What to do with my well-worn Steve Bauer Chinook?

Steve Bauer Chinook, an upper-mid-level sport bike from 1987. Looks
the '80s as well, with a salmon frame (ha ha it's a Chinook, get it?)
and yellow bar tape and water bottle/cage. Cyndi Lauper would be all
over this.

It's been in pretty hardcore commuter duty the past decade or so,
sometimes in crappy conditions. Some maintenance has been done, but
nothing comprehensive.

I tore it down (as far as I could) over the weekend and got pretty
depressed.

1. Front wheel:hub is brinelled. Oddly, the bearing balls in the front
wheel are a size smaller than the bearings in the rear wheel. Huh?
This wheel/hub is original 1987, I think the hub is Shimano and the
rim is definitely Araya.

2. Bottom bracket (an SR item), with the chain removed, spins freely
with a pronounced growl. It's never been overhauled, so undoubtedly is
dry.

3. Derailleur jockey wheels have worn to have basically sharp, pin-
like protusions instead of teeth

Headset and rear hub/bearing seem in good shape. Oddly, the chain has
only stretched about half a rivet's width: one end of my 12" ruler is
in the middle of the rivet, then at the other end it's just touching
the edge of the rivet. I am assuming that my freewheel and chainrings
can be reused after cleaning.

Other known issues/irritants:
1. Downtube shifters, already replaced once, are not working that
well, and some bit fell out of the front shifter a while back that
lets it slip and thus grind the front derailleur after every bump.
Rear indexed shifter is still indexed, but dodgy.
2. Quill pedals have bad bearing seals and get the grease washed out
very easily--they also spun easily with growling
3. Brake hood gum rubber covers are disintegrating, and I don't like
the black rubber replacements I'm offered--would ruin the '80s bright-
colour vibe of the bike
4. Shimano side-pull brakes work very poorly in the wet, despite
adjustment and the use of Kool-Stop salmon pads....not so great on a
commuter bike that travels through congested downtown traffic
5. Avocet Touring II saddle....originally purchased for my Bianchi in
the early 1980s....leather has peeled off the sides, though top is
still comfy.

So I see four choices he
1. Pay to get everything fixed up....I imagine that means replacing
the bottom bracket and front wheel and a set of downtube shifters.(ha
ha, need seven-speed--bike was originally a six-speed, and that became
obsolete, so it's been fitted with seven-cog rear)
2. Get a new bike that may be more commute-friendly (I am envisioning
disc brakes and multispeed hub)
3. Grease/oil what I can and just ride on the bad bearings, it's not
like they can get much worse and I am not aware of catastrophic
failure modes--if there are any, please let me know!
4. Find a better/less-ridden Chinook and do some parts swapping.

(Idea #4 prompted by the comments at
http://www.canadiandesignresource.ca...-road-bicycle/
)

I don't mind the riding position, and I like the light weight of the
bike. I am always the fastest person off the red light--downtube
shifter goes snick-snick-snick every second or two and I'm up to
speed.

On Feb 21, 11:58*am, Ed Treijs wrote:
Steve Bauer Chinook, an upper-mid-level sport bike from 1987. Looks
the '80s as well, with a salmon frame (ha ha it's a Chinook, get it?)
and yellow bar tape and water bottle/cage. Cyndi Lauper would be all
over this.

It's been in pretty hardcore commuter duty the past decade or so,
sometimes in crappy conditions. Some maintenance has been done, but
nothing comprehensive.

I tore it down (as far as I could) over the weekend and got pretty
depressed.

1. Front wheel:hub is brinelled. Oddly, the bearing balls in the front
wheel are a size smaller than the bearings in the rear wheel. Huh?
This wheel/hub is original 1987, I think the hub is Shimano and the
rim is definitely Araya.

2. Bottom bracket (an SR item), with the chain removed, spins freely
with a pronounced growl. It's never been overhauled, so undoubtedly is
dry.

3. Derailleur jockey wheels have worn to have basically sharp, pin-
like protusions instead of teeth

Headset and rear hub/bearing seem in good shape. Oddly, the chain has
only stretched about half a rivet's width: one end of my 12" ruler is
in the middle of the rivet, then at the other end it's just touching
the edge of the rivet. I am assuming that my freewheel and chainrings
can be reused after cleaning.

