Web site to help fix bearings on an old Raleigh?

[Doug Blaisdell]

hi all,

I've got an old Raleigh 3 speed, probably a zillion of them made, and
I need to replace the bearings down where the pedals are--the bearings
mounting in the frame that support the axle that the pedals push on. I
don't know how to take the thing apart, or where to get parts. I was
hoping there'd be info on the web to help me do it.

These are great bikes--cheap, simple, and very durable.

thanks in advance

 

[Steve-o]

On 31 Jul 2004 15:26:34 -0700, [email protected] (Doug Blaisdell)
wrote:

>hi all,
>
>I've got an old Raleigh 3 speed, probably a zillion of them made, and
>I need to replace the bearings down where the pedals are--the bearings
>mounting in the frame that support the axle that the pedals push on. I
>don't know how to take the thing apart, or where to get parts. I was
>hoping there'd be info on the web to help me do it.
>
>These are great bikes--cheap, simple, and very durable.
>
>thanks in advance


That part of the bike is called the bottom bracket. Sheldon Brown has
a very helpful website:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/raleigh.html
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/raleigh26.html
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tooltips/bbcups.html
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tooltips/bbadj.html

Good luck,
Steve

 

[Brian]

Sheldon Brown's site (previously posted) is a good place to start.

Keep us posted (pun intended)

BTW: is the crank a single piece? (ie: the pedalcranks and crankshaft are
the same piece of metal) If not, are the cranks held on the crankshaft with
cotter pins? Just how old IS this beast??

 

[Doug Blaisdell]

Thanks so much for you help with this project. It apears that the cranks
are NOT a single piece of metal as you described. That is, the pedals will
actuually unscrew from the "crank". Is that what you meant?? But I need to
get to the bearings located inside the metal frame, not in the pedals. As
far as I can tell, the bike was probably built in the late 60's or early
70's. Its red (with black tires of course).

Now, any ideas on how to get the thing open. I thought that there would
likely be a threaded part to unscrew, to access the bearings on the inside
of the frame. But, my neighbor, who has woked on many tractors, suggested
that we use his torch, cut it open, replace the bearings, then weld it shut.
But my uncle said NO, with no alterative plan. I don't know who to
believe. I respect both of these fine men, as they are older than I am.
What do you think? How would you do it? Thank you.

"Brian" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Sheldon Brown's site (previously posted) is a good place to start.
>
> Keep us posted (pun intended)
>
> BTW: is the crank a single piece? (ie: the pedalcranks and crankshaft are
> the same piece of metal) If not, are the cranks held on the crankshaft
with
> cotter pins? Just how old IS this beast??
>
>

 

[Steve-o]

On Sun, 1 Aug 2004 00:45:40 -0700, "Doug Blaisdell" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Thanks so much for you help with this project. It apears that the cranks
>are NOT a single piece of metal as you described. That is, the pedals will
>actuually unscrew from the "crank". Is that what you meant??

Nope. One Piece refers to the crank itself, irrespective of the
pedals. One Piece means that the left arm and right arm are of the
same piece of metal as the spindle.

http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/ashtabula.shtml

The other possibility is that the crank is composed of two arms each
connected to the central spindle. If they have a stud going going
through the arm near the spindle, perpendicular to the spindle, then
they're cottered...
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/cotters.html

....if they have a hex-head bolt or nut holding them to the spindle
then they're cotterless...
(info) http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tooltips/cotterless.html
(photos) http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tooltips/bbadj.html

I'm absolutely not an expert on English 3-speeds...
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/english-3.html
....but I would guess yours is cottered. If so, you'll need to remove
the arms before you can gain access to the bottom bracket bearings.
Spend a little time looking at the articles on Sheldon's site
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/articles.html
and it will start to make some sense.

Follow the instructions here
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/cotters.html
and here
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tt-cotters.html
then get the bottom bracket open by following the instructions here
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tooltips/bbcups.html
then you can put it all back together and adjust it this way
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tooltips/bbadj.html

Ready, set, go.


>But, my neighbor, who has woked on many tractors, suggested
>that we use his torch, cut it open, replace the bearings, then weld it shut.

This would be no doubt educational, but would not likely result in a
rideable bike. I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[Doug Blaisdell]

Thank you for all your help fixing my new bike. And special thanks to my
cousin Darline Tucker, who typed these questions into the computer.

One more question, if you would be so very kind. This Raleigh bike has a
front tire brake, connected to a lever on the left hand bar that squeezes on
the front tire to stop the bike. But when I try stop the back tire, the
pedal just spins around backwards. In other words, the foot brake does not
stop the back tire. Does this bike only come with a front brake? My other
bike, had only a back brake, operated by pedaling backwards a bit. But that
bike had no front brake. I prefer a bike that stops the back tire as
opposed to the front tire. My neighbor, who knows a lot about tractor
mechanics, said the back brake was busted, but he could fix it. My uncle
said no, but suggested moving the hand brake to the back of the bike, so
that it squeezes on the back tire. In fact, he noticed that there was a
mounting hole in the back so that the brake could be moved to that location.
But this introduces another problem - the brake cable would be too short to
reach all the way to the back of the bike, so the hand bar brake lever would
have to be moved to the frame, just below the seat. Do most people
generally put the brake on the front tire or on the back tire? I prefer a
bike that stops the back tire as opposed to the front tire. What would you
do? Also, how do you get the gears to change?




