Newbie Hardware Workshop

General
1

All,

OK I am a newbie when it comes to any kind of hardware. However, I have a desire to be able to do some basic things on my own cycles.

Currently, I need to a) Switch out the old wheel on my pre-1985 Schwinn with my new Schwinn wheel set from unicycle.com and b) figure out why my Hunter is creaking, and do something about it

The least expensive task is switching out the Schwinn wheel set … meaning least expensive if I break anything.

I am going to include a few questions that I have about a number of subjects:

  1. Park CWP-5 Crank Wrench and Puller

This is for ‘removing crank arm fixing bolts and nuts.’ I saw a picture and it looks like it screws into something on one side. Is there a pre-requisute tool? It is supposedly 14 mm in size. Do all cranks conform to that size? Do all cranks use this same tool? How is the tool used?

  1. Evercraft Bearing Puller

This is for removing bearings, I guess. Are there any pre-requisite tools? Which style bearings need this tool, and which dont? Does this tool serve any other purpose?

  1. Snap Ring Pliers

Greg Harper mentioned that they come with interchangeable tips for different hole sizes, and that they can come with reversible cams for inside/outside rings. What are the most common sizes I will need? What is a cam? :slight_smile: Does this tool have any pre-requisite tools or is it a stand-alone item?

  1. Hex Wrenches

What is a hex wrench? Is that the kind of wrench I’m using to tighten down my Hunter frame clamp? (The L-shaped tool?) Or is a hex wrench the one that has a hexagonal hole in it for tightening nuts? Hmm, does a nut have 6 sides or 8? I guess I can go research that one myself.

  1. Adjustable Wrench

What is an adjustible wrench? Is this the classic one you see with the roller in it for adjusting the size, or is this the tool set you sometimes see with a different fixed tool for each size? If the latter, what are the common sizes I would need? Do I need english or metric or both?

  1. Spoke Wrench

Do these come in sizes, or is there a standard size? How do you use one?

  1. Pedal Wrench

Do these come in sizes, or is there a standard size? How do you use one?

  1. Tire Irons

Do these come in sizes, or is there a standard size? How do you use one? Is this the same as the plastic Tire Lever that Chris used when changing out my flat tire?

  1. Steps for switching out the Schwinn wheel set

I know there must be more to this list, can you fill in the steps and/or clarify the steps for me?

a) Pull off the cranks. b) Pull the Schwinn frame/bearing off of the hub. c) Remove the C-clips from the bearings. d) Remove the bearings from the frame. e) put the new wheel on

I think it is e) that I need the most help with. Also, some people had mentioned a snap ring, and yet the instructions above (which I copied rote from somewhere) don’t mention a Snap ring. Is a snap ring the same thing as a C ring, or is perhaps a C ring a style or subset of snap ring? Or are they unrelated? Which applies to swapping out my schwinn wheel?

OK I think that is all for now. I start a 3-day weekend tomorrow, so I may go out to my local bike shop and buy what I need and give it a whirl.

Thanks for your patience and help. I know this is all stuff I should have learned when I was 10 years old.

Later on,

Lewis

2

Re: Newbie Hardware Workshop

Lewis-

Look here for some pictures of combination/convertible snap ring pliers

http://www.mytoolstore.com/kd/kdspec19.html#3150

This tool is a stand alone item. A cam is a lobe or surface which rolls eccentrically while in contact with a lever. The size and shape of the cam determines the motion of the lever as it contacts the cam during its revolution.

A cheap but adequate pair of snap ring pliers won’t have an exotic cam. Instead, it will have two pin and hole positions with which you will be able to offset the two halves of the plier. In one position it will act like pliers and, as you squeeze the handle, the tips will come together to remove INSIDE snap rings. In the other position, as you squeeze the handles the tips will separate to remove OUTSIDE snap rings.

Measure the diameter of the snap ring on your hub and buy a set that includes that size. Better, measure the size of the little holes in the snap ring and buy a set of tips that includes that size.

You can do this Lewis. Ask the person you buy the tool from (at an automotive store, Sears, Home Depot, etc.) how to use it.

3

Re: Newbie Hardware Workshop

This is a stand alone item. It is a bearing, sheave, wheel, pulley, etc. puller. It is designed to pull items off of shafts that are pressed on because the hole in the item is smaller than the diameter of the shaft and it is on TIGHT. This will pull the main-cap style bearings off of hub axles but won’t do anything for lollipop style bearings. If you are as unfamiliar with tools as you suggest that you are this will be cool to use and will seem to be the most clever thing you have ever seen. It has a stationary cam (we discussed this before) that causes the arms to grab the item ever more tightly as you advance the press screw to remove the item. I personally can remove pressed bearings with my teeth or fingers because I’m so macho and don’t need this particular wimp tool.