Other known issues/irritants:
1. Downtube shifters, already replaced once, are not working that
well, and some bit fell out of the front shifter a while back that
lets it slip and thus grind the front derailleur after every bump.
Rear indexed shifter is still indexed, but dodgy.
2. Quill pedals have bad bearing seals and get the grease washed out
very easily--they also spun easily with growling
3. Brake hood gum rubber covers are disintegrating, and I don't like
the black rubber replacements I'm offered--would ruin the '80s bright-
colour vibe of the bike
4. Shimano side-pull brakes work very poorly in the wet, despite
adjustment and the use of Kool-Stop salmon pads....not so great on a
commuter bike that travels through congested downtown traffic
5. Avocet Touring II saddle....originally purchased for my Bianchi in
the early 1980s....leather has peeled off the sides, though top is
still comfy.

So I see four choices he
1. Pay to get everything fixed up....I imagine that means replacing
the bottom bracket and front wheel and a set of downtube shifters.(ha
ha, need seven-speed--bike was originally a six-speed, and that became
obsolete, so it's been fitted with seven-cog rear)
2. Get a new bike that may be more commute-friendly (I am envisioning
disc brakes and multispeed hub)
3. Grease/oil what I can and just ride on the bad bearings, it's not
like they can get much worse and I am not aware of catastrophic
failure modes--if there are any, please let me know!
4. Find a better/less-ridden Chinook and do some parts swapping.

(Idea #4 prompted by the comments athttp://www.canadiandesignresource.ca/officialgallery/sport/steve-baue...
)

I don't mind the riding position, and I like the light weight of the
bike. I am always the fastest person off the red light--downtube
shifter goes snick-snick-snick every second or two and I'm up to
speed.

If you're in love with the frame, get a donor bike from Craigslist.
Reads like the thing is worn out from stem to stern. Could also be an
option for a quick and dirty single speed conversion. Or get a cheap
used replacement commuter.

On Feb 21, 12:58*pm, Ed Treijs wrote:
Steve Bauer Chinook, an upper-mid-level sport bike from 1987. Looks
the '80s as well, with a salmon frame (ha ha it's a Chinook, get it?)
and yellow bar tape and water bottle/cage. Cyndi Lauper would be all
over this.

It's been in pretty hardcore commuter duty the past decade or so,
sometimes in crappy conditions. Some maintenance has been done, but
nothing comprehensive.

I tore it down (as far as I could) over the weekend and got pretty
depressed.

1. Front wheel:hub is brinelled. Oddly, the bearing balls in the front
wheel are a size smaller than the bearings in the rear wheel. Huh?
This wheel/hub is original 1987, I think the hub is Shimano and the
rim is definitely Araya.

2. Bottom bracket (an SR item), with the chain removed, spins freely
with a pronounced growl. It's never been overhauled, so undoubtedly is
dry.

3. Derailleur jockey wheels have worn to have basically sharp, pin-
like protusions instead of teeth

Headset and rear hub/bearing seem in good shape. Oddly, the chain has
only stretched about half a rivet's width: one end of my 12" ruler is
in the middle of the rivet, then at the other end it's just touching
the edge of the rivet. I am assuming that my freewheel and chainrings
can be reused after cleaning.

Other known issues/irritants:
1. Downtube shifters, already replaced once, are not working that
well, and some bit fell out of the front shifter a while back that
lets it slip and thus grind the front derailleur after every bump.
Rear indexed shifter is still indexed, but dodgy.
2. Quill pedals have bad bearing seals and get the grease washed out
very easily--they also spun easily with growling
3. Brake hood gum rubber covers are disintegrating, and I don't like
the black rubber replacements I'm offered--would ruin the '80s bright-
colour vibe of the bike
4. Shimano side-pull brakes work very poorly in the wet, despite
adjustment and the use of Kool-Stop salmon pads....not so great on a
commuter bike that travels through congested downtown traffic
5. Avocet Touring II saddle....originally purchased for my Bianchi in
the early 1980s....leather has peeled off the sides, though top is
still comfy.

So I see four choices he
1. Pay to get everything fixed up....I imagine that means replacing
the bottom bracket and front wheel and a set of downtube shifters.(ha
ha, need seven-speed--bike was originally a six-speed, and that became
obsolete, so it's been fitted with seven-cog rear)
2. Get a new bike that may be more commute-friendly (I am envisioning
disc brakes and multispeed hub)
3. Grease/oil what I can and just ride on the bad bearings, it's not
like they can get much worse and I am not aware of catastrophic
failure modes--if there are any, please let me know!
4. Find a better/less-ridden Chinook and do some parts swapping.

(Idea #4 prompted by the comments athttp://www.canadiandesignresource.ca/officialgallery/sport/steve-baue...
)

I don't mind the riding position, and I like the light weight of the
bike. I am always the fastest person off the red light--downtube
shifter goes snick-snick-snick every second or two and I'm up to
speed.

