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Apr. 8th, 2006
Odessa, Odessa
Apr. 8th, 2006 09:24 pmSooooo, I finally learned today how a bottom bracket works. And how to overhaul one. And exactly how gnarly mine had managed to get. Pretty revolting, dudes.
Well, okay, context. This is my blue and white Fuji Odessa mountain bike. I got it back in 2002, and have been badly mistreating it ever since. It's sort of the sacrificial goat of bicycles: when I got it, I had no idea how to care for or maintain a bike, and I've been using it in some of the worst possible conditions to inflict on a machine. It's basically gone to hell and back several times over, with me learning a bit more about how to fix a bike every time. And now it's back in hell: it just spent a summer and a winter locked up unprotected in the yard of a good friend of mine.
The surprising thing is that it actually doesn't look half bad. It's unridable, sure, but the frame is still pretty sound (it's got a bad dent or two, but nothing structural), the bowden cables will be good as new with a little oil, the cranks are still decent. The derailluers are actually moving smoothly! WTF! So I'm looking at this as my final exam in bike maintenance: If I can resurrect my Odessa this one last time—and it certainly deserves it, after what it's gone through for me—I'll finally be worthy of a higher-end machine. Because to be honest, I'm actually getting about ready to mostly-retire my little Odessa. I'm tired of riding a mountain bike while living in the sort of dense urban area that road cycles were meant for.
Here's what it needs, as I reckon it:
( Cut for bike blather. )
Well, okay, context. This is my blue and white Fuji Odessa mountain bike. I got it back in 2002, and have been badly mistreating it ever since. It's sort of the sacrificial goat of bicycles: when I got it, I had no idea how to care for or maintain a bike, and I've been using it in some of the worst possible conditions to inflict on a machine. It's basically gone to hell and back several times over, with me learning a bit more about how to fix a bike every time. And now it's back in hell: it just spent a summer and a winter locked up unprotected in the yard of a good friend of mine.
The surprising thing is that it actually doesn't look half bad. It's unridable, sure, but the frame is still pretty sound (it's got a bad dent or two, but nothing structural), the bowden cables will be good as new with a little oil, the cranks are still decent. The derailluers are actually moving smoothly! WTF! So I'm looking at this as my final exam in bike maintenance: If I can resurrect my Odessa this one last time—and it certainly deserves it, after what it's gone through for me—I'll finally be worthy of a higher-end machine. Because to be honest, I'm actually getting about ready to mostly-retire my little Odessa. I'm tired of riding a mountain bike while living in the sort of dense urban area that road cycles were meant for.
Here's what it needs, as I reckon it:
( Cut for bike blather. )