flexible to) riding a drop bar road bike.

t1k

I've tried Kool Stop Eagle 2 pads and I've put them on the rear brake. But the Eagle 2 pads are too long for the front brake and interfere with the fork. Is it possible and a good idea to shorten the pads?

I'm pretty sure that the balls are in good shape (the bike was barely ridden) but I'll follow your advice and replace the balls.

Does it worth it (good idea) to repack the freewheel too? It's a 6 speed Shimano Z012 freewheel. The cogs are in a great condition and I'd like to keep using the freewheel. I've noticed, however, that when I raise the bike and spin the rear wheel forward, there's some vibration to the frame. Not quite sure what causes it but I suspect the freewheel. In case I have to replace the freewheel, what are the compatible freewheels (that are still available)?

The stock chain is Shimano Uniglide chain. I can see that the tooth shape of the Miyata freewheel is a bit different from the tooth shape on my newer bikes that use Hyperglide chain. Will the Hyperglide chain work fine on the freewheel designed for the Uniglide chain.

I apologize for so many newbie questions. Hope I'm not asking some nonsense

cdmurphy

t1k - You can certainly trim the Eagle pads. There is a steel shank that will probably be exposed if you take of more than about 1/4". Just use a hacksaw or dremel to cut them. Otherwise there are also some shorter smooth post pads or holders. I think their "Cross" holders are shorter, and use regular Shimano road inserts. (They're just spendy compared to the Eagle 2 pads)

If the balls look good, you can certainly re-use them. Most of us have bags of balls, and it just isn't worth the uncertainty to re-use them. That being said, cleaning everything and re-greasing will be much better than not doing anything at all.

The freewheel "can" be disassembled, but probably shouldn't be. Just soak it in a solvent like mineral spirits or kerosene (or diesel), then spin it and try flushing all the junk out that you can. Let it drip dry, or better blow it out with compressed air. Dribble some thick oil into the hub -- I like chainsaw bar lube, but heavy gear oil is good too. This won't fix serious issues like broken balls, cracked palls, or broken springs, but it will more than likely get it spinning like new, especially if the bike wasn't ridden much, or left out in the rain.

You can't buy "Uniglide" chain anymore, unless it's NOS on eBay. Most modern chain by the big names (KMC, SRAM, Shimano) incorporate most of the "Hyperglide" features, along with usually some sort of shaped and beveled side plates to improve shifting. It's my understanding the Hyperglide was more about shaping the cogs and front chainrings in ways that improved pickup, and aligned nearby cogs to align the teeth at several shift points. Running 7 speed chain like the KMC 72 will improve shifting over the old Uniglide, as it's a bit narrower externally (helps with chain rub up front), and has shaped side plates the help with picking up the new sprockets during a shift in the rear. Plus, they come with quicklinks that make servicing the chain a snap. (You will still need a chain tool to shorten it, but you'll probably be fine running the full chain -- I rarely need to take off more than 3-4 links off a bike like that.)

dedhed

Kool Stop International - High Performance Bicycle Brake Pads Since 1977

t1k

I trimmed the Eagle 2 pads after trying several other pads that LBS recommended (but that didn't work). On one pad I cut the entire toe section and had to cut the steel shank with a hacksaw. That was a bit tricky because it was hard to hold the brake stationary while cutting. I've cut off about a half of the toe section from the other pad and didn't expose the shank.

Now that I have the same pads on the front and rear brakes I've noticed that the front brake is crisp and responsive (the bike starts braking the moment I feel resistance from the brake lever, there's no much brake lever travel after the brake pads touch the wheel), while the rear brake has a rubbery feel (the braking is very week at the point when resistance is felt from the brake lever, the brake lever has lots of travel after the brake pads touch the rim). What could cause this effect? I didn't replace the brake cables/housing yet? Is this the rear brake cable stretching?

t1k

Thank you for the freewheel cleaning procedure. I followed it with with a slight modification. I used mineral spirits to clean the outside of the freewheel and sprayed WD-40 into the freewheel to clean the old grease. Worked perfectly. I also used the chainsaw bar lube to lubricate the freewheel .

What do you do with the mineral spirits after soaking a freewheel in it? Can you reuse for chain degreasing?

I liked how the chainsaw bar lube worked to lubricate the freewheel. Now I'm wondering whether it's a good idea to use it as a chain lube too? I know that the biking industry will say "No way" because the chainsaw bar lube is so much cheaper. But other than marketing stuff is there much difference between bike chain lube and the chainsaw chain lube?

jlaw

Read-up on how to set-up cantilever brakes - it can be a bit counterintuitive. Here is a reference: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/cantilever-geometry.html

t1k

Thank you for the link, jlaw.
I watched the park tool videos on the cantilever brakes set up. I curious what the great Sheldon Brown said about the cantilever brakes.

robertj298 

Does your bike look like this? I picked this one up for $100.

t1k

Yep. Mine is identical minus the size, perhaps.
Your bike looks to be in a great shape and you've got it for a very good price. I paid 400 Canadian dollars (~300 USD).
Congrats, you've got an awesome bike.

I've started repacking all the bearings and it turned out to be a good idea. The old grease, although clean, has dried up.