first project! difficulty rating?

[mrfacetious]

Right another spontaneous and stupid idea has come into my head and yet again I need my favourite forum's advice..

What you are looking at is a Prophete 10 speed racing bike (just about). Aside from their website there isn't much about them on the net. Either way I acquired this bike for free off a mate who wanted space in the garage. I'd hate to see it go to waste.

The intinery for my project is as follows!
-Repaint the bike (not looking forward to that so leaving it as late as possible)
-Add a third chainring to the front, changing the middle one/Change the smaller one to a tiny one/change the whole crankset (also preferably to triple).
-Change the saddle to something that isn't made of wood..
-Retape/foam the handlebars
-Change to a bigger cassette at the back (not essential)
-fix up any loose ends

I don't know if I'm gonna have to change the hub on the front to make it a triple, I sincerely hope not, though I can live with a double if needs be
At the moment i'm trying to get the crank arms and crankset off. I have close up pics of everything in case you need a butchers.

This is the first type of job like this I've done and seeing as the bike is essentially disposable I'm hoping it'll teach me a lot more about mechanics.
I'm using all parts off other old bikes to save some cash.


So then.... can anybody give me any help with my first task?
Get the crankset off, then change the second chainring to a much smaller one/add a third?

Sorry if I need you to be patient with me

 

[Chrisz]

Undo the nut on the cotter pin (the bit that holds the pedal arm onto the axle) and start tapping it (threaded end) with a hammer, use plenty of WD40. Repeat on the other side.

To get the axle (bottom bracket) out you'll need to get a C spanner from your LBS or get brutal with a hammer and screwdriver

Once that's done I'd chuck the lot away and see about getting a new tripple chainset and suitable, cotterless bottom bracket.

Not that difficult but could cost a few bob


Saddle should be fairly simple - you may need a new seatpin as well though.

Cassette on the rear - you will most likely need new wheels and the rear drop-outs (where the back wheel fits into) will need spreading - your local bike shop (LBS) should be able to do this for you for a small fee.

 

[mrfacetious]

wow, thanks :|
I did give the threaded end a bit of a smacking (not with a hammer) but i didn't wanna risk breaking it incase i was doing the utter wrong thing. Could i just fit a triple on the axle? I'm guessing if it was designed for a double it won't be wide enough
Do i HAVE to spend money *sigh*
I might just pinch a triple off a MTB or something
assuming it doesn't fit, would it just be ok to stick with a double? (with a smaller second chainring of course)

I'm skimping out so going brutal with a hammer and screwdriver sounds about right. What exactly do i brutalise B)

Thanks again!!

 

[fossyant]

You can fit a triple and a standard cartridge BB should fit - likely to be a 68mm BB shell - but check that first..... square tapers are the best........

 

[alecstilleyedye]

change the brake levers for some proper aero levers. those "suicide" top levers are dangerously inefficient. you should be able to get some aero levers (the type that have a holdable hood, and that route the cable under the bar tape) off ebay cheap enough.

as long as you are treating this as an exercise in learning some skills, cool. be warned though, you'll be spending more on it than it will ever be worth when you've finished. i know, i've done it (see the winter bike in my sig).

good luck

 

[tyred]

When removing the cotter pins, hit it a few good hard whacks with a decent sized hammer, don't just lightly tap it or you will end up rivetting it in place.

For some reason, they come out easier with the crank held vertically. Failling that, get a length of steel pipe and cut to the correct length to go between the crank and the ground and use it to support the bottom bracket while hammering.

If you want to fit a triple, you will probably need a different bottom bracket spindle. If the one currently on the bike is in good condition, I may be interested in buying it of you. PM me if you want to sell it.

 

[PpPete]

When hitting the cotter pins - do not worry about damaging the threads, they are cheap enough to replace.
You may need to really whack them. If seriously stuck, and the tube to support the crank as tyred says still doesnt work, then it's blow torch time - not to cut through anything, just to heat the cranks to make the hole a fraction bigger. Wipe up the WD-40 BEFORE you light the torch though!!!

