“I've found the most awesome bike shop ever. In Madison, Wisconsin, we have a little, nearly unknown bike shop called 'Freewheel' http://free.mildmedia.net . It's a shop in that you can buy used bikes there, but also a workshop where you can bring your own bike to work on it!
They take in old bikes as donations and either rehabilitate them or strip them down for parts.
There are hundreds of wheels and frames hanging from the ceiling, and bins with every part imaginable.
Today, I went in to donate some time and in just 3 hours, I pulled the treads off about 8 wheels, stripped a mountain bike frame to its component parts, and readied a heavy old road bike for sale.
They're only open on Thursdays from 5:30 to 8:30PM, but it was PACKED!
I met a bunch of great folks and did some good work. They have a 'give before you take' policy - volunteer time in exchange for parts or shop time.
Next week, I'll probably be fixing up 3-speed cruisers because they sell quickly.
They're a little leery of selling anything welded, for liability reasons. My Thursday nights are now booked for the forseeable future!” ~ submitted by forum member, tree
Chain Joining
Question: “When I create a loop of chain by forcing a previously removed pin back in at the desired length, that new link is stiffer than the surrounding links. How do you put that pin back in and keep from making that link tight?” ~ BRADinSTL
Answer: “What I do is push two pins part way out. If you pick the right pair one side plate will then come off leaving the pins in the other. You can then remove one or both of the rollers (sometimes need prying out with a narrow screw driver) and joining the chain is easy as you can get the rollers back over the pins with a pair of pliers before attaching the plate?
Both my tools look like this one , so you break/assemble the chain in the narrow right hand channel , then to get the pin free you move the stiff link to the left hand channel which is to big to hold the complete link so the pin can be moved in the plates on one side (sort of hard to explain?)
I will try again ! the right hand channel holds the right side of the link allowing you to push the pin against it.
The left hand channel can only hold the plates on the left hand side of the link therefore allowing you to push the pin through a bit left to right therefore making the gap the roller rides in bigger?” ~ Paul (stormbird)
Vinyl Wrap “Painting”
“I work for a company in the U.K. that produces a vinyl wrap product in bulk. The good and expensive stuff has U.V. protection and lasts well and does not fade over a relatively long period of time and is solvent based but will generally not damage painted surfaces it is applied to, if and when removed.
The cheap stuff peels, print fades, and does horrible things to your underlying paint. Neither takes knocks very well. I can get it for free, and printed but you wont find it on any of my bikes. Looks great, but not hard wearing.
Expensive to do it well, but would not use it for an every day use bike. If its just for show and you have money to burn go for it. I would rather have a good airbrush artist do something with real paint to be honest if you want something practical and lasting. At the end of the day it is designed to be disposable. All the best, Tim”
Types of Drills
“There are three types of drills, and all have their advantages: cordless, corded and pedestal.
What you need is a drill that has a chuck that fits the larger shaft end sizes. Eg., 13mm chuck.
Then, if it has a reverse switch, and a keyed chuck, you are on a winner.” ~ PeterT
Chopper and Tube Bending Plans
http://www.chopperhandbook.com/neatstuff/downloads.htm
“Passing this link along, this motorcycle web site has a number of free plans to download including tube bending.” ~ socialtalker
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