pecanhas

Hi, folks. I've had an old Free Spirit since 2010. I know it was a cheap bike to begin with and it's probably worth... $50 today...? Maybe. Not fancy, but it's been a good friend since we met.

Recently I got it new tires and was hoping to keep it alive. But then the left pedal got crooked. I took it to the shop and was told that the best to do would be to replace the entire crankset — and that it would cost me more than $200.

That's why I need some advice... How do I figure out which parts to order if I want to replace the entire crankset? This is a labor of love — it'd be a shame to see her die after all the places she's taken me... Your good advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Kontact

There have been few department store bikes with reputations as bad as Free Spirit. It is a $20 bike. Buy something else off Craigslist or Facebook for $100.

pecanhas

Thank you! I already have something else. I don't know why it has such a bad reputation, but it has served me for more than a decade — and when I bought it, it was already old. I know it's a cheap bike. It's mostly for the sentimental value.

FBinNY 

I don't accept that the only option is a pricey new crankset. I'd start by finding another bike shop. Better yet is a bike co-op, because they likely would have a used crank.

If you have good hands, you might buy a junk bike on Craig's list, as a donor for cranks and other parts.

cb400bill

Pic Assist - https://www.bikeforums.net/g/picture/31086188

squirtdad

Am guessing that it isn't the pedal that is wobbly but the crankset. A lot of shops are not familiar with the type of crank you have...cottered.crank

find a shop that works on old bikes or as noted before find a bike co-op, bike kitchen etc. that will likely have a stash of used parts.

If it were me I would find a used Crankset.... like a sugino or SR and just put a new sealed BB on....

if you are not super familiar with bike mechanics park tools has good site https://www.parktool.com/en-us/?gcli...RoCqHcQAvD_BwE

posting your general location will help also as people can suggest shops or coops

maddog34

First.. COOL Shopping bag!...

Second.. i agree with the other helpful responders advising finding a Bike co-op...

Third..the best route is to have a more modern crankset and Bottom Bracket (bearing and spindle assembly that the crankset fits onto) since that Cottered crankset is seriously outdated now, and HEAVY too.
i am a "co-op" bike repair and keep dozens of low-priced used and new cranksets around... prices range from $10 for the low end ones, to $75 or so for the really fancy ones...
i'd advise a low end one for that bike, with steel sprockets and aluminum arms...and i bet it would be possible to convert the bike to use a Triple sprocket Crankset by simply using a triple-capable front derailleur too... those sell for $5 to $10 for a bike like yours, typically.

now go find a friendly Co-Op and get to work.
and where did you find that Cool Shopping bag?

oh, and hit the crank ends and cotter bolts with quality penetrating oil NOW, and once a day, until you find parts.. you'll be glad you did.

FBinNY 

I guess you don't shop Trader Joe's.

They don't even charge a nickel for them.

pecanhas

Hi, all. Many thanks for the guidance. Much appreciated. I will follow the recommendation and look for a bike coop.

re: shopping bag, it’s from Trader Joes (at least in DC area where I am at, that’s how their bags look).

Thanks!

zandoval 

Hey... Nice Bike!

Fix her up. That bike is worth it. I have a Ted Williams Free Spirit in the stable and it is one of the families favorites. Put it back together from the parts bin and it is a real sleeper!

Road & Track Magazine: What's a sleeper? In the world of cars, it's a vehicle that looks fairly standard from the outside, hiding its true capabilities underneath.

dedhed

​​​​​​

BTinNYC 

Hurray! The kind of value that doesn't measure well. +1 on finding a co-op.

The good news is the front derailleur will work with many different flavors of cranksets, old and new.

squirtdad

https://www.thebikehouse.org/

Mount Rainier Bike Co-op

https://districtfray.com/articles/bike-shops-in-dc/

alcjphil

I will say that old bikes like yours can be rehabilitated if you are willing to learn about the intricacies of the various components of that era. Your bike has cottered cranks which very few bike shops these days know what to do with. They can be labour intensive to work on, hence the suggestion to change to a whole new crank. However, they are not rocket science if you can find an older shop that still has the simple tools and parts needed to repair them. I remember when I bought my first really good bike in 1973. I worked in a shop which had a very old school mechanic. He looked at the square taper cranks that came with my bike, shook his head and told me that cottered cranks were much better. If you want to fix your bike up, you can do it, but you will have to learn about how to do it

Iride01 

Not all bike shops will work on every bike that is brought to them. However $200 bucks doesn't seem like much considering how much time and effort they'd have to do to even find you a inexpensive crank and BB to put in it.

If you can DIY it yourself, you might save a little, but not really that much if you have to buy tools to remove that crank and BB and then buy tools to install the new crank and BB. You'll also find that you'll spend a lot of time learning all you need to know to pick the compatible cranks and BB that will work with that frame.

Co-op would be a good place to go. But they aren't everywhere. Certainly none that I know of anywhere near me.

Face it, anything you do to that bike or most any bike is going to be over and above what it's worth monetarily. So just decide how much it's worth to you.

FBinNY 

There are inexpensive cranks and cartridge BB's readily available from most of the sources a bike shop would be using. The labor would also be fairly low because these are easy to install.

Actually I suspect that what I highlighted is the real story. The $200 quote may simply be a "go away" price from a shop that really doesn't want the job.

