Hello everyone,
Thank you so much for all of your comments and advice, I'm overwhelmed by how much help I've been offered! Thank you!! How wonderful to have a space like this to discuss. After some thought, I've decided that I want to go through with building this bike, even if it doesn't really make financial sense. Thank you to everyone who has told me the realities of the project and what it would entail. For years now I've been working on developing woodworking and general handyman skills as I was never taught them as a young woman, and would very much like to expand my skillset into basic bike mechanics, so in my situation I think the learning opportunity alone is worth the cost for me. So, here we go!! I will try to address all the key points made in previous posts below:
- I have tried the wheels and thankfully they fit! I would like to use these wheels unless it's completely impossible to make them work.
- The process to upgrade the cottered crank seems a bit complicated - can I get by with keeping the existing one, given that this will just be a occassional commuter bike? I will reach out to nearby co-ops if the community agrees that the cotter crank replacement is a non-negotiable step.
-The bike did come with the original Simplex derailleur, however it was in awful shape, the thickest layer of rust I've ever seen. I have cleaned it up since but I'm not sure if it's useable, especially since the plastic wheels have lost some spokes (cracked off completely).
- The Miche wheelset takes 9 and 10 speed Shimano cassettes, but my understanding is that I can use lower cassettes if I use spacers. Is that correct? Is there a limit to how many spacers I should use? I would like to mimic the original 5x2 setup but am having trouble finding the spacers/small cassette required for this. I also believe that an SRAM cassette would fit, but am not entirely sure.
-I do love the Simplex levers, and want to keep them at all costs!!
- I'm located in east end Toronto, a couple places mentioned to me have been BikeSauce and Bike Pirates. I'm hoping to put together as much as I can myself before I get stuck, at which point I'll wheel it in for help.
- Happy to report no paint cracks or other signs of major damage to the frame! And yes, the original guides recommend 5'4-5'9, and being 5'7 it should be a perfect fit.
- Sorry to disappoint by saying I painted it over! Unfortunately the original paint was only covering about 30% of the frame when I found it, and I couldn't afford a full sandblast and enamel repainting. I tried my best to match the original shade with what I could access.
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AdventureManCO I will certainly look into everything you mentioned, especially the 5$ bike post - my local shop quoted me $100...
Otherwise yes, I will definitely need some fresh pads and and tape, I already have a seat and chain lying around I can use.
-I think this will be a Franken-bike for sure, and I agree that figuring out the pieces fitting together is the best part! Although frustrating, I have found the process thus far quite rewarding as well.
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Sactown_Albert Thank you for the link, much appreciated! I will look into it.
And now, some questions for you all!!
-Is it fundamentally ok to completely switch the rear setup from freewheel to cassette? What are the main things I should be wary of with such a switch?
-I'm of a mind to replace the old/broken Simplex derailleur. What would you recommend given that the wheel freehub is for a 10-speed cassette that I am hoping to bring down to a 5 or 6-speed with spacers? Is that even doable? Any recommendations on where I could find such a thing?
- Something I haven't mentioned before is that the old kickstand is locked solid on this frame with rust, I've tried everything under the sun to remove it. My last choice is to use an angle grinder, but I'm nervous given the closeness to the frame. Does anyone have any last-ditch recommendations before I try this approach?
Thank you all very much for helping this newcomer! You've really made my day!
