The Old GT

My old GT Terra has gone places.   I bought it for $25 as a beater commuter in New York City in 2001.   It came with a rusty chain and two flat tires.      I figured I wouldn't cry if someone stole it.     Nobody did.

When I moved to Boston, I added the 3 strut, tig welded "expendition" rack from Nashbar,  bright orange and brown Cannondale panniers from eBay, and fenders from Planet Bike.     Mostly, I commuted from my house in Medford to a research job in Cambridge.  Sometimes I'd attend workshops and other events near Harvard and occasionally I'd cruise over to Trader Joe's in Arlington.    I pretty much rode it all over Boston, but I never did make it to Sheldon's shop in Newton.

On Nantucket, I regularly rode to town from Surfside and all over the island too.   Two years on the gray lady and somehow it survived the salt air, unlike my car.    We've been in Boulder for seven years,  it's now a veteran of many cruiser rides and my tow-vehicle of choice for Marley on his chariot.  Last year, it was daily companion on the playa.    

So once again, I'm about to double down for parts and labor.   I could replace it with a used bike in better shape for about the same price as what I'm about to throw into it, but given the places I've gone, it just isn't worth it.  

Upcoming repairs and improvements;
Bottom Bracket  COMPLETE
Pedals COMPLETE
Tires
Grips
Saddle
Panniers
Wheel bearings
Wheel Tuning

Bottom Bracket Rescue

Between the crank arms, nestled in a cylindrical hole in your bike frame rests a device called the bottom bracket.   In essence, it's a couple of sealed bearings inside a threaded tube with a small axle running through it.   After years of abuse, the bearings can fail, leading to a crackling noise when pedaling.   

Today, I pulled my very first bottom bracket, a fairly straightforward procedure, provided you have the right tools.  The tools themselves are cheap - about $20 on sale at my local bike shop. There are also plenty of how-to videos online, so I'll skip that.   Here's what I learned... 

Sometimes, the bottom bracket isn't bad.   My local shop didn't have the correct size bracket, but the mechanic checked out my bracket and thought it turned smoothly.   She suggested that grit that gets into the threads can also make a crackling noise.  

So, I gave it a go and surprise, surprise, my bottom bracket is fine.   The crackling noise is now completely gone.  So before running out to replace your bottom bracket, try cleaning it, regreasing, and reinstalling it first.   Oh, and don't be surprised if the bottom bracket comes out looking like a rusty mess.  Mine sure did, but it cleaned up nicely. 

Bottom bracket from my GT Terra Mountain Bike