Hi.

If there's a bicycle co-op or bicycle recycling facility near you, you
might be able to get the parts you need inexpensively. If the front
hub is shot consider getting another one like it and respoking the
rim.

What general geographic area are you in? I might know of a shop that
may be able to help you locate some old parts.

Sometimes an old steel bike frame is worth keeping just for its
sentimental value and pleasing ride.

Cheers

On Feb 21, 10:22*pm, Sir Ridesalot wrote:

If there's a bicycle co-op or bicycle recycling facility near you, you
might be able to get the parts you need inexpensively. If the front
hub is shot consider getting another one like it and respoking the
rim.

The front rim is 25 years old but does seem to be surviving well.

What general geographic area are you in? I might know of a shop that
may be able to help you locate some old parts.

Toronto. Specifically, I work downtown and live in Long Branch.

Sometimes an old steel bike frame is worth keeping just for its
sentimental value and pleasing ride.

I'm looking for efficiency, environmental and financial. Also, any
bike used for commuting will soon become non-pristine.

What would happen if I just squirted in some oil into the bottom
bracket and greased up the brinelled front hub? I know it's not good,
but what will happen exactly? What's the mode of failure for worn
parts like these? Can they possibly seize up or break off thus causing
injury?

If the wheel hub is toast, I'm not losing much by lubricating as I can
and continuing to ride, and I think I'm not risking much either?

.....Ed

Ed Treijs wrote:
:On Feb 21, 10:22Â*pm, Sir Ridesalot wrote:

: If there's a bicycle co-op or bicycle recycling facility near you, you
: might be able to get the parts you need inexpensively. If the front
: hub is shot consider getting another one like it and respoking the
: rim.

:The front rim is 25 years old but does seem to be surviving well.

Not worth rebuilding it.

: What general geographic area are you in? I might know of a shop that
: may be able to help you locate some old parts.

:Toronto. Specifically, I work downtown and live in Long Branch.

: Sometimes an old steel bike frame is worth keeping just for its
: sentimental value and pleasing ride.

:I'm looking for efficiency, environmental and financial. Also, any
:bike used for commuting will soon become non-pristine.

:What would happen if I just squirted in some oil into the bottom
:bracket and greased up the brinelled front hub? I know it's not good,
:but what will happen exactly? What's the mode of failure for worn
arts like these? Can they possibly seize up or break off thus causing
:injury?

Worst case, they get so awful you can't turn them. not likely to
happen suddenly. I'd put new balls in the front hub, pack it up with
grease, and ignore it for a while. Maybe keep an eye out for a new
wheel. I'd spring for a new bottom
bracket, though (or rebuild the one you have, it's quite possible that it's
still in good shape and just needs new balls and grease). A nice
square taper IRD bottom bracket is 25 bucks.



--
sig 64

On Feb 22, 11:48*am, David Scheidt wrote:

:What would happen if I just squirted in some oil into the bottom
:bracket and greased up the brinelled front hub? I know it's not good,
:but what will happen exactly? What's the mode of failure for worn
arts like these? Can they possibly seize up or break off thus causing
:injury?

Worst case, they get so awful you can't turn them. *not likely to
happen suddenly. *I'd put new balls in the front hub, pack it up with
grease, and ignore it for a while. *Maybe keep an eye out for a new
wheel. *I'd spring for a new bottom
bracket, though (or rebuild the one you have, it's quite possible that it's
still in good shape and just needs new balls and grease). *A nice
square taper IRD bottom bracket is 25 bucks.

Well, I got some further bad news. My chainrings are worn, the large
one especially. They're 144mm diameter. The tech at Duke's Cycle said
"Oooh, gonna be expensive. Campagnolo makes some."

The project then turns into replacing the bottom bracket and crankset,
or forking out lots of money on hard-to-find chainrings.

I'm getting more inclined to greasing/lubing everything, throwing on a
new chain, and seeing how bad it skips.

More's the pity riding season has about started here.

On Feb 22, 2:04*pm, Ed Treijs wrote:
On Feb 22, 11:48*am, David Scheidt wrote:

:What would happen if I just squirted in some oil into the bottom
:bracket and greased up the brinelled front hub? I know it's not good,
:but what will happen exactly? What's the mode of failure for worn
arts like these? Can they possibly seize up or break off thus causing
:injury?

