Grumble, grumble...
Tom called a couple of days back to tell me that he'd received the bottom bracket tool for my Bianchi. This is a Park BBT-4 and it's been re-designed from the original. For one thing, it's a piece of straight steel without the offset that caused the original to cam off. Another change was the addition of small tabs that allow you to put in place and hold it there with your free hand. Again, it's much less likely to cam off. I generally like Park Tools, but that first BBT-4 was a POS.
I started reassembling the Bianchi yesterday afternoon. It went fairly well, but somewhere along the way I'd lost a few small parts. Nothing critical, but annoying none the less. The '96 San Remo has Tektro cantilever brakes. Somehow I've lost one cable anchor bolt and a tiny set screw that sets the tension spring. The set screw may have been missing for years. Who knows? And the anchor bolt is probably somewhere in the garage, but I suspect that Jimmy Hoffa could be out there in the garage too. Let's just say it won't be easy to find either of them.
The washer that goes under the crankarm bolt is gone too. I won't ride the bike without having the crank assembled properly, nor will I ride it without both brakes.
I'm slightly disappointed. I'd hoped to ride that bike to work this week, but apparently that is not meant to be. Oh well, it's been out of service for months. What's another week?
After payday, I'll go back down to Tom's and get new brake pads and all new cables. I used to replace all these things every spring when I lived in Pennsylvania, but back there I had to because the weather and the salt on the roads would corrode them. I haven't been doing that here in Oklahoma.
The bike looks a little rough. The paint is chipped and scratched. It's been touched up some, but the touch up paint doesn't quite match the original. It never does. Some parts show a lot of wear. The saddle is scuffed and the foam padding shows on either side where it's been leaned up against things. The bike has seen nearly daily use for eight years, so I can't complain about how it looks!
I started reassembling the Bianchi yesterday afternoon. It went fairly well, but somewhere along the way I'd lost a few small parts. Nothing critical, but annoying none the less. The '96 San Remo has Tektro cantilever brakes. Somehow I've lost one cable anchor bolt and a tiny set screw that sets the tension spring. The set screw may have been missing for years. Who knows? And the anchor bolt is probably somewhere in the garage, but I suspect that Jimmy Hoffa could be out there in the garage too. Let's just say it won't be easy to find either of them.
The washer that goes under the crankarm bolt is gone too. I won't ride the bike without having the crank assembled properly, nor will I ride it without both brakes.
I'm slightly disappointed. I'd hoped to ride that bike to work this week, but apparently that is not meant to be. Oh well, it's been out of service for months. What's another week?
After payday, I'll go back down to Tom's and get new brake pads and all new cables. I used to replace all these things every spring when I lived in Pennsylvania, but back there I had to because the weather and the salt on the roads would corrode them. I haven't been doing that here in Oklahoma.
The bike looks a little rough. The paint is chipped and scratched. It's been touched up some, but the touch up paint doesn't quite match the original. It never does. Some parts show a lot of wear. The saddle is scuffed and the foam padding shows on either side where it's been leaned up against things. The bike has seen nearly daily use for eight years, so I can't complain about how it looks!
posted by Ed W at 11:05 AM
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