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A friend's wife has a bike her grandmother used to ride. It's 60's or 70's based on the banana seat and plastic basket. The little old lady didn't have a driver's license so she rode this bike all over Cincinnati. The ladies granddaughter now has the bike here in Memphis. The serial number is on...

Can I use a 1/8" master link on a 3/32" chain? I can't seem to find 3/32" master links in volume packaging. Are there any drawbacks to using 2 piece master links?

I don't have much luck getting info about my Mead. I guess you guys don't care too much for kindergarten questions. If any of you are knowledgeable enough about a mid 20's Mead Ranger and is willing to answer some detailed and probably elementary questions via PM, please let me know. I'm not...

This is just a thought..... There's an auto body shop around the corner from my house. If I wasn't too picky about the color, I wonder if they'd shoot a frame and fork the next time they shoot a car? I think I'm gonna have to stop by and ask.

I picked up some bikes the other day. They're not vintage but I'm sure the construction is similar to the older stuff. This bike is Chinese made and I see a lot of inferior parts. Those will get replaced. As for the fork, the dust boots have deteriorated and I'd like to replace them. In order...

I've got plenty of tools. I do most of my own auto repair. However, I have few tools that are specific to bike repair. The only thing I have so far if a Park FR-1 freewheel remover. I know I'll need cone wrenches. What sizes do they come in? If I don't but a "complete set", what sizes will I...

What are lined cable housings lined with? Why would you not use a lined cable?

Is there a list somewhere of all the different tools for removing cassettes?

I know, this has been discussed before but I can't find the thread. Searching the forum on a Kindle isn't easy. I NEED a bike stand. I prefer cheap but I need something that won't break in a month. I'm not opposed to making my own. Can a "head" be purchased that I can mount on my own post? If...

I just calculated the gear ratios of all the gears on my 10 speed. The chain ring is a 39/50. The cassette is a 14/17/20/24/28. I haven't ridden a road bike since I was 14 or 15 but I always though you started out on the smallest chain ring and the largest cog, ran through all the cogs in the...

Every bike I get, I want to keep. I have about 20 bikes now. Only a couple are rideable but I'm working on them. I have one 16" OCC Stingray that I plan to give to a family friend for her son as soon as I get training wheels for it. One of my son's lady friends from college wanted a bike but I...

Just once I'd like to get a bike that I can get rolling without it needing anything more than bearing grease and my time. Rims, tires, tubes, head set, bottom bracket, frame repair, seat, seat tube, cables. It goes on and on and on and on. I picked up a bike that was supposed to be road ready...

******The thread title is supposed to say Big DIPPER seat but auto correct screwed it up and I didn't notice. If a Mod could fix it, that would be great.****** This seat was only available in 1969 from what I can tell. Strangely, the catalogs never listed this seat in gold but there's a lot...

I know there are at least 2 types of rivets; screw in and press in. How do you get the rivet to flare inside the head tube so it will stay in place? Can it be done in a home garage or is it easier to just use the screw in type? Do rivets come in different sizes? I'd think they would. The reason...

(I wish this info was in a sticky.) I'm sure this has been discussed time and time again but a search of the forum didn't turn up any dedicated thread on the subject. Which types of grease are good for bicycle bearings? I am certain there is not just one type or brand that is best. There are...

What method of welding should be used to fix this frame? I want it to look just as good as the non-broken side. I gotta make sure I take it to someone that can do the type of welding needed. The last guy that did some welding for me wasn't concerned with aesthetics. As long as the weld held, he...

I know this subject has been discussed before but a search didn't tell me where. I saw a chart recently that explained what chain size was used and which bikes based on the number of gears. I couldn't find that either. Can someone point me to a thread that explain chain sizes or explain it...

Please school me. This is my first bike of this era and I don't know anything about them. All I have is a skeleton (frame and fork) but nothing else. I don't want to spend money out of speculation on things that aren't correct for the bike. I don't mind building a bare bones bike if they were...

I picked up a small OCC chopper and it doesn't have the training wheels. I've got a kid in mind to give it to once I get training wheels for it. I'll make some as a last resort but I'd rather have the right ones. I've searched online and can't find any.

I'm just thinking out loud. Fell free to add your thoughts. I've got a '69 Columbia muscle bike. It's badged a Columbia 500. I've searched Mr Columbia's site and even discussed it with him and we can't figure out EXACTLY what model this bike is supposed to be. Little is known about the Columbia...

I've got a '69 Columbia muscle bike. It's gonna need some minor welding done on it. The prep and welding is gonna mess up the paint around the weld. How can I get the right color paint so I can touch it up?

Useless to me anyway. I've got plenty of tools but none that are bike specific. I've managed to get by but I've had a little trouble getting a crank out of a frame and getting the race off the drive side of the crank a couple times. I took my '72 Rollfast frame to the bike shop to see if they...

My wife and I are looking into buying a house in an historic area of town. It's a real "hipster" neighborhood. It's one of the more bike friendly area of town. The house has an area for me to have a work area. Our current house does not. I would really like to make bikes available to visitors...

