Kona 'Major Jake' rebuild

[Rhythm Thief]

This is what I bought after fettling a mate's gravel bike and riding it to work on old railway paths, thereby creating from nothing an immediate desire to own a gravel bike myself. After flirting with a few eBay listings for bikes at £1500 and more, I came down to earth with a bump and realised that not only could I not afford a modern 1x hydraulic disc titanium thing, but I didn't particularly want one and in fact, it would go against everything I like about cycling which I view primarily as a cheap mode of transport. So I bought this, a 2010 Kona cyclo-cross bike.
It needs fettling - someone had bodged a horrible triple chainset onto it which did not play nicely with the 2x shifters, and it needs new tyres - but my aim here is to build up a scruffy but mechanically sound bike which I can use on forest trails and old railway paths. First job is to sort out wheels and tyres for it...

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Wheel fettling kit. Brake cleaner, cone spanners, grease, spoke key, magnet (for removing old bearings), new 3/16 bearings, truing stand and a big adjustable spanner cos I can't be arsed rooting around for the proper size. First job is to rebuild the hub, although before I could even remove the QR skewer I had to run an M5 die over the thread...

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Wheels on. I'm glad I didn't go any bigger on the tyres.

 

[lostinthought]

Looks great, a quality bike. Are you going to refresh the bar tape for that new bike feeling?

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Looks great, a quality bike. Are you going to refresh the bar tape for that new bike feeling?

I wasn't going to, but I've just discovered some 10 speed Ultegra shifters in a box, so now I'll probably change the shifters and do the bar tape while I'm at it.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

The hub rebuild, in tedious detail. I always use new bearings for this as they cost thruppence for about a million of the things.

 

[All uphill]

@Rhythm Thief

Exactly my kind of project!

For me too, cycling is a brilliant, low cost and enjoyable way of seeing the world.

I look forward to seeing more of this!

 

[Rhythm Thief]

The most important tool in any job: my Bikespeeds mug!

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Rear derailleur put through the ultrasonic cleaner, reassembled and installed, along with the 10 speed cassette and the front derailleur. I always give the cable adjusters a bit of copper grease on the thread; it's surprising how often this is forgotten and on a neglected derailleur the thread can seize up solid.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Now to reassemble the chainset. I don't tend to put these through the ultrasonic cleaner as it can knacker up the anodising, but I've cleaned everything with white spirit and a paintbrush. I always grease the threads with a bit of copper grease and I'll usually put a light smear of grease on the chainring mounting surfaces.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Enough for today. I've sorted out wheels and tyres for it, cleaned all the mechanical bits I need (apart from the brake calipers, which I'll do another day), stripped the old bar tape and brake cables and changed the Tiagra 9 speed shifters for Ultegra 10 speed. Still to do is fettle the brakes, fit the front derailleur (I need a 31.8mm seat tube clamp, which I probably have in a box but ordering a new one is easier than turning the workshop upside down looking for it), fit new cables and bar tape, find a decent saddle and some SPD pedals in the bits box. Part two to follow soon...

 

[lostinthought]

Rear derailleur put through the ultrasonic cleaner, reassembled and installed, along with the 10 speed cassette and the front derailleur. I always give the cable adjusters a bit of copper grease on the thread; it's surprising how often this is forgotten and on a neglected derailleur the thread can seize up solid.

This is very satisfying

 

[StuAff]

As the owner of a modern 2x hydraulic disc titanium thing, I'll politely agree to disagree on whether you want one- and if you can't afford one that's moot- but that's rather nice already. Good luck!

 

[Rhythm Thief]

New headset bearings today, which is all I have the inclination to do cos it's cold and damp and I have other stuff on. But it's worth noting that bearings are readily available online and most headsets use standard sizes. This can save you the expense of a new headset!

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Not done much on this recently (I've been waiting for bits to arrive), but today I've finally fitted the new CX50 brakeset - the old cantilevers were a bit shite and the adjuster on one was seized solid, so I junked them - and set up the gears. It's gone from 9x3 Tiagra / Sora to 10x2 Ultegra, so that's nice.
The gears took some fettling. I've fitted more gear cables than I can count over the years, but this time for some reason the right hand shifter decided to suck the cable nipple into the bowels of the mechanism. I could see the nipple and wiggle it about on the end of the cable, but I couldn't get it out. In the end, I had to take the brake lever off the body and remove the top cover of the shifter to get the cable out. Putting these back together is easy enough, but you do need what is probably Shimano's simplest special tool: a short length of tube (which I'm amazed I haven't lost) which holds the brake lever return spring in the correct place while you refit the lever.
Everything is now working. Tomorrow's job is to fit the new bar tape, dig out a decent saddle (I've got a spare Brooks somewhere) sort out some lights and a saddlebag of essentials, get my cycling kit on and get out on it for my first ride since mid December! Apologies for the crap photos...