d2702

I recently acquired a mid-80s Bridgestone and I'm taking it apart so I can clean it up and learn about the mechanics. Hoping to get some advice about a few things.

I was able to get the right down-tube shifter to unscrew and come off the frame but the left-side one is very tightly screwed in. I'm afraid if I force it that I may snap the little metal ring. Is there a recommended way to get it to loosen up? WD40 perhaps?

My plan is to take everything off but the bottom bracket, not confident enough that I can disassemble, clean and repack it competently, so I'll just leave it in place for now. For cleaning the frame I have two questions, what's the best cleaning agent, soap and water? And how worried should I be about getting moisture down into the frame?

Thanks!

mrv 

I’ve wanted a BStone for a while now.
Start with WD40. You might get something more stinky, like PB Blaster. Use that in a well ventilated area. For sure.

I use a citrus degreaser mostly for cleaning. Some times I use WD40 for cleaning.
But mostly I use WD on pivot points after washing with plain water. WD means water displacement. It’s not really a lube.

Rust never sleeps- so don’t fill the frame with water. That’s a joke…..

There should be vent holes in the frame - like the seat stays and chain stays. Those let water in and out. Take the seat post out. Flip the bike. Got water?

Also research Frame Saver. It’s a smelly oil like PB Blaster you spray inside the frame every couple years. Use in a well ventilated area.

Bottom brackets require special tools. Go to the Park Tool website and watch the repair videos.

enjoy

d2702

Two RB-1s just popped up on craigslist near me, in that nice orange color too, but too pricey.

Is there a particular model you are hunting for?

degan

Weird turn, lets see where this goes.

SurferRosa

Depending on what kind of shifter it is, you might want to just leave that left one in place. It's way more important to overhaul the bottom bracket. It's not difficult. And if you remove it, you don't have to worry so much about getting moisture in the bare frame when you're cleaning it.

Yeah, sure, soap and water. If that doesn't work, WD-40.

Soody

IMO downtube shifters don't require servicing and often have a bunch of fiddly parts that can break on install and removal. I would not remove them unless you're painting a frame or they are actually broken for some reason.

dddd

I use a sufficiently-large crescent wrench to grip the wire handle completely before turning the lever screws loose if they're stubborn.
Gripping the handle this way prevents it's twisting, which tends to be the first step toward one end of the handle popping out of it's little socket in the bolt head.

Getting lube into the lever's friction surfaces, the central pivot and the insides of any indexing mechanism is one of the things that I find to be critical to a great-shifting drivetrain.
Using plastic noodle at the cable's contact point near the bottom bracket is another, in addition to the use of lined shift housing with appropriate 4mmx6mm ferrules.
Then there's the combination/selection of chain and freewheel and the exact proximity of the derailer's top pulley to the teeth of the freewheel's largest cog.

mrv 

yep.
i'm eye balling a nicely sized TREK 400 local to me. Guy claims it's NOS. Looks like a mid-80s. He's hard to extract details out of.
I need to get my smaller TREK 420 sold - check out in the C&V For Sale section!! (please......)

cheers.

Chombi1 

Definitely open up the bottom bracket and clean and repack the bearings with grease. You would want to check the condition of bearings and races anyway.
opening up the bottom bracket is easy enough with the right tools (usually a double pin wrench and a hook wrench, available from bike shops) to get the adjustable, non-drive side cup off. It's the fixed cup on the drive side of the BB that you would want to leave on the frame, as it is usually installed very tightly and sometimes even secured with thread locking compound. You can easily inspect, clean and grease up the fixed cup while installed on the frame after removing the adjustable non-drive side cup, through the bottom bracket shell opening. If the fixed cup bearing race turns out to he worn out or damaged, then it is only when you remove it for replacement.

jdawginsc 

Agree with the above. Bottom bracket, in my opinion is the easiest set of bearings to learn from...easy to understand and repack, and adjust. Hubs and headsets can be a bit trickier.

And pedals were invented by Satan. All are necessary at some point, though....even the freewheels I avoid despite Pastor Bob's admonitions.

dddd

Maybe it's just me, but it seems like better than every other used Japanese bike that I buy has or quickly develops a loose, clicking fixed cup.

I have a thin 36mm spanner that can tighten these cups in-sutu, as long as no granny ring blocks access.
But I typically have to re-visit the adjustable cup's adjustment following the tightening of the fixed cup (and it's always best to first confirm that the adjustable cup isn't too tight to allow fully tightening the fixed cup).

Usually I'll do an oil-can tune-up as part of the initial setup and evaluation of any used bike, and a quick fix to the bottom bracket is part of that routine. If the bike is to go to a re-seller, that's all the attention that the bottom bracket may get.

merziac

So welcome aboard, glad you found us, sounds like you're in the right place.

We nee pics or it didn't happen, good ones and plenty of them, you need 5 posts X 2 days for 10 to post them, if you try before that they may go to your album and get merged here.

Its an anti-spam measure that serves us very well.

Best way to get there is to respond to any and all posts here separately.

As you can see, there are many schools of thought on much of this, you will have to figure out your best processes as you move along.

You call out the BB with good reason as it can be challenging, especially if the fixed cup is tight, as it should be.

The general consensus here is to leave it in and service in place, I strongly disagree with this and always take them out, period, to also clean and service the threads so that it comes out when it has to.

I realize you are not there yet but encourage you to include this skill as overcoming the difficulty and challenge will bolster your skill set and confidence in all else.

tiger1964 

Depending on the brand and model of the shift levers, does the "bolt head" of the screw, the one that the metal rig is attached to, project out enough to get locking pliers ("vice-grips") on it? Of course, that means risking some marring of the finish.That said, it sounds, awfully tight, as in rusted in place. Another vote for PB Blaster; i've read there are better penetrants, but it works well for me and is readily available.

d2702

A little WD-40 and some pliers did the trick. The left-side shifter is removable now. As Soddy pointed out they are full of little parts that look easy to drop and lose so removing them may be something I regret but this bike's purpose in life is to teach me how to take apart and put back together a bike. Think of it like the giving tree but made of steel.

A crank puller and pedal wrench are on the way, I'll have this thing in pieces in no time.

d2702

Yep Merziac, I'll get that post count up and get some pictures uploaded asap.

jdawginsc 

Take pictures at each step of the process.

merziac

Dead on the money, make it so.

d2702

Left crank pulled.

d2702

And the right, too. Post count nearing 10 rapidly.

jdawginsc 

More importantly, skill acquired!

d2702

Definitely. It was a learning experience. About 10 minutes after the crank puller arrived in the mail I had it threaded into the crank and was trying to turn the inner thing which was very tight. A little WD-40 and a better angle helped me get past that and the cranks popped right off. Youtube videos are very helpful for showing you the approach but they can't convey the tactile part of it.

jdawginsc 

Did you get a park tools one?

d2702

Quick question though for the group, screwed into the bottom of the bottom bracket is a little black plastic cable guide and it's in good shape. Attached to that though are some small plastic tubes, about 3 inches long for the cables to thread through. Do those have a name that will let me find and order more?

tricky 

I am assuming you know what cable housing is. If it isn't cable housing, it's probably "cable liner" aka "housing liner" Jagwire Black Housing Liner | Jenson USA You can get it in blue and colorless translucent too. You're almost to 10 posts and able to post pics! Then we can know exactly what you are talking about.

merziac

Exactly this, once you get the hang of the tactile part and holding your mouth just right, you'll be golden. Biggest part of the equation is realizing this and proceeding accordingly.