Even with a hot, and well supported crank you may still be beating on it for a while !

Took me over an hour to get a pair off an old BSA the other day.

 

[tyred]

If really stuck, you could also try drilling a hole through the centre of the cotter. A 1/4" drill bit will be big enough to relieve the stress. Cotter pins are soft steel but the crank and the spindle will be very hard steel and will break the drill bit so you need to make sure you are in the centre of the pin.

 

[swee'pea99]

Just googled Prohete bike, having never heard of them, and of the few links, one said: 'The Prophete brand, on the other hand, is a low- to mid-end bicycle brand sold mainly'.

Now I am personally as tight as anything, and I hate to see things go to waste, and I also absolutely applaud your enthusiasm for getting your hands dirty and learning skills that will stand you in good stead for many years to come. BUT...if it was me, I'd put that beastie on freecycle and get something off ebay for £50-odd that I could do just the same things with, but for a vastly better final result. Fact is, you can do anything you like with that machine, but it doesn't matter what you replace: it's a clunker, and it will remain a clunker.

If you're keen to put in the time, why not put it in on something you can end up riding with a big smile on your face? That's what I'd do.

 

[tyred]

I wouldn't necessarily bin it but I would spend no great fortune on it. Is it reasonably light? What is it like to ride? Most importantly, do you like the bike? If so, carry on.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

my reynolds 531 steel bike is a lot heavier than my more modern alu bike. because it's a decent quality steel frame it still makes for a nice ride, but i'd hate to ride anything that heavy if the quality of the over-all ride wasn't as good.

 

[Twenty Inch]

Honestly, don't bother.

You'll spend a lot of money and time putting nice things on a rubbish frame and still end up with a rubbish bike. You can't polish a turd.

E-bay it with the word "fixie" in the title and watch some gobshite give you £100 for it which can go to a decent project. I saw a very nice old-skool Dawes galaxy on E-bay a few weeks ago which would have been worth refurbing in the way you describe.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I'd also come down on the "Don't bother" side of the fence. The bike has nothing going for it, every single componant comes from the cheap and nasty side of the fence. Pound to a pinch of shoot that the gas-pipe frame tubes have cronic internal corosion. For the money you would have to spend to make it worth using you could buy a brand new budget bike that would out perform it in every department.

As twenty inch says, flog it on as a fixed project and there are plenty of nutters out there who will give you well over the odds for it.

 

[mrfacetious]

Thanks for all the replies.
I managed to get the crank arms and chainrings off but couldn't get the BB off as it seems screwed into the frame (There is some thread sticking out)
Pic:

Alec that winter bike looks pretty kosher mate!
is there anyway i can get something a bit more comfy than tape for the handlebars?
tyred: The bike weighs in at about 30lbs which is ridiculous in my opinion for something like this, so i thought i may be able to shave a bit off while replacing parts.
swee'pea: anything you'd recommend? maybe i could just buy the frame? then transfer the handlebars and front wheel over (buying a new back one). Maybe the brakes, they don't seem too bad. Do you really think i should abandon ship?

Twentyinch:
Hmm i'm liking the thinking. Should i convert it to a fixie or advertise it as a fixie project?
i could always get somebody i know to win the auction if i wasn't happy with the price it was going for..

EDIT:
Great find on the old ebay!!

Currently at £15 with no bids but i spotted this guy lives less than a MILE away from me. He's asked for an offer: Could anybody give me a sensible offer to make? It's a 55cm (about 21-22") alu frame/carbon fork. Think this would be ok?
Also bidding on a new 7 speed back wheel (won't say which in case somebody snatches it ] that's also very local
I could start building from the ground up? The BB is included with that frame, but not the chainset

 

[palinurus]

Clean it up and use it as a hack bike for local trips.

That Peugeot looks like a TT frame to me.

Well it did at first, I'm not sure now.