Another bike build

[maddmaxx ★]

I just bought my first complete bike in 15 years.......and what do I plan to do..........why rebuild it of course.

I think as I rebuild it over the next few months I'll document it here step by step.

The bike:  A Diamondback Clarity 2 hybrid road bike equipped with 700c wheels with 32 mm tires and an inexpensive mountain bike drive train consisting of a 3 x 7 speed set up with mt bike shifters, derailleurs and disc brakes.  It comes with a square taper bottom bracket.

Where is it going:  I hope it ends up as a 2 x 8 setup with road flat bar brifters, a compact double Shimano crankset with external bottom bracket bearings and gear selections of 50/34 by 11/32.  I have most of the parts laying around in the shop already.  Because of the road flatbar brifters I wll be changing the inexpensive Tektro mt bike disk calipers for a much better set of Avid mechanical road bike calipers.  This is necessary because of the different ratios between mt bike brake levers and road bike brake levers.

The existing  rear wheel may be limited to a 7 speed cassette or they may be 8/9 capable with a 7 speed cassette and spacers.  If the latter, my 8 speed 11/32 will just drop on.  If it's the former then two options exist.....a new wheel or a very careful setup using the 7 speed cassette with the 8 speed brifters.  This is possible because the shift ratio is very similar and can usually be fudged to work ok.  That way the new wheels can be a "down the road" purchase.

The complete bike arrives today and will be assembled as is.  I'll document the build and the changes as it goes along.

[Square Wheels]

Post pics along the way, it will be fun.

[maddmaxx ★]

Now that the bike is here the information needed for modifications is available.

1.  The rear wheel spacing is 135mm or mountain bike/modern road disc hub standard.

2.  The OEM rear hub is a Shimano hyperglide Freewheel or not something that I want to use in the modifications.  It is limited to the 7 speed setup and not compatible with all of my cassettes.

3.  The brakes/shifters and deralleurs are all Shimano inexpensive Mtb standard.

4.  The bottom bracket is a sealed cartridge square taper.  Good.  I have the tools I need to remove this and replace it with my external bearing crankset.

I'm going to need a new rear wheel.  I've purchased a set of Avid BB7 Road disc calipers.  They will take a while to get here from Taiwan.  I cannot put the flat bar road brifters on and attempt the 7 from 8speed setup until I have the BB7's because the brake lever ratio will be wrong.

I'm riding it as is until I acquire most of the parts I need.

[onbike1939]

That sounds like a really good set-up but personally I would not exchange a square taper BB for any chain-set with external bearings. Your ideas for making up a practical and reasonably priced machine are spot on...but my experience and that of many others would cause me to reject the external bearing idea as they are poorly sealed and in the most vulnerable place imaginable for water penetration and so are not durable. The first thing I do with any new bike is to source a traditional Square-taper chain-set and that's not me being old-fashioned but based on me having to replace many external bearings used by my friends after as little as a years modest riding. If the smallest chain-ring is not steel I'd think of replacing this with one which is....has to make sense.

Great project...keep up the posts on this.

[maddmaxx ★]

5 hours ago, onbike1939 said:

That sounds like a really good set-up but personally I would not exchange a square taper BB for any chain-set with external bearings. Your ideas for making up a practical and reasonably priced machine are spot on...but my experience and that of many others would cause me to reject the external bearing idea as they are poorly sealed and in the most vulnerable place imaginable for water penetration and so are not durable. The first thing I do with any new bike is to source a traditional Square-taper chain-set and that's not me being old-fashioned but based on me having to replace many external bearings used by my friends after as little as a years modest riding. If the smallest chain-ring is not steel I'd think of replacing this with one which is....has to make sense.

Great project...keep up the posts on this.

But I already have a very nice Shimano Compact Double with external bearing crank and matching front derailleur among my laying around spares.  

It may work out for me as I, because of fear of melting, don't ride in the rain all that much.

[onbike1939]

1 hour ago, maddmaxx said:

But I already have a very nice Shimano Compact Double with external bearing crank and matching front derailleur among my laying around spares.  

