Reviving a Derelict Miyata

 I picked up a Miyata 100 that was evidently sitting outside unused for many years. Since I have a fair collection of used bike parts, I figured why not try to get this one working again with what I have. 

 First, I had to cut off the rusted chain with an angle grinder (there was no way it was going to move). 

 Even the freewheel was stuck and refused to rotate backwards. I actually unscrewed it from the hub when I put a chain whip on it. I still wanted to save it though, because it is a SunTour Perfect freewheel with a 32 tooth low gear. That's pretty rare to find. After soaking it in automatic transmission fluid and torching the outer bearing race, I was able to unscrew it for disassembly. Inside, the ball bearings where all rusted and the pawls were sticking. After cleaning everything up, the pawls moved freely again. I threw out all the rusty ball bearings, and added all new ones (1/8" size). Upon reassembly, the freewheel worked perfectly.

 The seatpost was a bigger problem. It's an aluminum post that was fully inserted in the steel frame, and thus was essentially welded in place. I soaked it for days in transmission fluid, and heated it repeatedly with a propane torch: 

 

 My poor little bench vise still wouldn't budge it. However, a pipe wrench with a cheater pipe attached was able to rotate it slightly: 

 I thought I had won, but that was only the beginning. There was still so much corrosion holding it in place that I needed to bring the frame to a friend's house to use his sturdier bench vise to twist it out. It put up a big fight, and we had to stop and let the seatpost cool down in the snow from all the friction from twisting the frame around it. As the aluminum warmed up from friction, it expanded and created a lot more resistance. We finally got it out after an hour of wrestling with it, and then had a well deserved beer.

The bottom bracket was another problem. Water pooled up inside, and rusted the bearings:

 There's no way to reuse any of those parts. The spindle and cups were way too pitted from rust.

The lower headset cup was very rusty on the outside. I couldn't fix the pitting with rust dissolver, so I ended up replacing it with another similar cup that I had. I removed it with a tool I made from EMT conduit years ago:

 Installing the replacement cup with a vise:

Next I moved on to the wheel bearings. The quick release skewers didn't want to come off, so I used a vise grip and a towel to unscrew them:

Fortunately the bearings inside didn't look too bad:

 

I cleaned them up with mineral spirits, and replaced any balls that looked pitted:

Next I reassembled the bearings with fresh grease, and reinstalled the freewheel:

 

 

 

 I used an M5 tap to restore the threads in the quick release nut. I simply held the tap in my vise, and then spun the nut onto it using pliers to turn the nut:

 

 The QR lever was also very sticky, and needed to be disassembled and cleaned:

 

 Back to the headset. I soaked the bearings in mineral spirits, and then packed them in grease:

 

 

Next I reinstalled the fork and screwed in the upper bearing cup:

 

 Then I tightened the lock ring after adjusting the bearings so that the fork can move freely without play:

 

 Finally I could tighten the top nut:

 

 

This was a good time to touch up the paint and give it a coat of wax. It's really impressive how well the original paint held up. It doesn't even look faded. Well done Miyata.  

 

Now it's time to install more bike parts. I took a set of bottom bracket bearings from my parts stash, and greased them up with new ball bearings: 

Next I installed them in the frame with a replacement 115mm spindle:

 

 Then I reinstalled the cranks (the steel chainrings and bolts cleaned up well with rust dissolver):

 The right side pedal was super stuck, so I used a tip from the great Sheldon Brown and tied the left crank to the frame. This let me use a cheater pipe on a wrench to unscrew the pedal:

 Damn you, galvanic corrosion. Fortunately, the pedal cracked loose and left the crank threads intact. I replaced the rusty pedals with nicer looking ones from my local bike co-op (my hobby wouldn't be possible without them).

 I also scored a used pair of tires from the co-op as well. Check out the originals:

Its starting to look like a bike again:
 

For the handlebars, I cut off the rotting foam grips:

 Then I installed the bars and stem on the bike. As a tip for aligning the brake lever heights, bridge a yardstick between them so you can better see if they're the same height. They are slightly crooked in this photo:

 I wrapped the handlebars and installed the brake and shifter cables:

 Then I installed a replacement chain:

 Adjusting the derailleurs took a lot of effort because the set screws were rusted. I eventually got them shifting nicely, however. Lastly, I installed a white saddle and took it for a well deserved test ride:

 This bike came out better than it had any right to. Despite being an entry level model, it survived with most of its original components still working. Even 40 years later this bike looks great, although it took a tremendous effort to revive it. Cheers!

The Peugeot UO-8

 

I have kind of a love-hate relationship with the Peugeot UO-8. They have very ornate looking frames with beautiful decals. They also handle very nicely and feel a lot more agile than their 30 pound weight would suggest. They have the potential to be a very good bike. I say this because some of the bike's original components are poor quality, and should be upgraded if you intend to regularly ride a UO-8. 

