Fixing Some Bikes

Gumby and Pokey observe..... fixing a Repco family bike

Repco family bike on test ride

Dead Dahon

Damaged fork from Dahon with oversize thread - fork is bent backwards

Cut fork thread ready for brazing onto replacement fork.

Hi

Since Monday when 6 folding or shopper bikes arrived home in my small car, I've been fixing them up with no real goal in mind, one or two I might keep, I'll give others away, who knows, some might end up as resumbents.  The work on the bikes is quite rewarding, to get one of these bikes going takes 4-8 hours or so.  By way of contrast, my last from-the ground up recumbent took 7 months to build between designing, finding contractors, employing them and doing my stuff.  And its not even painted yet!  Although at certain stages I have culled stuff,  I still have quite a lot of old bike bits in the shed which makes it easy to work on bikes.

So here we go, a rough description of fixing some bikes.

Repco 24" Shopper

Bike had steel wheels and no brakes but servicable tyres.  A bike being kept for parts had 24" aluminium wheels but horrible tyres.   Swapped wheels, fitted a clutch to replace the rear cluster.  Cleaned chain.  Grovelled for servicable brakes and levers.  Fitted brakes last night in the kitchen while my wife watched "Silent Witness".  This morning I rode the bike down to the recycling depot with the denuded frame of the parts bike and left it there on the way to various op shops in the rain.  Good fun to ride a non-recumbent bike like this every now and then.

Dahon 20" Boardwalk Folder  

Not a bad bike and relatively recent but the seat and seatpost are missing and the front forks are bent backwards and unservicable.  Down the bottom of my pile of forks was a 20" fork that was ok with a bit of creative rearrangement of the threaded bit.  Have now painted the forks black and found a (bit of mild steel tube which will do as a) seatpost and seat so am well on the way to fixing this bike.  Will see how this bike goes, might keep this one and get rid of all my other folders.  To be continued....