4

Re: Newbie Hardware Workshop

A hex head bolt and hex nut both have six sides. Fixed wrenches for this hardware come in open end and box end varieties. Open end wrenches just have a slot in the end into which you can slide the head or nut. Box end wrenches are closed polygons of either six sides (six-point) or twelve sides (twelve point). The twelve point variety give you more options for positioning the wrench. Six point wrenches contact more surface area and are much better for removing hardware without destroying it by rounding the points.

UK for wrench is spanner. Any description that you see in posts that discusses spanners is posted by one of our UK friends.

This is correct. The classic tool joke is whether to use an SAE or metric adjustable wrench. This is also called a monkey wrench. There is an adjustable spanner in the UK but I don’t believe they use the term monkey spanner which has obvious implications in the US if pronounced quickly and inaccurately enough. In the UK that would be a wanker.

5

As the thread was started by a self-professed neophyte, I thought I’d chip in as one of the less experienced unicycle maintenance operatives in the forum to provide a bit of ‘context’.

My tool kit for rides consists of:
10mm/11mm open ended spanner, for bearing clamps and seat nuts. (An adjustable would do, but I don’t like them.) Used often.

Crank puller, doubles as a socket for tightening the crank bolt. Used quite often.

16 mm open ended spanner simply because that size fits the crank puller. Used quite often.

15 mm spanner for tightening pedals. Used now and then.

Posidriv and flat bladed screwdriver (mainly for tightening the screws which hold the bumpers on my seat!). Used quite often.

2 sizes of hex wrench (we call 'em Allen keys over here) one to fit bottle cage bolts, one to fit seat clamp bolts. Used quite often.

lightweight tyre levers X 3 plus a small pump.
Puncture repair kit. Essential for longer rides.

This kit is enough to repair or adjust anything likely to need attention on a ride.

In the ‘workshop’ I have equivalent size spanners in ring spanner and socket sets.

Of the two ‘technical’ tools mentioned earlier on the thread, the crank tool is useful on a regular basis, either for checking tightness, or for swapping cranks, but the bearing puller is less of a daily need. I’d buy one only if the need arose. As for circlip pliers, I have them in my tool box, but I’ve never needed them on a uni.

Hope that helps.

6

Hi, Everyone! I’m new to this forum, but I’ve been reading a lot of your current and past posts and it’s inspired me to finally make a sincere effort to get on this uni I have and get rolling (after a few half-hearted failed attempts)!

Animation, I’m gonna go way out on a limb here {hope I don’t offend anyone with the “B” word ! ;D }, and recommend that you go to your local library, and check out Sloane’s Complete Book of Bicycling , or Sloane’s New Bicycle Maintenance Manual . Nearly all of the info you want on tools and how-to is in there, with very clearly-written instructions and photos and diagrams.

This book is the classic on bike maintenance, and all that stuff you want to know about tools, tires, rims and spokes, pedals, cranks, and bearings is in there. If your library doesn’t have one of these books, you can find them on Amazon. Have fun getting your hands greasy and skinning your knuckles! :smiley: Rick

p.s. Thanks, Gilby!

7

RE: Newbie Hardware Workshop

> 1) Park CWP-5 Crank Wrench and Puller
>
> This is for ‘removing crank arm fixing bolts and nuts.’ I
> saw a picture
> and it looks like it screws into something on one side. Is there a
> pre-requisute tool? It is supposedly 14 mm in size. Do all cranks
> conform to that size? Do all cranks use this same tool? How
> is the tool used?

Best: Go to bike shop. Ask.
Second best: Remove crank nut (the black six-sided thing). Screw crank
puller into the hole where the nut was. Make sure it seats all the way in.
If necessary, unscrew the center part of the crank puller to make sure it
threads all the way on. Then use the center part to “screw” the crank off
the axle.

All the cotterless unicycles I’ve ever seen use a 14mm nut, except a
homemade one that George Peck used to ride.

> 2) Evercraft Bearing Puller
>
> This is for removing bearings, I guess. Are there any pre-requisite
> tools? Which style bearings need this tool, and which dont? Does this
> tool serve any other purpose?