"Brian" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Sheldon Brown's site (previously posted) is a good place to start.
>
> Keep us posted (pun intended)
>
> BTW: is the crank a single piece? (ie: the pedalcranks and crankshaft are
> the same piece of metal) If not, are the cranks held on the crankshaft
with
> cotter pins? Just how old IS this beast??
>
>

 

[Ed]

Why are you really trying to fix this bike. It sounds like it has too many
problems. You can usually find old bikes that work for very little money.
I live in upstate NY and have an old 10 speed that works, I would sell you
for $20 if you come pick it up.

Ed

"Doug Blaisdell" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Thank you for all your help fixing my new bike. And special thanks to my
> cousin Darline Tucker, who typed these questions into the computer.
>
> One more question, if you would be so very kind. This Raleigh bike has a
> front tire brake, connected to a lever on the left hand bar that squeezes
on
> the front tire to stop the bike. But when I try stop the back tire, the
> pedal just spins around backwards. In other words, the foot brake does
not
> stop the back tire. Does this bike only come with a front brake? My
other
> bike, had only a back brake, operated by pedaling backwards a bit. But
that
> bike had no front brake. I prefer a bike that stops the back tire as
> opposed to the front tire. My neighbor, who knows a lot about tractor
> mechanics, said the back brake was busted, but he could fix it. My uncle
> said no, but suggested moving the hand brake to the back of the bike, so
> that it squeezes on the back tire. In fact, he noticed that there was a
> mounting hole in the back so that the brake could be moved to that
location.
> But this introduces another problem - the brake cable would be too short
to
> reach all the way to the back of the bike, so the hand bar brake lever
would
> have to be moved to the frame, just below the seat. Do most people
> generally put the brake on the front tire or on the back tire? I prefer a
> bike that stops the back tire as opposed to the front tire. What would you
> do? Also, how do you get the gears to change?
>
>
>
>
> "Brian" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Sheldon Brown's site (previously posted) is a good place to start.
> >
> > Keep us posted (pun intended)
> >
> > BTW: is the crank a single piece? (ie: the pedalcranks and crankshaft
are
> > the same piece of metal) If not, are the cranks held on the crankshaft
> with
> > cotter pins? Just how old IS this beast??
> >
> >
>
>

 

[Arthur Harris]

"Doug Blaisdell" wrote:
> One more question, if you would be so very kind. This Raleigh bike has a
> front tire brake, connected to a lever on the left hand bar that squeezes
on
> the front tire to stop the bike. But when I try stop the back tire, the
> pedal just spins around backwards. In other words, the foot brake does
not
> stop the back tire.

> My neighbor, who knows a lot about tractor
> mechanics, said the back brake was busted, but he could fix it.

The rear wheel probably has what's called a "coaster brake." Let your
neighbor try to fix it.

> I prefer a bike that stops the back tire as opposed to the front tire.

Actually a front brake has a lot more stopping power because your weight
shifts forward when braking. Some folks are afraid of "going over the
handlebars," but if you learn how to use the front brake proprerly, that
won't happen.

> My uncle suggested moving the hand brake to the back of the bike, so
> that it squeezes on the back tire. In fact, he noticed that there was a
> mounting hole in the back so that the brake could be moved to that
location.
> But this introduces another problem - the brake cable would be too short
to
> reach all the way to the back of the bike, so the hand bar brake lever
would
> have to be moved to the frame, just below the seat.

No! You'd just need to get a longer brake cable.

Art Harris

 

[Doug Blaisdell]

Brian--

somebody, a false "[email protected]" seems to be spoofing me on this
thread. I didn't send those two replies to your message. Very weird,
and a bit spooky for me, but it's easy enough to do with a newsreader.

To answer your question, on *my* bike (vs. the internet chameleon's
bike) the pedals can be unscrewed from the crank, and the crank itself
can be unbolted from the axle which it drives. My guess is that the
bike is about 30 years old. It's only a guess because I'm not the
original owner. (I can read the hub data if you want to try to narrow
down the date.)

All I really want to do (I think) is detach the cranks, unscrew the
axle cover nuts, pop the axle out and replace the bearings. But I've
never done the job, and I don't know what surprises await me, or how
easy it will be to get replacement bearings.

Again, please excuse the Great Imposter. It ain't me.

cheers,
doug




"Brian" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Sheldon Brown's site (previously posted) is a good place to start.
>
> Keep us posted (pun intended)
>
> BTW: is the crank a single piece? (ie: the pedalcranks and crankshaft are
> the same piece of metal) If not, are the cranks held on the crankshaft with
> cotter pins? Just how old IS this beast??