 

In my opinion, the very first things to replace should be the AVA handlebar stem and the Simplex front derailleur. The stem often cracks at the slots near the bottom and can make the handlebars come loose. The Simplex front derailleur has a plastic mounting clamp that will also crack, and likely break off while riding. However, those derailleurs are rare to find these days. If you have a bike with an original Simplex front derailleur then it's a good sign that the bike doesn't have a lot of miles on it. Most of these were replaced back in the 70s or 80s on bikes that were ridden regularly.

 

   The next upgrade would be aluminum rims. I normally don't even mind riding on steel wheels. I like to use steel rims on some of my commuting bikes because they are immune to brake wear. Unfortunately, the original Rigida steel rims on the UO-8 are especially soft and prone to kinks if you hit a pothole.

  Once you replace these parts, you'll have a pretty good bike on your hands. If you have a plastic simplex rear derailleur, then keep a spoke protector on your rear wheel. These rear derailleurs shift surprisingly nicely, but they are flexible and prone to going out of adjustment.  

 Finally, unlike many suggestions on forum posts, I don't recommend replacing the cottered steel crank with a lighter aluminum one because you'll likely have compatibility issues with the french threaded bottom bracket. Instead, just service the bottom bracket bearings with fresh grease to protect them from wear.

Cotter Pin Misadventure

 I was fixing up a Peugeot UO-8 with super stuck cotter pins. My usual method of using a C clamp and a socket as a spacer didn't work this time. I added penetrating oil and let it sit for a few hours, then used a propane torch on the crank:

 

 

This still didn't work, unfortunately. Even after tightening the clamp and hitting it with a hammer, the pin refused to move. I left the nut loose, sitting slightly past the end of the pin. The pushing force from the clamp ended up stripping the threads off the threaded end of the cotter pin:

 I'll update this when I finally figure this one out, but it will likely involve a drill.

Schwinn Prelude Restoration

Ever since I was in college I really wanted a Schwinn Prelude. I thought it was a really high-end bike at the time, but much more realistically affordable than a Paramount. I finally found an inexpensive 1987 model for sale, but it needed a lot of work. I took the wheels and the busted saddle saddle off (and thankfully the aluminum SR Laprade seatpost didn't fight me too much. They're often rust welded in place).

Next I took the brakes off for cleaning and repairs (don't mind the reflector, it's not going back on):

The cables came out of the brake levers without issue:

Next I removed the handlebars:

 Then the fork:

The headset bearings were in good shape. The only caveat was the corrosion on the outside of the lower bearing race. This bike might have either sat outside or in a damp basement for way too long. I removed it to try cleaning it up:

 Next I removed the drivetrain for cleaning. The rusty chain needed to go:

 Then I removed the derailleurs:

 

 Next the cranks:

 

 And then the bottom bracket:

  

 The bearing cups had a retaining ring holding the ball bearings in place. I pried it out in order to properly clean the bearings underneath:

  

 The hub bearings were next. I removed the freewheel:

 Then I unscrewed the bearing cones and removed the ball bearings for cleaning:

The quick release skewers were very rusty, but I was able to clean them up with Naval Jelly:

The axles and bearings also cleaned up nicely with mineral spirits:

 Time for reassembly. I repacked the hub bearings with automotive grease:

 Same with the bottom bracket cups. I omitted the retainer rings because they were bent up from removal, and aren't really necessary anyway.

 I repacked the headset bearings with marine bearing grease, in case I ever get caught in the rain.

 I also pressed the lower headset cup back into the frame. The rust dissolver removed the surface rust, but it's still pitted. Oh well.

 Now the fork can be reinstalled:

 I had to do something about the rim strips. The original soft rubber ones that came with the bike are too narrow to fully cover the spoke holes in the rim, and I have no idea how the inner tubes ever held pressure. 

 That's better: 

 Now I can start hanging parts on the frame. I grabbed a white saddle and a pair of period-correct MKS AR-8 pedals from my local bike co-op. I reinstalled the original drivetrain, which looks quite nice when it's all cleaned up: 

 I wrapped the handlebars in white:

 Before re-installing the cables, I like to take a file and round off any sharp corners on the ends of the cable housings:

 Finally, here's the finished bike:

 This bike looks the same as a more common Schwinn LeTour, but there are a couple differences. The tire clearances are narrow, and a 32mm tire will not fit. The Colombus steel tubing on the Prelude was more expensive than the True Temper frame on a LeTour from the same era, but the weight difference is insignificant. As for how it rides, I think the Prelude is one of my best handling road bikes. It's agile, but stable at higher speeds. It also feels very fast on the skinny 23mm wide tires. My college self would have been thrilled to have it.