For this job, you don’t need a bearing puller. In other words, you’re crazy
if you’re keeping your 17 year old bearings. If the new wheel didn’t come
with some, get them. The old wheel gets thrown away, bearings and all. Bye!

> 3) Snap Ring Pliers
>
> Greg Harper mentioned that they come with interchangeable tips for
> different hole sizes, and that they can come with reversible cams for
> inside/outside rings. What are the most common sizes I will need? What
> is a cam? :slight_smile: Does this tool have any pre-requisite tools or is it a
> stand-alone item?

Take your unicycle to where the pliers are (hopefully a store, not a Web
site). Ask which ones you need.

> 4) Hex Wrenches
>
> What is a hex wrench? Is that the kind of wrench I’m using to tighten
> down my Hunter frame clamp? (The L-shaped tool?)

A hex wrench will put a spell on you if you use it wrong. :slight_smile:

Your Hunter frame clamp is tightened with an Allen wrench, or Allen key. It
is hex-shaped though. I’m not sure if “hex wrench” has a specific
definition. Did you try looking it up? You need a 14mm socket wrench to get
your crank nuts off. This may be included with your crank puller, depending
what kind you got. Don’t ask what a 14mm socket wrench is, it’s anything
with a 14mm hole in it to remove that nut off your axle.

> one that has a hexagonal hole in it for tightening nuts? Hmm,
> does a nut
> have 6 sides or 8? I guess I can go research that one myself.

Why? You’re not buying nuts. You need to take off the ones on your unicycle.
Hex means six, as in hexagon. Less research, more hands-on. Look at the
unicycle and count the sides.

> 5) Adjustable Wrench
>
> What is an adjustible wrench? Is this the classic one you see with the
> roller in it for adjusting the size, or is this the tool set you
> sometimes see with a different fixed tool for each size? If
> the latter,
> what are the common sizes I would need? Do I need english or metric or
> both?

I already specified (in an earlier post) what you need to do the wheel
replacement, along with the other sizes on an old-style Schwinn. The only
part I’m not sure of is if they switched to metric on the seat hardware.
They probably did, but only when they went to the Viscount seats. My guess
is that all the nuts & bolts on there are English sizes. Except the 14mm
nut. Now that makes sense, doesn’t it?

Take your unicycle to Sears. Find out which tools fit the various nuts.

> 6) Spoke Wrench
>
> Do these come in sizes, or is there a standard size? How do you use
> one?

Most spoke wrenches come in multiple sizes (in a single tool). You use it by
finding something on the spoke that the wrench fits onto and then turning
it. Don’t adjust spokes without live, onsite help. Or, use the old wheel to
experiment. But you can’t see the results unless the wheel can be spun on
something.

> 7) Pedal Wrench
>
> Do these come in sizes, or is there a standard size? How do you use
> one?

Bike shop.

> 8) Tire Irons
>
> Do these come in sizes, or is there a standard size? How do
> you use one?
> Is this the same as the plastic Tire Lever that Chris used
> when changing out my flat tire?

I wasn’t there when Chris changed your tire, but tire irons and tire levers
are the same thing. You jam them under a clincher tire to get it off the
rim. Clincher? Oh, me and my big mouth. Look it up.

> e) put the new wheel on
>
> I think it is e) that I need the most help with. Also, some people had
> mentioned a snap ring, and yet the instructions above (which I copied
> rote from somewhere) don’t mention a Snap ring. Is a snap
> ring the same thing as a C ring

The snap-ring is C shaped. Same thing. You really, really don’t need to know
the names of these bits and pieces to figure out what must be done with
them. The engineering on the old Schwinns is very straightforward.

I think step ‘e’ is not so bad. The main thing will be fitting the frame
halves (fork blades, chrome hunks of steel) onto the bearings. These are
usually a pretty snug fit, and we used to sometimes have to tap them lightly
with a hammer or something to get them on. Hammer, vice, pliers (plus a
little creative thinking) all work. You have to take the bearings off the
axle to put the snap-rings on both sides of them, so if the bearing’s real
tight on there you might need the bearing puller after all.

You know the bearing is where you need it to be (on the fork) when you can
see the snap-ring slots on both sides. The snap-rings snap on (much easier
than taking them off). Then you slide the bearings/forks onto the axle. If
the fit is tight and it won’t go on easily, a cheap way I have used in the
past is to find a piece of PVC (white plastic) pipe that’s just a little bit
wider than the axle, place that over the end, and tap it lightly with a
hammer to push the bearing on. But on the old Schwinns I’ve worked on over
the years, the bearings were never very tight on the axle. More commonly,
they were way too loose.

