[GreenLightGo]

Gents - lots of good info on here. I've been commuting to work (a whopping .39 miles one way) on my mtn bike for the last year - currently running a Redline Monocog Flight w/ 700x35 kevlar belted tires. Good ride and all - but moving soon to Miami. Commute there will be longer, probably 5-10 miles - so I picked up a vintage lugged bike to transform into my single speed townie (no fixed for me). Pics of the heavy yellow beast are below - note the bent crank arms, dry rotted tires and hashed brake housings.

My goal w/ the Fuji frame is a solid, dependable, bullet-proof build that'll do 3-4 years of commuting duty before major overhauls. Nothing too fancy, but nothing cheap and expendable.

I'm handy w/ the mechanical side for the most part and will do the frame up refurb on my own (minus wheelbuilding, haven't tried that yet). I've got just a couple of questions that I was not able to answer through searches.

1) What size is the normal headset for this era bike - 1"? The headset on this bike is old, spooging some form of worn out grease and is not smooth. Based on year round riding in Miami - I imagine rain will be inevitable so I'm thinking a good Chris King 2Nut or GripNut is what I want vice a loose ball bearing Tange. King's been good for me on a couple other bikes. https://chrisking.com/headsets/hds_2nut.html

2) What's the typical life span of a White ENO freewheel? I'm 6'3", 210 - not sure if the cost/benefit of the price differential over say a Shimano freewheel is worth it on this. No doubt, their stuff is solid and I'm all in the solid/functional camp, but have no experience w/ freewheels. I run a Hope Pro2 SS hub on my Turner Sultan - that thing's gold. Little maintenance every 1k miles and it rolls like teflon. My luck w/ XT hubs was not so good. If it's like this experience, the extra $$ is worth it for the White freewheel. I just don't know what I don't know in this area.

3) Can I use a side pull caliper in-lieu of the center pull Dia-comp calipers on the bike? I'm boned up on recessed vs/ normal. There's enough material to drill out the hole to 5/8". I'll have to get longer reach calipers for 700cc wheels b/c the fronts have no adjustment left. If I go side pull, then I don't need a cable hanger and that changes the King headset top bearing cap. I'm a disc brake guy so this is new for me. Harris Cyclery kool stop pads are on the list though.

Here's my project endstate - if you see any 'weakness' w/ regards to my goal - please highlight it:

-Semi-Gloss OD green frame (think old Willys Army Jeep)
-- haven't decided whether to paint the fork OD green too or black (you can vote).
-White "stencil" font downtube graphic - "Major Pain" (play on words, not from the old Damon Wayans movie character)
-single white star on the head tube
-Black Soma 48cm Urban Pursuit bars
-Soma Urban Pursuit brake levers
-some sort of black seatpost
-Fizik saddle
-110 BCD crank, 170mm w/ Surly stainless steel chainring (bullet proof!) (I chose 110 BCD b/c I have 110 BCD on my Turner, affords some compatability w/ chainrings).
-Shimano UN54 BB
-White ENO freewheel (maybe based on #2 above)
-Salsa Delgado Cross 36H Black rims
-Black Harris Cyclery track hubs

 

[FatTireFred]

ENOs are frickin BOMBPROOF... there are guys over on mtbr-ss that have used them for years, in all the worst sh!tty conditions, much worse than you will ever see on a road bike... and they are still running fine. they will outlast many crapola shimano FWs, esp in wetter conditions. if there is one part to go bling with, this is it. crappy bmx FWs (acs, shimano) have burned me a few times... like in the middle of races. thing is, they get wet and die. might not be right away, but they will eventually die. and that is the problem, with some you never know when. some will get all crunchy and you can replace, but other may go with no notice... like in the middle of a race. the peace of mind of not having that happen is well worth it to me. this could very well be my longest post ever, but I really feel strongly about ENOs. supposedly you can also rebuild them. if you get one you will not be sorry, but only you can decide whether it is "worth it"

 

[GreenLightGo]

FTF - thanks. I'll peruse MTBR, I'm over there most of the time anyway.

Money's not the issue - it's more related to what I get for the money vs. how much it costs. I know White ENO has a great reputation but I've never touched/used their stuff as of yet. If it costs more but is high quality, long lasting and solid - that's what I need.

Any feedback on 1 and 3?

 

[FatTireFred]

FTF - thanks. I'll peruse MTBR, I'm over there most of the time anyway.

Money's not the issue - it's more related to what I get for the money vs. how much it costs. I know White ENO has a great reputation but I've never touched/used their stuff as of yet. If it costs more but is high quality, long lasting and solid - that's what I need.

Any feedback on 1 and 3?

high quality, long lasting and solid = ENO

1- don't know... you'll prob want to make sure the crown race matches, JIS or ISO
3- don't see why you can't use a sidepull, with the reach and mount worked out right

 

[GreenLightGo]

ENO it is.

I have not pulled the fork off yet, so I'm 'assuming' the crown race is removeable. I have to tap out one of the headset cups to get a good caliper measurement on the headtube to confirm the size of the cups - was hoping that there was a body of past knowledge on this topic (headset sizes, similiar to his old seatpost size chart) but I haven't found that yet on Sheldon's site.

I think sidepull offers the benefit of full housing to the brake caliper - should be the most durable setup for daily use when combined with some good cables/housing like the Jagwire L3 stuff.

 

[nobody]

all i have to say is OD green frames rock.......i painted my (now) polo bike's frame OD green and love it......

sounds ike a nice build though!

 

[GreenLightGo]

thanks nobody

 

[SilverStar]

From that era, you'll only find 1" headsets...no need to punch out the cups from the headtube to determine the size...unless you're replacing it. What is more important is the crown race seat diameter, as FatTireFred suggested. ISO or JIS (actual specs escape me just now...).

 

[GreenLightGo]

SilverStar - roger. I'll pull them out for frame prep/paint. I popped the fork off today and the lower crown race looks really worn, didn't get the calipers out though. It was hasty so I didn't clean out the old grease - but definite pitted groove on the race. Couple of the ball bearings were jammed up together so they may be hashed too. It had some sticking point about half way through a right turn of the bars.

I did a lot of searches on here and found the ISO / JIS difference in a 2005 post.

******************************
"Less expensive Japanese bicycles use JIS sized headsets, better ones use Campagnolo-sized headsets. Frames and forks built for JIS headsets can be machined to fit standard Campagnolo-type headsets.

JIS fork crown seats are 27mm in diameter, instead of 26.4mm
JIS head tube inside diameter is 30mm, instead of 30.2mm "

******************************

 

[GreenLightGo]

reviving an old thread -

finally got settled after my move....took the Fuji down to the frame, measured and the inner diameter of the head tube is 30mm. I don't have the most high tech calipers, just plastic jobbers w/ imprinted lettering, but both caliper's measured 30mm on the nose. I wouldn't know what .2mm looks like anyway. I'll have to measure the crown race seat to make sure it's 27mm.

Anyway - anyone know of a sealed bearing JIS headset? It rains all the freakin time down here in Miami and this bike will be outside...need something weather proof.

One odd measurement, though, has me confused. Bottom bracket shell was 70mm. I suppose I could use a 68mm BB (i.e. Shimano UN54)?

Last question - has anyone run across a 120mm rear hub that takes gears? Rear spacing measured at 122mm? I think I can run a 700x45mm in this thing, was thinking of going a little monster-cross with it, might fit the old Army jeep thing a little better.