Worst case, they get so awful you can't turn them. *not likely to
happen suddenly. *I'd put new balls in the front hub, pack it up with
grease, and ignore it for a while. *Maybe keep an eye out for a new
wheel. *I'd spring for a new bottom
bracket, though (or rebuild the one you have, it's quite possible that it's
still in good shape and just needs new balls and grease). *A nice
square taper IRD bottom bracket is 25 bucks.

Well, I got some further bad news. My chainrings are worn, the large
one especially. They're 144mm diameter. The tech at Duke's Cycle said
"Oooh, gonna be expensive. Campagnolo makes some."

The project then turns into replacing the bottom bracket and crankset,
or forking out lots of money on hard-to-find chainrings.

I'm getting more inclined to greasing/lubing everything, throwing on a
new chain, and seeing how bad it skips.

More's the pity riding season has about started here.

Hi.

Northwest of you in Guelph there is a shop called Backpeddling that
has all sorts of vintage stuff. Some of it dates back to the late
1800s. It may not be the cheapest but they probably have what you'd
need for a vintage restoration. Unfortunately you pretty well need to
go there and root through bins of stuff to see if they have what you
want.

As far as your wheel and bottom bracket bearings go. Both of those are
most likely caged unitsin that a metal cage holds a certain number of
bearings. If you take out the caged bearings and put in new loose
bearings you'll get sn extra bearing or so in there and that often
helps smooth things out for a bit.

If your chainrings are badly worn a new chain might skip on them when
pedalling under load. Ah, rereading your comments shows that you are
aware of that. If the chain does skip maybee reversing the chainrings
would eliminate it for a while. You *MIGHT* be able to get some used
or new chainrings for a reasonable price off Evil Bay. I'd be more
inclined to just get a new or used crankset unless you reaqlly want to
keep the bike components as original as you can.

I hope this is of some help to you.

Good luck and cheers

On Feb 22, 11:04*am, Ed Treijs wrote:
On Feb 22, 11:48*am, David Scheidt wrote:

:What would happen if I just squirted in some oil into the bottom
:bracket and greased up the brinelled front hub? I know it's not good,
:but what will happen exactly? What's the mode of failure for worn
arts like these? Can they possibly seize up or break off thus causing
:injury?

Worst case, they get so awful you can't turn them. *not likely to
happen suddenly. *I'd put new balls in the front hub, pack it up with
grease, and ignore it for a while. *Maybe keep an eye out for a new
wheel. *I'd spring for a new bottom
bracket, though (or rebuild the one you have, it's quite possible that it's
still in good shape and just needs new balls and grease). *A nice
square taper IRD bottom bracket is 25 bucks.

Well, I got some further bad news. My chainrings are worn, the large
one especially. They're 144mm diameter. The tech at Duke's Cycle said
"Oooh, gonna be expensive. Campagnolo makes some."

The project then turns into replacing the bottom bracket and crankset,
or forking out lots of money on hard-to-find chainrings.

I'm getting more inclined to greasing/lubing everything, throwing on a
new chain, and seeing how bad it skips.

More's the pity riding season has about started here

Anyone over the age of 40 probably has a box of 144mm chain rings.
They were the standard -- Shimano, Sugino, Campagnolo, Ofmega, Zeus,
SunTour, etc., etc. Check eBay.

These days, though, you can buy an entire square drive crank -- one
nicer than the one you have.

http://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...59&category=62

On Feb 22, 7:04*pm, Sir Ridesalot wrote:

Northwest of you in Guelph there is a shop called Backpeddling that
has all sorts of vintage stuff. Some of it dates back to the late
1800s. It may not be the cheapest but they probably have what you'd
need for a vintage restoration. Unfortunately you pretty well need to
go there and root through bins of stuff to see if they have what you
want.

I could make a trip out there. It's too bad Duke's burned down; I'm
sure they had all sorts of stuff squirreled away, and it's a lot
easier to get to.

As far as your wheel and bottom bracket bearings go. Both of those are
most likely caged unitsin that a metal cage holds a certain number of
bearings. If you take out the caged bearings and put in new loose
bearings you'll get sn extra bearing or so in there and that often
helps smooth things out for a bit.

No, the wheel bearings for sure are loose balls, with cones on the
axle. If just the cones were brinelled, that would be easy. The "cup"
is brinelled, and that appears to be entirely integral to the hub.

As for the bottom bracket, I got the nut off the spindle on the chain
side, but am unable to budge it on the other side. I am guessing it is
RH thread, but am not sure. Doesn't move in either direction. I have
no idea what the bottom bracket bearings are linke. And then I don't
have the tools to pull the crank off the spindle. Would have to take
it to a bike shop.