Now go and try doing something, before you ask more questions! :slight_smile:

JF

8

Re: Newbie Hardware Workshop

>> 6) Spoke Wrench
>>
>> Do these come in sizes, or is there a standard size? How do you use
>> one?

>Most spoke wrenches come in multiple sizes (in a single tool). You use it by
>finding something on the spoke that the wrench fits onto and then turning
>it. Don’t adjust spokes without live, on-site help. Or, use the old wheel to
>experiment. But you can’t see the results unless the wheel can be spun on
>something.

There are also higher quality single size spoke wrenches.

Typical sizes:

14 gauge = .080"
13 gauge = .092" for 14 gauge nipples threaded for 13 gauge spokes
(This one fits on the 14 gauge nipples tighter than normal, so the
square surfaces are harder to round off with torque.)
12 gauge = .105"

For 13 gauge spokes, it is better to have 12 gauge nipples than 14 gauge
nipples, since the 14 gauge nipples are too easy to round off, even with
the proper spoke wrench.

I have the three above plus one that fits the old Miyata nipples, but I
don’t know off-hand what size it is (probably somewhere between 13 & 14
gauge.

Sincerely,

Ken Fuchs <kfuchs@winternet.com>

9

Re: Newbie Hardware Workshop

>> 6) Spoke Wrench
>>
>> Do these come in sizes, or is there a standard size? How do you use
>> one?

>Most spoke wrenches come in multiple sizes (in a single tool). You use it by
>finding something on the spoke that the wrench fits onto and then turning
>it. Don’t adjust spokes without live, on-site help. Or, use the old wheel to
>experiment. But you can’t see the results unless the wheel can be spun on
>something.

There are also higher quality single size spoke wrenches.

Typical sizes:

14 gauge = .080"
13 gauge = .092" for 14 gauge nipples threaded for 13 gauge spokes
(This one fits on the 14 gauge nipples tighter than normal, so the
square surfaces are harder to round off with torque.)
12 gauge = .105"

For 13 gauge spokes, it is better to have 12 gauge nipples than 14 gauge
nipples, since the 14 gauge nipples are too easy to round off, even with
the proper spoke wrench.

I have the three above plus one that fits the old Miyata nipples, but I
don’t know off-hand what size it is (probably somewhere between 13 & 14
gauge.

Sincerely,

Ken Fuchs <kfuchs@winternet.com>

10

Re: Newbie Hardware Workshop

>> 6) Spoke Wrench
>>
>> Do these come in sizes, or is there a standard size? How do you use
>> one?

>Most spoke wrenches come in multiple sizes (in a single tool). You use it by
>finding something on the spoke that the wrench fits onto and then turning
>it. Don’t adjust spokes without live, on-site help. Or, use the old wheel to
>experiment. But you can’t see the results unless the wheel can be spun on
>something.

There are also higher quality single size spoke wrenches.

Typical sizes:

14 gauge = .080"
13 gauge = .092" for 14 gauge nipples threaded for 13 gauge spokes
(This one fits on the 14 gauge nipples tighter than normal, so the
square surfaces are harder to round off with torque.)
12 gauge = .105"

For 13 gauge spokes, it is better to have 12 gauge nipples than 14 gauge
nipples, since the 14 gauge nipples are too easy to round off, even with
the proper spoke wrench.

I have the three above plus one that fits the old Miyata nipples, but I
don’t know off-hand what size it is (probably somewhere between 13 & 14
gauge.

Sincerely,

Ken Fuchs <kfuchs@winternet.com>

11

Re: Newbie Hardware Workshop

In a message dated 6/13/02 7:16:58 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
sendhair.67a7b@timelimit.unicyclist.com writes:

> {hope I don’t offend
> anyone with the “B” word ! ;D }, and recommend that you go to your
> local library, and check out Sloane’s Complete Book of Bicycling , or
> Sloane’s New Bicycle Maintenance Manual

I for one am very much offended.

welcome to the group

__
Trevor andersen

12

Great words of wisdom. I have used the uni.com bearing puller to pull lollipop bearing holders (with bearings) off the axle, though. Then tap the bearings out of the holders with a piece of pipe and a rubber mallet. The holders were almost, but not quite, too large for that particular bearing puller.