It may work out for me as I, because of fear of melting, don't ride in the rain all that much.

You are right to be concerned about getting wet......I lost the best bits of me in a sudden summer shower.

As for your penny pinching, mean-minded and perverse decision to use that chainset and this despite my best advice ....well nothing good will come of it and I know that the whole exercise will be a disaster...but of course you must do what you see fit....snort.

You do realise that I know about these things.....right?

[Reverend_Maynard]

It seems wise to question the sanity of an individual who would remove brand new, better performing parts and replace them with an antiquated "standard" of lesser performing parts because the better parts might wear out faster.  Why wouldn't you wait for them to actually wear out?

[onbike1939]

"New" and "better performing" are not synonymous and there are many innovations which, in terms of durability and reliability, do not perform as well as older technology. "Fashion" is all when it comes to selling bikes to the public and it's wise to question the claims of the marketing people and set these against real-life experience.

[maddmaxx ★]

Internal Head sets with cartridge bearings

Bottom brackets with cartridge bearings

Wheels with cartridge bearings

These are a few of my favorite things.

But I do understand the joys of greasing those individual little balls and adjusting the cones.

 

[Page Turner]

...I'm with the old guy on external bearing cranksets.  Answer looking for a problem from my perspective here.

[Page Turner]

On 8/21/2016 at 2:05 AM, maddmaxx said:

 

Bottom brackets with cartridge bearings

Wheels with cartridge bearings

These are a few of my favorite things.

But I do understand the joys of greasing those individual little balls and adjusting the cones.

 

...two words: Phil Wood

[maddmaxx ★]

6 hours ago, Page Turner said:

...two words: Phil Wood

Expensive stuff.  Replacement bearings for my Shimano Cups aren't.  Besides, it's moot.  I have the crank that fits the bearings and I don't have a crank that fits the square taper BB.  The only parts I'm buying for this build are the Avid road mechanical calipers and eventually a rear wheel.  Everything else is in my shop.

The build may get put off till winter.  I'm enjoying just riding the bike as is for now.

[onbike1939]

I have to admit that if I'm without a project I feel....incomplete somehow. I need to have a problem to chew on or I'm not happy and if some thing's not quite "right" then I just have to find an answer.

[maddmaxx ★]

OK, the parts have been collected from various sourced and the old road bike has given up it's life for the new bike.

Everything is in the pics except the cassette and chain which won't be needed till I step up to the new wheel with the 8 speed freehub.  Well, maybe the chain will because I don't have any extra links for the oem chain.  The chain will have to be sized for the new crank........and the oem may not be big enough.  That get's played by ear.

 

[onbike1939]

2 hours ago, maddmaxx said:

OK, the parts have been collected from various sourced and the old road bike has given up it's life for the new bike.

Everything is in the pics except the cassette and chain which won't be needed till I step up to the new wheel with the 8 speed freehub.  Well, maybe the chain will because I don't have any extra links for the oem chain.  The chain will have to be sized for the new crank........and the oem may not be big enough.  That get's played by ear.

 

Did you rub your hands and go "Goody goody" ?

[maddmaxx ★]

4 hours ago, onbike1939 said:

Did you rub your hands and go "Goody goody" ?

Only the Avid BB7 calipers were new.  I spent the afternoon taking everything else off the old road frame.

Shimano ST-R221 double 8 speed flat bar brifters.

Lock on grips.  Something older from the now dead Price Point.

Shimano FD for the compact Crank and RD with enough cage for the 11/32 cassette that will be coming eventually

Shimano Compact double 50/34 crankset with the dreaded external bearing cups.

Pedals of no particular repute.

A new set of Shimano cables and housing as I always like the smell of new cables at the completion of the job.

None of this is top line expensive stuff but it is all a good step up from the Shimano Altus OEM fit.

I have just about emptied out the spare parts bin.  I think this will be my last build.

[Page Turner]

On 8/25/2016 at 2:06 AM, onbike1939 said:

I have to admit that if I'm without a project I feel....incomplete somehow. I need to have a problem to chew on or I'm not happy and if some thing's not quite "right" then I just have to find an answer.

