pavena

Forewarning: I'm completely new to bikes.

I found a really old geared Free Spirit on the street. It was completely useless. Part of the rims were eaten by rust, the grips literally cracked off by touch, flat tires, etc etc. My friend told me it'd be cheap to convert it into a fixie, and I did as much research a noob could do, and I'm almost positive I still don't know the half of it - call me ignorant for diving into this project without completely knowing the know.

I took apart the bike entirely, sanded and repainted the frame, determined what I needed and didn't need, as well as ordering myself some new parts while trying to keep within a reasonable budget. I ordered rims that came with hubs and a 16 T cog + tubes, a crankset (160mm as I am not that tall), a bottom bracket, and 1/8 chains. My tires, grips, and pedals didn't come in yet, and I'll get a brake system for the front later. I'm pretty sure I'm missing something? I've watched some videos on installing the bottom bracket, and I've noticed most frames had threads where they install their bottom bracket, and mine, well, it isn't the same (at least I don't think so). Can someone fill me in on as to what I'm needing to install the bottom bracket? Pardon my lack of knowledge

I just finished putting spokes on one rim I'll do the other and attempt to true it a little later, so don't mind those



I also kept a somewhat photo journey on "Instagram" if anyone wants to pointlessly view it, but feel free to ignore, or point out any misdoings..

onespeedbiker

Well it looks like you jumped in head first! I like that kind of recklessness in young people. As far as your bottom Bracket goes, your frame takes what is called a One-Piece "Ashtabula" Cranks which does not use the bottom bracket cartridge you bought. But you can buy an conversion kit so the frame will play with your 3 piece cranks; it's all explained here; https://sheldonbrown.com/harris/opc.html . Have you given any thought to the headset?

pavena

First and foremost, literally, I love you. I've been desperately staring at the computer hoping I'd get replies soon because I'm so anxious, so THANK YOU lots for replying. So I didn't TOTALLY waste money on this crankset? And hm, headset.. Again, I'm completely new to the bicycle world, so I'm going to assume that's the handle bar area? If so, I was just going to replace the drop with a flat?

LesterOfPuppets

If you're on a budget and have shops with good used parts selections you can probably get a decent one-piece BMX crank to put on there for $5-10. If you got the dough get the adapter above. You'll have to pop out the Ashtabula cups that are still in your frame. Hammer + screw driver is what I use.

Hope you get it on the road soon. The other day we had two Free Spirits on the same page over in SSFG!

ThimbleSmash's



And mine:


Free Spirit Sunbird by Lester.L., on Flickr

pavena

Aww! I really like yours, red is my favorite color I live in a pretty small town, and there aren't any bike shops here, I had to order everything online

onespeedbiker

The headset was the part that held the fork onto the frame; the part of the frame where the fork slides into is called the head tube. When you removed the fork from the head tube, you unscrewed a nut and a threaded race as indicated in this web site.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headset...rt%29#Threaded . Did you plan on re-using the parts or do you need to replace them?

pavena

Oh! I planned on sanding out the rust and cleaning it out and just reuse them. Is that bad?

LesterOfPuppets

I wouldn't sand the bearing faces of the headset's cups or cones, just clean with WD-40, gasoline or kerosene.

pavena

Oh! Thanks!!

onespeedbiker

If the outside of the headset is rusty than you can use whatever you want to remove the rust, however if the inside is rusted enough to leave any pits or a rough surface, you should replace it.

pavena

Will keep that in mind when I get to that part!

So what I just did, I knocked out the bearing cups, right.. and I tried to just fit my BB into the hole, but these tubes are sticking so far out that my BB won't even fit through, so I'm pretty sure even with the adapter, it won't go through. I just figured out the previous crankset was a one piece looseball one, and so the middle was thin. But I'm really set on using this crankset, because it's too late for returns I was thinking, if I possibly figure out a way to get rid of these tubes, could I still use the converter?

LesterOfPuppets

Hmmm, that could present a problem.

Options:

1. Grind and/or file tubes.
2. One-Piece cranks.
3. Get an old-school cup and cone 3-piece bottom bracket to go in the adapter. They don't have the big metal tube going all the way through like the new ones do. This is all there is to them:

pavena

Hm, if I went with option one, would the adapter shown up there 100% work, and I would be able to use the 3 piece crank I have already?

LesterOfPuppets

You should be able to use the Truvativ BB conversion if you grind and file those unmitered tubes out of the way. It'll take a lot of grinding/filing because the Bottom Bracket will have to sit in the exact center of the Bottom Bracket Shell and it doesn't even fit at all right now, much less fit in the center of the BB shell.

pavena

Hmm, would you say that the hole for the BB is the same in diameter for all bikes and that the BB is the only different component? I'm scared if I buy the conversion kit and file down the tubes, that the BB hole will be too big or something?

LesterOfPuppets

The Truvativ BB conversion parts will fit snugly in the BB shell as long as you don't grind any of the inside of the shell while you're going after those frame tubes, so just be careful not to do that.

pavena

Got it! THANK YOU SOOOOOO SO MUCH! All of you lovely people! I just want to hug all of you and put you in my pocket!

pavena

Also, would I need new bearing cups or anything?

canyoneagle

With the Truvativ conversion, you should be good to go. Your current BB has the bearings in it.

This looks like a really fun project! Great job so far, and kudos to you for jumping right in! What a great way to get comfortable with wrenching on bikes.

Based on the components that you have obtained for your build, it would appear that you might be seeking a "sporty" riding style. Just know that the frame you're working with is not a very "sporty" frame (its quality is quite low and its geometry is pretty laid back), so if you desire something sportier, All you have to do is swap everything over to another frame whenever it is time to do so. A track frame or road racing frame (with horizontal dropouts) would do the trick.

In the mean time, enjoy the process, and please post pics of your build! It should be a very cool bike.

JohnDThompson 

Don't sand the bearing races as that erodes the case-hardening and makes them wear out quickly. Instead, use a wire wheel or steel wool and vinegar to remove the rust.

fietsbob

Cheap, OPC BBs and headsets are available, New, to not waste time
scraping and sanding old rusty, replaceable, parts.

pavena

Oh, silly me! I knew that

It IS really fun. I just haaaad to say, "Ooh, free bike!", because it turned out to not be so free, and I became OBSESSED with tinkering this little Frankenstein of mine. I literally stayed up until the next day to figure out how to lace my rims! Thank god I didn't find a free CAR versus a bike and decide to restore that.. My life would've been in ruins.

Yeah, I'm just using this frame for now, being that it's my first one and all, and I wouldn't dare mess up a new one in case I do something drastic/wrong

Thanks so much for the advice!! Haha will do, I now definitely feel obligated to finish and post up the product!

onespeedbiker

I'll fully agree that I would replace the headset simply as a matter of course (if corroded), but the OP has said
I'm not sure where it is that has no bike shops, but to replace the headset would require the OP to R&R the cups and crown race, which may be beyond her ability, and she would no doubt have to fabricate some tools as those sold on the internet, or anywhere else for that matter, are quite pricey.

pavena

Got it! Thanks!

pavena

I live in a very, VERY small town in Louisiana. If it comes down to me really REAAAAAALLY really having to go to a bike shop, I'll make the drive to one, thanks for the heads up!