If your chainrings are badly worn a new chain might skip on them when
pedalling under load. Ah, rereading your comments shows that you are
aware of that. If the chain does skip maybee reversing the chainrings
would eliminate it for a while. You *MIGHT* be able to get some used
or new chainrings for a reasonable price off Evil Bay. I'd be more
inclined to just get a new or used crankset unless you reaqlly want to
keep the bike components as original as you can.

It's not so much a question of originality, although I do like the
fact that I have distinctively '80s bike such as would fit in with a
MuchMusic video. At some point, I have to wonder if it would make more
sense to just replace the entire bicycle with something a bit more
suitable for commuter duty. Except....I want a fast light commuter.
And it has to have fenders. And I can't really affort an upright
riding position, since 90% of my 20 km route is along the Lake Ontario
shoreline and headwinds are plentiful. So a Dutch-style bike is out of
the question (never mind that those seem to be mostly ridden by
stylish women in their '20, on which criteria I fail utterly).

I was thinking about flipping the chainrings, will have to see if it's
feasible. The chainrings are Salsa (already had to replace them once)--
but I don't see the size in Salsa's catalogue any more.

.....Ed

On Feb 23, 6:09 am, Ed Treijs wrote:
On Feb 22, 7:04 pm, Sir Ridesalot wrote:

Northwest of you in Guelph there is a shop called Backpeddling that
has all sorts of vintage stuff. Some of it dates back to the late
1800s. It may not be the cheapest but they probably have what you'd
need for a vintage restoration. Unfortunately you pretty well need to
go there and root through bins of stuff to see if they have what you
want.

I could make a trip out there. It's too bad Duke's burned down; I'm
sure they had all sorts of stuff squirreled away, and it's a lot
easier to get to.

As far as your wheel and bottom bracket bearings go. Both of those are
most likely caged unitsin that a metal cage holds a certain number of
bearings. If you take out the caged bearings and put in new loose
bearings you'll get sn extra bearing or so in there and that often
helps smooth things out for a bit.

No, the wheel bearings for sure are loose balls, with cones on the
axle. If just the cones were brinelled, that would be easy. The "cup"
is brinelled, and that appears to be entirely integral to the hub.

As for the bottom bracket, I got the nut off the spindle on the chain
side, but am unable to budge it on the other side. I am guessing it is
RH thread, but am not sure. Doesn't move in either direction. I have
no idea what the bottom bracket bearings are linke. And then I don't
have the tools to pull the crank off the spindle. Would have to take
it to a bike shop.

If your chainrings are badly worn a new chain might skip on them when
pedalling under load. Ah, rereading your comments shows that you are
aware of that. If the chain does skip maybee reversing the chainrings
would eliminate it for a while. You *MIGHT* be able to get some used
or new chainrings for a reasonable price off Evil Bay. I'd be more
inclined to just get a new or used crankset unless you reaqlly want to
keep the bike components as original as you can.

It's not so much a question of originality, although I do like the
fact that I have distinctively '80s bike such as would fit in with a
MuchMusic video. At some point, I have to wonder if it would make more
sense to just replace the entire bicycle with something a bit more
suitable for commuter duty. Except....I want a fast light commuter.
And it has to have fenders. And I can't really affort an upright
riding position, since 90% of my 20 km route is along the Lake Ontario
shoreline and headwinds are plentiful. So a Dutch-style bike is out of
the question (never mind that those seem to be mostly ridden by
stylish women in their '20, on which criteria I fail utterly).


I commuted a lot of miles on an '86 Trek 400. It rains a lot here,
the original 80's hubs needed frequent servicing, and the rear cups
eventually pitted badly enough to rumble.

I replaced both wheels - rear got a nice (if esoteric) Mavic 500
cartridge bearing hub; the front got a Phil Wood cartridge bearing
hub. Ahhhhhhhh... so nice.

But then I got a new bike anyway - a Surly Long Haul Trucker. The
modern sealed hub bearings stand up extremely well to the weather.
The front hub has over 10,000 miles on the original grease. I have
never touched the cartridge bottom bracket, either. An expensive way
to go for decidely commodity character, but it serves me very well.
(The handling is kind of tank-like, but it's a bike, and I'm getting
used to it enough that thrashing is exhilerating.)

I was thinking about flipping the chainrings, will have to see if it's
feasible. The chainrings are Salsa (already had to replace them once)--
but I don't see the size in Salsa's catalogue any more.


I hesitated to weigh in earlier, as you seemed torn between spending
money on a new bike or making do. Personally, I can't see making do
to such an extent as oiling a rumbly hub and not thinking about it,
but bicycling means an awful lot to me.