...with all the extra time I have here now that I quit the bike co-op, I'm running out of projects.  There's a type 1 Moulton up in Yuba City for 150 bucks/ best offer that's very tempting.

[Page Turner]

20 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

I have just about emptied out the spare parts bin.  I think this will be my last build.

...everyone says that, then some type 1 Moulton shows up on the local CL and it's off to the races.

[onbike1939]

7 hours ago, Page Turner said:

...with all the extra time I have here now that I quit the bike co-op, I'm running out of projects.  There's a type 1 Moulton up in Yuba City for 150 bucks/ best offer that's very tempting.

You do realise that if you buy this you will become yet another anally obsessed geek.....endlessly scouring the internet for fifty-year old parts of exactly the right period and spending vast amounts of money on outdated technology?

Seek treatment straight away.

[onbike1939]

7 hours ago, maddmaxx said:

Only the Avid BB7 calipers were new.  I spent the afternoon taking everything else off the old road frame.

Shimano ST-R221 double 8 speed flat bar brifters.

Lock on grips.  Something older from the now dead Price Point.

Shimano FD for the compact Crank and RD with enough cage for the 11/32 cassette that will be coming eventually

Shimano Compact double 50/34 crankset with the dreaded external bearing cups.

Pedals of no particular repute.

A new set of Shimano cables and housing as I always like the smell of new cables at the completion of the job.

None of this is top line expensive stuff but it is all a good step up from the Shimano Altus OEM fit.

I have just about emptied out the spare parts bin.  I think this will be my last build.

I don't want to alarm you but I know of at least one person who was hit by a lightening strike when fitting external BB bearings.....the poor man has never been the same and now speaks with a stutter....just saying. But you go ahead and do what you want......I hope that your family has the patience to wait until you've finished speaking that's all.

[maddmaxx ★]

I am defeated.    I could not remove the OEM square taper bottom bracket.  It's as if Onbike was here in spirit holding it in place.

I have a home work stand not bolted to the floor and an old Park bottom bracket tool that takes a 1/2" drive and I simply didn't have enough oomph to pull this bracket out without the tool slipping out.  I never have trouble with those I've put in because I use grease or anti-seize but OEM brackets sometimes leave me gasping for breath as the stare back at me smiling.  It was the left side of the bracket that unscrews in the proper direction

I had to drop the frame off at the LBS for the professional wrenches to pull the bracket.  They will let me have it back later today or tomorrow.  Fortunately there is a package store right next to the shop.

[onbike1939]

Ah.....my sympathies as I've had the same thing happen to me. Professional workshops have a long-handled tool which they can extend by adding a length of pipe to give even more leverage.......that said.. it's clear that you're a bit of a big girl's blouse when it comes down to it.

I have a confession to make and feel a right idiot...so here goes. Ever since I bought my Esprit (s/h) I've been troubled by some slippage of the gears and tried everything I can think of including a new rear cable, engineering a new cable run to the rear der., dismantling the cassette and checking that all sprockets were securely fitted and tight and in fact everything I could think of  including trying another rear der. as I thought the return spring might be weak. I was laying in bed last night when I thought....did I check the gear hanger for trueness....something I do as a matter of course before adjusting any gears. I had no memory of doing this and sure enough this morning I checked and it was all to buggery. Used the alignment tool and straightened the hanger and now all is hunky dory and I'm now kicking myself. I also fitted a 32t sprocket in order to give me a really low gear and will have to remember not to shift to it when on the big ring as the chain won't climb it. No choice as the rear der. is a short and doesn't have the capacity to cope. I swear that I wasn't always so stupid....

[maddmaxx ★]

The only two bottom brackets I've failed to pull were square taper.  Those that are hollow allow for a bolt and nut to be inserted to clamp the BB tool in place.  If I were going to do more of these I'd make a tool to give me the leverage without violence.  My pedal wrench for example was cut in half and welded into a pipe that makes it about 2 1/2 feet long.  With that I can gently apply a great deal of torque under control.

I've always hated square taper bottom brackets.  

