My findings -- So Far

[jerrykr]

I was wondering where to post this, or even if to post it, but since there is a new section....

(glad you created this section RR)

I finally got to start on the Blue WalGoose today. Not finished,but here's what I found on my bike so far.

Front wheel. The bearings felt tight and rough. My surprise was that there was plenty of grease.
I went ahead and cleaned them, re-greased and adjusted. Smooth as silk now.
The bearings are loose as previously reported, so be prepared to catch them.

Head set. felt tight.
Bearings in a cage, with a VERY THIN coat of grease. Greased them up and adjusted.
Feels fine now.

Bottom Bracket.
When I removed the rear wheel, I found that the cranks could hardly be turned by hand.
Removed the cranks. Use the Park CCP-22 tool to remove them from the square taper shaft.
You can Google it to see what it looks like and how to use it. it's not expensive.
Remove the lock ring and Bearing Cup from the non-drive side. You don't need to remove the drive side bearing cup.
This side is threaded "normal" lefty loosey-righty tighty.
A tap from a hammer on a flat blade screw driver gets the lock ring going.
A cresent adjustable wrench will fit the flats on the bearing cup.
The bearings are in cages, and they have a VERY THIN coat of grease.
Grease them up as well as the shaft and re-install and adjust, and the BB is smooth as silk.
One of my bearings had a ball bearing missing.
Since I save everything, I was able to find a BB in my junk and pressed it into the cage and saved it.

Coaster Brake.
I was going to check out the grease situation in the CB, but the nuts are so tight I could not break them loose.
I suppose I'll just let the CB ride for now and hope that it runs freely.
Not inclined to break anything getting it apart.

Spokes.
I thought that the spoke tension was not too consistant.
The wheels will not fit in my truing stand, so I just gave most of them about an 1/8 turn tightening by feel.

I'm taking RR's advice, and have ordered a 20T rear cog, so I'm not going to put everything back together until it gets here next week.

Hope this helps!

 

[Rat Rod]

Thanks for the review Jerry.

At least they seem to be consistent!

How do you feel about the fit and ride of the bike?

 

[jerrykr]

I have not put it together yet, so I have not tried to ride it.

I'm going to change the handle bars out, mostly for looks,and I have a set of decent pedals to put on it.

I'll go ahead and install the 20T rear cog, and I have a really strack stainless steel chain that should be long enough, so I'll use it.

I'm thinking that it needs a lay back seat post, but I'll probably try the stock one first.

I'm shooting for a street cruiser. We don't get much snow, or have many sand beaches around here to put it thru it's paces!

 

[kingfish254]

Nice and thorough breakdown.
Thanks.

 

[jerrykr]

thanx kingfish, I'll be watching for your posts when you get your new one!

 

[jerrykr]

almost forgot one more small issue.

I noticed that the crank shaft is not straight. seems to be OK for the bearing surfaces, but outboard of that, there is a slight bend on both sides.
It's noticeable on the drive side as you can see the side-to-side wobble in the chainring.
not bad enough to really worry about, but it's there.

It's not like I can dig up a replacement shaft easily.

Wondering if any of you guys notice this about yours?

 

[Dr. Tankenstein]

I just checked the BB width of the Beast and my OCC.

The OCC is 1/8" wider than the Beast, so the crank spindle may serve as a replacement and provide a little more clearance for the crank arms.

BTW, the cranks are the exact same units that were on the OCC.

I guess Pacific parts, is Pacific parts, right?

Cheers,
Dr. T

 

[kingfish254]

I just checked the BB width of the Beast and my OCC.

The OCC is 1/8" wider than the Beast, so the crank spindle may serve as a replacement and provide a little more clearance for the crank arms.

BTW, the cranks are the exact same units that were on the OCC.

I guess Pacific parts, is Pacific parts, right?

Cheers,
Dr. T

I guess the bearing races are also 1/8" wider, but that that can be handles by not screwing the left bearing cup in as far.

 

[Hammond Eggz]

Great info! Mine just arrived today, so now I've got a working list of what to go over before assembling - thanks.

 

[jerrykr]

H&E let us know what you find.
Most everyone are finding things just too tight, and very little to no grease.

 

[aka_locojoe]

Thanks for the info. I really should go through the rest of mine. All I've done so far is the headset.

 

[mikeeebikey]

I wouldn't let that coaster go! Breaking stuff is never cool but walking is much worse...
When I worked for Huffy building bicycles the number 1 reason for beach cruiser returns, loose seat/bars, second most common return was failed coaster brakes.
Believe it or not Huffy actually paid mechanics pretty decent, we were kept at a very low level of returns(or fired), and given a nice route(not bounced all over the state).

 

[jerrykr]

Finally got some time to devote to the Blue WalGoose this week-end.

Took the rear wheel over to my buddies' shop and we broke the nut free on the rear coaster using 3 hands and a blip with his impact wrench.
The grease in the cones looked OK, so I put it back together and adjusted the cones.
First time ride, I stepped on the brake and it set up a howl like it was comming apart. :shock:
Only happened once, and seems to be working OK now. :?

I exchanged the bars with a little Specialized BMX I got at a garage sale this week-end along with some metal 9/16 pedals.

I put a 20 tooth rear cog on it, but think I'll try a 22.

Plenty of fun riding around the block. Ms Jerrykr and the neighbors are having fun with it.

I must say,. the tight cockpit geometry really takes some getting used to, and my foot hit the front tire more than once in turns.

Next up, will probably be the 22 tooth and making a lay back seat post. (no new ideas here)!

Having fun with the shock value of this toy when people see it!
.

 

[aka_locojoe]

and my foot hit the front tire more than once in turns.

Yeah I'm having issues with the toe overlap also. have to pay closer attention to where my feet are on the pedals.

 

[jerrykr]

bigfoot -- size 13W

Is the 22 tooth the way to go? I don't have a smaller chain ring/cranks laying around to try.

 

[deorman]

I'm also using a 20t, I think 22 would be too spinny for most of my riding. I'm thinking of dialing it back to 19. If you're navigating sudden directional/elevation changes, soft or bumpy stuff, the 22 would likely be much better. Of course, then you're going to have to mess with the chain. :|

 

[jerrykr]

re: chain and 18-22 T sprockets. I wonder if one could grind about 1/2 inch more slot into the drop-outs and be able to use all 3 sprockets with the stock chain? Change on the fly for riding conditions. Carry a screwdriver and a box wrench. I hate to screw up that nice new paint!

 

[dracothered]

re: chain and 18-22 T sprockets. I wonder if one could grind about 1/2 inch more slot into the drop-outs and be able to use all 3 sprockets with the stock chain? Change on the fly for riding conditions. Carry a screwdriver and a box wrench. I hate to screw up that nice new paint!

How do you mean use all three? Do you mean pull the wheel and change the rear sprocket out in the field?

 

[jerrykr]

yes, it would be possible if you did not have to change the chain. (probably do it at home tho).

 

[jerrykr]

re: chain and 18-22 T sprockets. I wonder if one could grind about 1/2 inch more slot into the drop-outs and be able to use all 3 sprockets with the stock chain? Change on the fly for riding conditions. Carry a screwdriver and a box wrench. I hate to screw up that nice new paint!

Installed the 22 tooth.
Nice gear.
Extended the drop outs by about 1/4 inch with a rotary file in a drill.
Really only needed about 1/8 to 3/16. Still running the stock chain.
Switching chains for a longer one would have been easier.
Why did I do it? Because I could and because I wanted to.