 

[Brian]

Doug;

Well at least our mystery spoofter dspaim@yahoo didn't jack your email
address entirely...that's just RUDE...

If I recall, you will need a "C" wrench to remove the lockring on one side
of the bottom bracket (that's the ring with the notches in it). Then the
bearing cup can be removed with a 5/8" spanner (or metric equivalent - 15mm,
I think...) on the raised central portion of the bearing cup - IF, of
course, your particular example has one such. Some of them have a raised
hex section, and some have large grooves cut in each side. The bearing cup
on the other side of the bottom bracket is generally snugged right to the
bracket tube and you need a really BIG spanner to turn it - you can try a
pipe wrench, but I usually just rebuild the BB by removing the one cup
(lockring side) and leaving the other in place. Carefull you don't lose any
bearings inside the frame tubes...

 

[Doug Blaisdell]

thanks. Another question. What type of grease do you use to lube/pack
the bearings? And how easy (generally) is it to get bearings for these
beasts?



"Brian" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Doug;
>
> Well at least our mystery spoofter dspaim@yahoo didn't jack your email
> address entirely...that's just RUDE...
>
> If I recall, you will need a "C" wrench to remove the lockring on one side
> of the bottom bracket (that's the ring with the notches in it). Then the
> bearing cup can be removed with a 5/8" spanner (or metric equivalent - 15mm,
> I think...) on the raised central portion of the bearing cup - IF, of
> course, your particular example has one such. Some of them have a raised
> hex section, and some have large grooves cut in each side. The bearing cup
> on the other side of the bottom bracket is generally snugged right to the
> bracket tube and you need a really BIG spanner to turn it - you can try a
> pipe wrench, but I usually just rebuild the BB by removing the one cup
> (lockring side) and leaving the other in place. Carefull you don't lose any
> bearings inside the frame tubes...

 

[maxo]

On Mon, 02 Aug 2004 21:22:39 -0700, Doug Blaisdell wrote:

> What type of grease do you use to lube/pack the
> bearings?

We discussed this here recently and I took the advice of a wise poster,
and instead of shelling out 10 bucks for a tube of fancy bike grease at
the shop, I went to the auto parts store and got the little plastic bag of
grease on the counter display for 99c. I forgot the brand but it matters
little, it said something like "greases two axles" or something to that
effect. You could always just spend a bit more and get the tub-o-grease
and leave it to the kids in your will, and/or impress your grease savvy
friends.

At any rate, I've used it to totally repack a Raleigh (I recycled the
slightly pitted bearings as it was a beater) and the headset on the racer.
Good stuff it seems. A nice manly smell is an added bonus. LOL It really
does smell like a muffler shop.

As far as bearings go I know bikepartsusa.com has them, but you have to
buy a whole display card for $20 and you get (I think) twenty blisters of
25. A fantastic deal in the spirit of the mighty tub-o-grease. You can
also just hoof it down to your LBS and get some. I don't think Raleigh
used a weird proprietary size since I've got a '58 to rebuild here soon.
Let me know what they end up being, size wise that is.

 

[Brian]

> thanks. Another question. What type of grease do you use to lube/pack
> the bearings? And how easy (generally) is it to get bearings for these
> beasts?
>
I myself use Castrol Automotive Grease in the big white tub. If you are
looking for bicycle-specific "boutique" grease; Phil Woods Waterproof
Bicycle Grease is a good bet - but a little on the pricey side.

BB bearings are usually 1/4" diameter (I think) and you can get 'em from any
bike shop that keeps a wreck pile. They are usually 'raced' - ie: held in a
metal ring called a race. Examine the bearing cups, crankshaft, and
bearings for discoloration, surface scratches, scoring, and pitting. (after
thorough cleaning). Replace any part that appears to be less than
acceptable. Any judgement calls can be made by your LBS.

 

[Steve-o]

On Tue, 03 Aug 2004 05:46:52 GMT, maxo <[email protected]> wrote:

>You could always just spend a bit more and get the tub-o-grease
>and leave it to the kids in your will, and/or impress your grease savvy
>friends.

Laughed out loud at that. I bought a tub-o-grease when I was about 14
(20+ years ago) when I took apart and put back together my
hand-me-down Free Spirit 10 speed, just to see if I could do it. The
bike is LONG gone, but the tub-o-grease is still more than 2/3 full.
I'll never use the whole tub, unless I devise a cruel practical joke
of some sort.

Alas, I have no kids or grease-savvy friends.

Steve

 

[maxo]

On Tue, 03 Aug 2004 06:32:50 +0000, Steve-o wrote:

> I'll never use the
> whole tub, unless I devise a cruel practical joke of some sort.

You know that annoying guy at the gym that grunts when he lifts and wears
too much Brut, "refill" his hair gel bottle on the sly--it will be
appreciated.

On a similar note, my mother told me about switching her dad's Brylcream
and toothpaste--and since he doesn't put on his glasses first thing...