Edit:  And for $10 the shop pulled the bottom bracket with the big boy tool.  I asked how tight it was and there was a response of "it was in there pretty good."  My observation was that there was also no grease in the threads.  None, zilch, nada.  I guess that's the price of mass production.

[maddmaxx ★]

The new bottom bracket cups didn't seem to want to go in and being very nervous about the excess tightness of the OEM BB I started looking around for an LBS that could perform a thread chasing on the BB housing in the frame.  After some consideration I went back and cleaned all the old grease off the new cups and re greased with anti-seize and voila, the new cups installed properly.  That's not to say they went in with finger pressure only, but the went in without cross threading or doing anything nasty and the new crank axle slipped right in place.  Yea.

[maddmaxx ★]

And a few hours later the conversion less the 8 speed wheel and cassette is done.  I shift 7 of 8 speeds on the brifters (just a bit more tuning to do there to get it perfect.  The brakes were the hardest part as I used the mounting bolts that came with the Avids on the front and they were just enough longer that they hit the rotor.  Once that was corrected things went well.

Here are the infamous outboard bearing cups, Tiagra level, along with the splined end of the crankset axle.  Slip the left crank arm on.  Screw the preload adjuster in and tighten the two bolts locking it in place......done.

Here is the front Avid BB7 disc rotor with the OEM rotors.  The brakes are now road ratio instead of mountain ratio.

The rear caliper on this design bike mounts on the chain stay as a post mount.  The mounts are already sized to use a 160mm rotor without any additional spacers.  This caliper mount design means that the chain stays are no longer symmetrical as is the more traditional design.  It also brings the brake cable down the down tube instead of down the seat stay.

Here are the Shimano R221 Flat Bar brifters.  I do not believe that these are available any more as they are 2x8 speed Sora standard obtained from Chain Reaction Cycles in Ireland.  Their flagship brick and mortar store is in Belfast and they are perhaps Europe's largest mail order house.

And lastly the completed bike outside in the sun.  The mirror may be even larger than Onbikes as it is a Mountain Myrricycle Mirror and basically It's in the same relative position to me as the side mirror in my car so it feels natural.

I'm tired and beat up and I'm about to take a second shower.  If there are any questions or requests, feel free to ask.

 

[Page Turner]

On 9/1/2016 at 7:07 AM, maddmaxx said:

I am defeated.    I could not remove the OEM square taper bottom bracket.  It's as if Onbike was here in spirit holding it in place.

I have a home work stand not bolted to the floor and an old Park bottom bracket tool that takes a 1/2" drive and I simply didn't have enough oomph to pull this bracket out without the tool slipping out.  I never have trouble with those I've put in because I use grease or anti-seize but OEM brackets sometimes leave me gasping for breath as the stare back at me smiling.  It was the left side of the bracket that unscrews in the proper direction

I had to drop the frame off at the LBS for the professional wrenches to pull the bracket.  They will let me have it back later today or tomorrow.  Fortunately there is a package store right next to the shop.

...if this ever comes up again, here is the secret bicycle research laboratory method for doing this.

1. take your BB tool, and one of your crank bolts along with you to someplace that sells metric bolts and miscellaneous hardware.

2. figure out what the size and threading is on your crank bolt. (hint: it's M8 x 1)

3. buy yourself a couple of those M8 hex head bolts in a couple of lengths that are approximately long enough to screw into the spindle hole with the tool in place and a fender washer or three holding it on from the outside.

4.  treat yourself to about five or six fender washers that are big enough to hold the tool in place (cover it completely on the outside end), and have a big enough hole to accommodate your M8 bolt.

5. go home and assemble the tool, fender washers, and new, longer M8x1 bolt onto your bike BB.  The bike should be in the stand in such a way that the BB is close to the clamp, and at eye level if possible.

6.  You now have the tool on the bike in such a way that the tool will not slip off.  You should still apply some sort of penetrating oil at the thread interface with tthe shell.

7. because you have plugged the square socket drive hole, you need to turn the thing with a large Crescent brand adjustable wrench.

