Bicycle shop tuneup

I chickened out of pedaling to a reccomended bicycle shop 3.5 miles away. It could break down, it's along busy roads and I don't know yet if I can pedal it 3.5 miles. A neighbor that passed by my garage while I was working on it offered to use her pickup truck to take it to the shop. After coordinating schedules, the bike has been in the shop and professionally tuned! They had to replace the gear cable, saying it was the wrong kind, and replace something in the brake spring. Instead of itemizing parts and labor, they just made it $50.00. Neighbor Dorothy and I rode it around the parking lot for a test. Looking good. Will test it more this weekend. Thanks, Dorothy! Thanks Twins Bike Shop! (1842 Pacific Coast Highway, Lomita, CA 90717 310-257-1350)

Repair broken seat support

Note: Do not use computer furniture particle board for seat supports! I broke one while pedaling around. I bought some hardwood board (maple) to replace the two supports. Next note: drill sufficient pilot holes or you will strip the screw before the screw will turn in the hard wood.

Cut wood to size. Drill pilot holes. Screw into seat crossbars at a distance apart to match the seat bottom attached boards. Cut industrial strength velcro to size. Peel and stick. Attache seat!

Secure outside wheel support

Since the outside support is not glued into the PVC, it came loose as the bike was used. I didn't glue it because you need to be able to remove the wheel in case of flats or wheel changing. So I secured it with a screw that can be unscrewed to remove the wheel.

electric assist

After peddling the Dreamcycle today and sweating, I am seriously looking at an electric assist motor to help out.
http://www.goldenmotorusa.com/index.php?pg=diy

Grill and license plate

I bought this aluminum decoration and some tin snips at Home Depot . I cut to size of the pvc structure and screwed on with small wide head screws. Did the same with my Aloha State Hang Loose license plate, generously donated by son Jeff. Thanks, Jeff! The back isn't finished yet, so the back plate will have to wait.

I peddled to the club house to deliver my HOA dues and got lots of comments, including some laughs about the license plate.

Ride to bicycle shop attempt one

First attempt to get to the bicycle shop. Took off down the back roads and
got about a mile, but when I cranked on it to get across the street, the sprocket slipped and the hex screw backed out. Didn't have my allen wrech so I had to walk it
back to the garage. I may make the second attempt this weekend, armed with an allen wrench.

Kitchen shelf paper for a chrome grill

I cut and wrapped chrome shelf paper around the grill of the Dreamcycle. It's self adhesive and fairly easy to work with. Chrome isn't the most popular color/pattern for shelf paper but can be found where kitchen stuff is sold. A few embossed logos cause bumps under the chrome and a good present wrapper would do better than I on the rounded corners.

tuning up gears and brakes

1. With much blood, swears and beers, I moved the sprocket back out to where the plans say it should be, on the end of the pedal shaft. It actually grooves the shaft as you twist and pull it along the shaft. (and poke your finger on a sharp sprocket point. A perfect poke for a blood test of some sort)
2. I pounded in the PVC joints holding the wheels on and secured them with screws. I'm thinking you may need to pull those joints apart to get the wheel off to change flat tires. I plastic tied the end of the inside metal strip to the frame. You could use screws, but I didn't know if the metal pole support bar inside the frame came back that far and would get in the way. It may end just before the screw hole on the metal strip.
3. I then adjusted the brakes, something you wish you had four hands for. The little screw on the side of the spring end should be tightened to stop any sideways motion. The brake pad and stem should be loosened and the pad placed on the wheel, then pulled back one half of a minutia. Tighten down. That's the theory anyway. It's tough to hold in place through the spokes while you tighten with a ten inch extension on a ratchet wrench, laying on your back underneath the bike up on a large plant pot and old drawer.
4. I was able to ride around the parking lots, going from first gear to third, but alas, could not get it to go back to first. It's just not lined up right. Under the bike on the pot and drawer lift, I was able to get the derailer gear closer to the first gear on the sprocket, but not close enough, I don't think. Still, it's very close. I may take a ride down to the bike shop this week and have them adjust everything professionally.
I'm starting to think about the body pimping again, it's so close. I may cut the matallic silver shelf liner paper for the front grill!
No camera today. It went out to the desert for Mother's Day. Photos later.
Cheers!

Derailer (deraillieur) adjustment

I found a very helpful article and video on how to adjust the deraillieur. VERY helpful! You can find it here:



http://bicycletutor.com/adjust-rear-derailleur/



Also a nice illustration, better than any photo I could take.

Now I can go out to the garage and try it.

sprocket alignment

I'm back from Fiji and the pile of bills and obligations that follow! Finally back to the Dreamcycle. There's light at the end of the tunnel. I adjusted the sprocket alignment and was actually able to pedal around the back parking lot! The photos will show that I moved the crank support from outside the frame to the inside of the frame, thereby bringing the sprocket assembly in closer to the frame and away from rubbing on the tire. Now however it is falling over the top of the sprocket to the outside because it is in farther than the gear sprockets! I'll fix that soon.