To the OP, if there are no co-ops, and DIY isn't an option, you might find someone who repairs bikes as a side gig. They often advertise on Craig's list and similar places.

alcjphil

An excellent point. Your bike can be repaired. just a question of finding someone who can do it at a reasonable cost unless you want to learn how to do it for yourself

SurferRosa

Do you represent some sort of modern bike shop industry lobbying group? Your takes are truly ****.

FBinNY 

Let's be fair.

While I disagree on the details, especially the justification for $200, i consider the passage you quoted as a valid and valuable reminder of the incidental costs of DIY.

Those of us who routinely work on bikes can easily justify tool costs because we'll use them frequently. But, that's not true for those for whom bike repair is only a now and then thing.

I'm a big fan of bike co-ops, aka bike kitchens, especially those that work like a laundromat, wherein you can do your own work, using their facilities, parts, tools, and advice, OR simply leave the bike and the their staff deal with it.

Unfortunately, the lack of basic fixit shops and co-ops is a major reason many at the fringes find it cheaper to buy junk bikes, ride them until they break, then replace rather than repair them.

Millions of people are riding $200 bikes daily, and simply can't justify champagne maintenance on their beer bikes.

SurferRosa

If you're asking on a bike forum about spending $200 for your Free Spirit, then that $200 is really meaningful for you. So when you can buy three brand new tools for $50, you're saving a meaningful $150. Surely, he can find a three-piece crank and probably a brand new bottom bracket for another $50. And I betcha it's going to be better than whatever crap the bike shop could come up with in the very short amount of time they will want to spend on this low level vintage bike. Plus, he'll learn something new, and be able to do it again if he wants or needs to.

We should be promoting DIY. Not shooting it down. Especially for a Free Spirit.

And it's not difficult. The entire bicycle is a system of simple machines. If you can lock two nuts together on a threaded bolt, you can do everything that needs doing.

Iride01 

SurferRosa So what useful ideas do you have for the OP to save them big money?

Accumulating tools to remove this crank and BB are unlikely to be the tools for the new crank and BB. $50 for tools and a new crank and BB and you think I'm far off from that $200?

I don't assume that $200 is a big wallet buster for the OP. I'm thinking it's just that they now realize the fact that replacing components on old bicycles is much more than the bike is worth. And they haven't quite come to terms with spending money they won't recoup if the bike is eventually sold.

You have to allow some labor cost in that $200 for the crank replacement. How much time and effort will it take you to look up a suitable replacement, get the OP's agreement that's what they want and then order and install it on the bike and then throw in adjusting the FD and hope that doesn't open a can of worms require other stuff? Maybe the pedals turn out to be 1/2" threaded instead of 9/16".

Bald Paul

I think the issue has yet to be properly diagnosed. "the left pedal got crooked". Does that mean the pedal isn't straight in the crankarm and wobbles (stripped/damaged threads) or does the entire crankarm / pedal assembly wobble?
If it's just the pedal wobbling, it's likely that the pedal wasn't tightened properly into the crankarm, and the threads are now damaged and loose. If that's the case, there are Heli-Coil kits specifically made for bicycles that would solve the problem. You just re-tap the hole to accept the insert, install the insert, then thread your pedal in. Often times the insert is stronger than the crankarm threads ever were. Kits can be found online, and if you're handy enough to use a drill and tap, you can fix it for under $50.

SurferRosa

Yeah, I do. And it's a cost savings that can multiply over and over when one has tools and can learn to do a job himself.

​​​He doesn't need a brand new crank. He said he was going to try to find a co-op. But of course you tried to squelch that idea: "They aren't everywhere. Certainly none where I ​live." There are lots of folks right here on bike forums that would probably give him a crankset for the cost of shipping.

And yet, very few of us would spend half that at a bike shop for a Free Spirit.

He's been riding the bike for 10 years. He just bought new tires for it. He's trying to keep the damn thing running, not sell it.

​​​​​​​Unlike you and your overpriced bike shop lobby keeping newbies in the dark, most of us here love to work on our bikes. Concerning his bike, the op already said it's a "labor of love."

Iride01 

​​​​​​All I did was offer suggestions and stuff for the OP to consider. All you are doing is making argument with other members. You haven't offered anything to the OP other than statements you use for the defense of the argument you started.

The OP can figure out what they wish to do. It makes no big deal if the OP finds any value in my comments or suggestions.

I guess that you people that have bike co-ops near by must think they are common things. They aren't. I don't know if the area the OP lives is common for co-op's. So whenever I see co-op suggested to a person, I sometimes feel that they might spend a lot of wasted time looking for something that doesn't exist for them.​

Instead of trying to act as a mediator of what replies are good and what replies are bad, you should really just write your solutions and suggestions down and address them to the OP. If they've already been made by another, then restate them as re-enforcement so the thread has a consensus.

And I have no problem with bikes being a labor of love. I've spent more money on old bikes than they are worth simply because I liked how the bikes ride and look.

Again, I'm certain the OP can figure out from the many things here which way they wish to proceed without you filtering information for them.

SurferRosa

Like always, you support someone else doing the work.

Like always, I empower newbies that they can do the work themselves. And dozens of us are here to give free, expert opinion on any topic that arises through the entire process.


Good lord. How long does it take to read post 13?