8.  it is permissible to hit said Crescent wrench with a hammer or mallet on it's far end to use impact in loosening the BB unit.

[Page Turner]

On 9/1/2016 at 1:43 PM, maddmaxx said:

The only two bottom brackets I've failed to pull were square taper.  Those that are hollow allow for a bolt and nut to be inserted to clamp the BB tool in place.  

...well if you knew about this, why did you make me go through all that ? And why don't you have the proper tool ? Honestly some people.

[maddmaxx ★]

1 hour ago, Page Turner said:

...well if you knew about this, why did you make me go through all that ? And why don't you have the proper tool ? Honestly some people.

I knew about putting a bolt through a hollow axle but it never dawned on me to screw it into the axle (slaps forehead, doh).  Thanks for a very valuable tip.  As for the proper tool............I avoid square taper bottom brackets like the plague.    This is probably the first time I've worked on one in almost 15 years.  Yes yes I know, I'm not much of a real bike mechanic.  While I appreciate the work folks like yourself do on restorations I really prefer to work on modern equipment.

[Page Turner]

15 hours ago, maddmaxx said:

 ... While I appreciate the work folks like yourself do on restorations I really prefer to work on modern equipment.

...I went out and asked the two bikes I'm working on now, and they said they prefer you work on modern equipment, too.

[onbike1939]

It does look a nice bike though....and that mirror is exactly like mine although mine is dismantled and only a part is used.

I trained an unemployed chap up when I worked in the Bike Charity workshop and we recommended him for a job at Chainreaction and they employed him....which was nice as he had been out of work for a long time. That was a few years ago and he's back now riding a nice Surly which he's taking on a European tour.

Just a note of cation max....I woke at 3 o'clock in the morning in a cold sweat after experiencing disturbing images of your external BB's freezing solid and the momentum propelling you violently forward causing your gonads to strike your handlebar stem. Now I know that this was just a dream and has no substance in reality....probably...but it does make you think. Personally I'd take no chances and of course you must do as you think best though it may be wise to stock up on frozen peas....just saying.

[onbike1939]

Max...I've just been notified that you "like" my post.

You just don't get it I'm afraid..........my dream was a warning..oh yes...and you would do well to take heed if you would wish to avoid doing really funny walks for an extended period. Take note...my Aunty Lizzie read tea-leaves and told fortunes and it seems that I have the gift so it may be best to take precautions.

[maddmaxx ★]

1 hour ago, onbike1939 said:

Max...I've just been notified that you "like" my post.

You just don't get it I'm afraid..........my dream was a warning..oh yes...and you would do well to take heed if you would wish to avoid doing really funny walks for an extended period. Take note...my Aunty Lizzie read tea-leaves and told fortunes and it seems that I have the gift so it may be best to take precautions.

I'm a bit surprised that you so easily accepted disc brakes and black wheels.  

[onbike1939]

13 hours ago, maddmaxx said:

I'm a bit surprised that you so easily accepted disc brakes and black wheels.  

Your bike is nothing if not a practical machine and these things look fitting for the purpose. Overall it looks pretty good I think and should prove comfortable.

How does it ride?

[maddmaxx ★]

13 minutes ago, onbike1939 said:

Your bike is nothing if not a practical machine and these things look fitting for the purpose. Overall it looks pretty good I think and should prove comfortable.

How does it ride?

It is more comfortable that I thought it would be.  I seem to have gotten the dimensions spot on. There may be something to this "hybrid" concept when one is looking for a general purpose bike to just ride around on.  The 32 tires with a street tread seem to be a good compromise between the 23's on the road bike and the 2+ inches of the mt bike.  It is what I planned on, a bike for a 70 year old man.    I am down to N=1.  Heresy I know but what ever gets me out riding.

[onbike1939]

I've now discovered that the "Friction" mode of Dura Ace Bar-end shifters is not the same as that of the 70's when I was using SunTour gears. The present version will slip off the selected sprocket when pedal pressure is applied, something the older system didn't do so I'm now going to have to revert to index mode.

Oh my.....nothing stays the same and I'm going to have to write to someone about it.