Conversion to Single Speed

Oxtail

Hi

A question if I may?

I've a 21 inch old road bike frame (80s) which I'm intending to convert to a single speed. I own a langster single speed which I commute 12 miles each way to work on at present (3 times a week) but am doing this as a project bike with my son.

I've stripped it totally down, however had to get help removing the bottom bracket, which was totally rusted in. The process of removing this appears to have buggered the threads on the bike the bracket goes into, and I'm stuck. If the bracket won't thread back in, have I any options, or am I looking at a new donor frame?

I actually bought a new bottom bracket, new style single unit, however the bike appears to have some kind of nipple protuding up into the space the bracket slots into, so the new one won't fit.

JW

nicklouse

First things. Get down to a good bike shop and get the to chance out the threads.

Is there a cable guide on the bottom of the shell? Remove it and the "nipple" pop rivit should go. The bike shop might need to anyway to clean the threads out.

nicklouse

One I did earlier

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=15661632#p15661632]nicklouse[/url] wrote:

Ok the BB is shot so that need to come out.

it had been in for years and i had already split the cup on the non drive side.





great tool that screws into the BB axle as well



and out it comes.



Lovely.


so how to get the cup out as you can not use a BB tool.

next post.

woolwich

As above. Chasing the threads out with a tap should recover this well.

If you have the tools and the inclination, even if the thread is properly messed up it may still be possible to recover this.
A tip I think I learnt from a Dave Yates article is to cut across the width of the bottom bracket with a hacksaw. Weld back together again, which will pull it a little tighter together, then re-tap the thread. As I recall he claims to have never had one of these repairs/bodges fail. Clever bloke.

k-dog

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19644948#p19644948]woolwich[/url] wrote:

As above. Chasing the threads out with a tap should recover this well.

If you have the tools and the inclination, even if the thread is properly messed up it may still be possible to recover this.
A tip I think I learnt from a Dave Yates article is to cut across the width of the bottom bracket with a hacksaw. Weld back together again, which will pull it a little tighter together, then re-tap the thread. As I recall he claims to have never had one of these repairs/bodges fail. Clever bloke.

Or you can have the threads retapped as Italian which is slightly larger diameter. If you do that you'll want to loctite it and make sure it's still tight occasionally as they can undo - more common on fixed than SS but still something to keep an eye on.

Oxtail

Thanks for the comments and advice, much appreciated. Spent last weekend fighting the bracket, and finally won!

As a result, bike is now on the road! Have attached a pic although not sure if this has worked. A red chain has been added, so we had it out this weekend as a fixie. Brakes being added next weekend so will have a fully working single speed next weekend, result!