~what tools do I need?~

[53 willys]

So my sons bike is in need of a big time cleaning and rebuilding of the bearings....
the free wheels seems to drag a bit and the headseat seems to have some slop...what tools do I need to buy to get the following rebuilt
bottom bracket (can this even be serviced?)
rebuild/repack the wheel bearings
rebuild/repack headset
any certain lube or grease I should buy for the bearings and the chain??

thanks for your help guys and gals.

[bnd]

Call Heather at PBP. Their link is on the front page!

b.

[Supa C]

Bottom brackets usually need a special tool to fit the cups. You can get this from Heather and Ian at the races or any bike shop. Take the bike with you when you go to buy the tools.

Hubs are made with a few different designs. You may need to buy cone wrenches. These are just thin wrenches. 13 and 15mm
Some use press in sealed bearings and won't have cones. You'll have to find a way to tap or press the bearings out without doing damage.

Headset you will just need allen wrenches. Every cyclist needs to own some metric allen wrenches and a good pump! The more you work on the bike then the more you know which tools are necessities for YOU.

Thick viscosity grease lasts longer. Low viscosity grease will roll faster but generally breaks down more often. If you regrease the bearings once a year you'll probably be ok though. Chain lube is also a preference type of thing. I use white lightning sparingly, some people hate it and use oil and wipe off the excess. DON'T use grease on a freewheel! If you kids bike has a freewheel instead of a cassette use a spray lube like wd-40 but there are better spray lubes out there for this purpose. I used to flush it out with wd-40 or brake cleaner and then lube it with tap magic oil. 3 in one or triflow will work too.

If you feel like you're getting in over your head or about to do damage, step back and think before you do something that can't be undone. You can always ask specific questions to your fellow BMXers and dads at the track. That is how most people learn. Some people prefer to take it to a bike shop and let a pro do the work. I think working on my own bikes is fun and I can really get it running the way I want it to. Plus it's a good way of teaching my kids that it's possible to fix something instead of throw it away and buy a new one.

[b2]

Additionally, if you have loose-ball anything, consider replacing with sealed bearings. They don't have the kind of maintenance needs that loose-ball bearings do.

On the headset to take out the slop; loosen the bolts on the stem that clamp onto the top of the forks (the steer tube is what that part of the forks is called). Then you'll use the top cap bolt to snug the stem/forks/headset down together to the tension that you need--I like to have no slop and to spin easily. Others like a little more tension there. Over-tightening can damage bearings, under-tightening will leave you with slop and can damage bearings. But once you have that tension to your preference, use the stem/steertube bolts to hold it all in place.

On the tool note, however, some brands are "bucking the trend" of metric and running SAE bolts... two brands that come to mind are Snap and Form--both American-made and that likely has something to do with it. Don't use the closest metric wrench in these bolts because it's really going to suck when you've stripped out the bolt heads.

Bottom brackets; as mentioned, lots of options so make sure you get the right tool. Heather and Ian will most likely be able to tell you what you need based off of the bike and/or part you have.

When I need tools, I'll look them up on www.ParkTool.com, www.Pedros.com, or www.topeak.com and then ask Heather/Ian from Performance to order me something.