The '83 Le Tour had 3 decals. They say "SCHWINN" "le tour" and "4130 chrome-moly"

How do you repair a fork with bad threads?

I picked up a tandem last summer. It's a Trailmate Easy Ride with a 5 speed cassette and a rear drum brake. I've never had a bike with a drum brake. Trailmate' s aren't exactly collector bikes so I don't mind making significant changes. Besides, this bike is gonna need a lot of work. It has a...

I anticipate needing bearings for every bike I take apart and I really hate waiting for needed part to be delivered. I also hate buying stuff one piece at a time 'cause I know I pay more that way. I'd rather order a larger quantity of the common bearings I'll most likely need. As I recently...

Seriously? The only reason to do that is to insure the bike gets thrown in the trash if it ever needs bearings. I knew this '72 Rollfast was a low end bike but that's too much. Even the cheap 16" and 18" kiddie bikes I stripped down today had removable cups.

Being new to this hobby, I've made many wrong assumptions. I assumed all the bearings were caged. I disassembled the front hub. It's a Shimano 333. 18 balls came out. I didn't count them until after I got them out. I hope none got lost. If I got them all, that's 9 per side. As a test, I checked...

I need an American made one piece crank that will take a double chain ring. The throw needs to be 6.5 to 7 inches. If you have one, PM me with a price including shipping to 38016.

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I'm slowly disassembling this old Rollfast. I'm thankful my wife hasn't complained once about me taking this bike apart in the living room. I removed the fork today. It's no surprise the bearings are gummed up. They might clean up but I'm gonna replace them. There are grooves in the races but...

What's the difference? I've been searching eBay for some replacement brake parts and I keep seeing references to red, gold, and blue dot brake levers. The only difference I see is the color of that one pin. Is there a difference?

I picked up an old Rollfast Super de Luxe last summer. It's been sitting in the back yard ever since. I decided to see what it needed to be rideable. I'm a cruiser guy so I'm out of my element. Here are my questions. What brand is this? Some of the stickers on the frame I've only seen on my...

Can I use a set of forks as a makeshift trueing stand? Has anyone used them for that? Can I accurately true a wheel while it's still on the bike?

Today some a-hole rode off with my Schwinn 7 speed and left his bike behind. A police report was filed and I'll be watching to see if anyone in the neighborhood is riding my bike. In the mean time, I'm gonna make use of the bike they left behind. It's not vintage but at least I can work with it...

Memphis is not a bike city although things are improving. Overton Park is great for riding road bikes and cruisers. Shelby Farms is great for mountain bikes. This is one of the new gates to Overton Park. How cool is that?

Were there any bikes with locking forks AND front and rear drum brakes? What makes and years had locking forks? What styles of locking forks are there? I know I've seen 3; two that use a key and another that uses a pad lock through tabs on the fork and head tube.

I need a recommendation on a bike rack. My son has a '99 Chrysler Cirrus. I have a trunk mounted rack but we're having problems with it other than the fact that you can't open the trunk with the rack on the car unless you have a second person to help. I think we need a roof mounted rack. Any...

I'm certain there are art deco stems out there. Does anyone have a picture to post?

I have an '83 Schwinn Le Tour I found on the side if the road. I need a seat and a chain ring. Let me know if you have then and for how much.

I told my wife I wanted a bike from...... WALMART. This thing has 32" rims. I can actually ride it. I can't comfortably ride any of my balloon tire bikes. I'm going to go wash my mouth out with soap now.

Almost all of my bikes are single speed. What specialty tools do I need to service my bikes? I was watching a video of a guy assembling the 3 piece crank on a fixie. He had some really thin wrenches and they were all specialty wrenches. Short of truing the wheels, what do I need?

I picked up a Rollfast Super Deluxe. The cables are a little stiff. They don't look rusted. What can I use to loosen them up? If I need to replace them, to they come in standard lengths? Can I just replace the cables and keep the original cable sheaths?

I'm finally getting some of my bikes fixed. I have 18, I think. The first one is a 60's Huffy El Dorado. Upon first inspection, the tires were flat but all the parts appear to be where they're supposed to be. It doesn't make any noise when it rolls like some of my bikes do so that's good. I...

Are there any groups that race vintage bikes on a track? I'd love to see a dozen bikes from TOC thru the 30's zipping around a track. Where can a person find track racing outside the Olympics? I always liked watching those events buy the Olympic Games aren't shown on TV in the same fashion as...

Finding a bike that's big enough for me to ride is difficult so I'm considering building one. It would be a clone of a vintage bike. Where could I get a bike that would be a suitable sonar to build a 20's Meade Ranger clone without hacking up a frame worth building yet still having usable...

I searched to see if this had been discussed and found nothing so here goes. Does anyone make cruiser tires for the 29" rims?

I know they are Shelby made and share a lot of characteristics with the Hiawatha's but that's it. What year range are they? How do you identify it in a crowd of other Shelby built bikes?

Just looking at it. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/04/16/177468359/one-gear-one-mission-bike-is-good-to-100-mph-builder-says