Maintenance Skill – Coaster Bicycle
Overview
Purpose
This document gives instructions to maintain a coaster bike. It also gives instructions to install ceramic bearings. When a step says, “Lightly grease the bearings.”, the assumption is ceramic bearings are being used. If steel bearings are being used, be more generous with grease.
The instructions are written for a bike rider that wants to maintain their own bike and has common hand tools.
Scope
This document apples to coaster bikes in general, including current production bikes. It specifically applies to hardware store coaster bikes made from about the 1960s through the 1980s. A 1960s Western Flyer is used as a reference in this document.
Hardware store bikes includes:
Huffy
Montgomery Wards Hiawatha
Sears JC Higgins
Western Auto Western Flyer, and
Others
Out of Scope
This document does not include maintenance on:
Cartridge bearings
Derailleurs
Hand brakes
Three-piece cranks
Quick release axles
Contents
This document has these sections:
Overview
General Requirements
Bearings
Chain
Tires
Lights
Revision History
General Requirements
Time
If this is the first time you are maintaining the bike, it will take about six hours of hands-on work to complete this maintenance. You may need to wait overnight to allow parts to soak in a degreaser.
This is because:
you will need to become familiar with the parts
the bike is probably in sever need of maintenance, and
the grease is probably hard and waxy.
If you are familiar with bike maintenance and the bike has a good maintenance history, it will take about two hours.
Tools and Supplies
Common tools:
Combination wrench set
probably SAE
might be metric if it is a newer bike or an old bike made outside the United States
12-inch adjustable wrench for large nuts
Screwdrivers
Flat-blade
Phillips
Other, if someone put in a weird screw
Jeweler’s flat-blade screwdriver to remove ball bearings from their cage
Light hammer for tapping on sticky parts
Channel lock pliers with curved jaws to remove the top knurled cone nut from the steering headset
Long prybar or wood stick to tension the chain
Magnet to pick up steel bearings or sort steel and ceramic bearings
Dish brush to clean chain
6-inch Ruler
Special tools, which make maintenance much easier:
Rubber work mat with a raised edge
Cone nut wrench
This is a thin wrench used to hold the hub cone nut in place when you tighten the hub bearings.
Thrift stores usually have junk sheet metal stamped wrenches that work well for this purpose.
Pin spanner
Bicycle
Adjustable
Fixed pin
A flat-blade screwdriver and a light hammer will work in a pinch.
Pearl tweezers
The tool is inexpensive.
Improvised tool is easy to make from a piece of rolled up index card and paperclips. Different size paperclips can be used on different size bearings.
Bike repair stand
Micrometer to measure bearing diameter when replacing ball bearings
A small crescent wrench and a ruler with 1/32 graduations will work in a pinch. Old bikes do not have exotic size bearings.
Tire levers
The handles of metal silverware will work in a pinch. Don’t use grandma’s good silver.
Dulled screwdrivers also work.
Chain tool
A drift punch and hammer will work in a pinch.
Supplies:
Light bike grease; buy good grease.
Chain oil
Degreaser
If the bike has not been maintained, get a “paint can” of degreaser that has a soaking basket.
Paper towels
Course steel wool (about #3) to clean waxy, varnished grease on a poorly maintained bike
Dish detergent to clean chain
Freezer paper to cover the work surface; use with the shiny side down.
Batteries for bike lights
Nitrile gloves
Toothpicks to clean bearings
Talc
Bike talc
Pre-2020 baby powder; baby power now is corn starch, and it will not work well.
Parts that might be Needed:
Ceramic bearings
Yeah, it’s worth it!
Get extra if you are going to eliminate the cage from a cup and cone bearing.
Bike chain
Caged bearings
Use the steel bearings if you must.
The steel bearings can be replaced with ceramic. Caged ceramic bearings are not a shelf item.
Cups and cones
They usually come as a set with the cup cone and caged bearings for both sides of the assembly.
Tires
Innertubes
Note: If you find worn parts, they should be replaced. However, sometimes parts are not immediately available, or they are not known to be worn before starting the maintenance. If necessary, worn parts can usually be reused as a stopgap when you need to get the bike working, but they should be replaced as soon as possible.
Health and Safety
Bike parts can be sharp or have metal slivers. This is especially true of:
Bearing cages
Axle rods
Axle slots on the fork and frame
If you are not using a bike stand, the bike will be awkward to handle when parts are removed.
After making any repair, road test the bike in a safe area out of traffic. Often parts will behave differently between a bench test and a road test.
Refer to the information printed on the container or a SDS for information on the chemicals being handled.
Bearings
Notice
Old bikes have been taken apart and put together by people with unknown mechanical ability. Don’t assume the bike assemblies are correctly assembled. Lay parts out in the order removed. Change the order if you are confident the order is not correct.
Parts may be:
missing
installed in the wrong order (usually washers), or
installed backwards (usually bearing cages).
Example of Worn Bearings
The cone is grooved where the bearings have gouged into it.
The cage has worn spots. This was caused by the cage being put in upside down. The cage took the wear because it was forced to also act as the cup. The cage is not hardened like the cup and wears easily.
This shaft wear was caused by very loose endplay.
Cleaning for Poorly Maintained Bearings
Follow these steps to maintain the bearings.
Frequency: Once, hopefully
Step
Action
1
Disassemble the bearing assembly.
2
Remove the ball bearings from the cages with a jeweler’s screwdriver.
Note: It is usually easier to pry from the inside of the cage.
3
Clean the heavy grease off the parts. Use toothpicks to clean grease from the bearing cage.
4
Soak parts in a degreaser.
5
Clean soaked parts and return to the degreaser if needed.
6
Use steel wool to remove any varnish that the degreaser could not remove.
7
Clean the cups with a degreaser-soaked rag and steel wool.
Note: They are often press fitted and can be tapped out with a screwdriver and a light hammer. However, don’t risk damaging the cup if it is tight.
8
Dry all parts to remove degreaser residue.
Cleaning for Well Maintained Bearings
Follow these steps to maintain the bearings.
Frequency: Annually or about every 500 miles
Step
Action
1
Disassemble the bearing assembly.
2
Wipe off old grease.
3
Clean with a degreaser.
Note: Unless the ball bearings are making cleaning hard, they do not need to be removed from the cage.
4
Dry all parts to remove degreaser residue.
Install New Ceramic Bearings in Cage
Follow these steps to install bearings in a cage.
Frequency: As needed
Step
Action
1
Set the clean, empty cage on the work mat.
2
Drop a few ball bearings into the center of the ring. Allow work room. They don’t have to all be added at once.
3
Force the balls into place by hand until each slot is filled.
4
If any bearings look like they might fall out of the cage, gently push down the retaining finger with a flat-blade screwdriver.
Note: The ball bearings should remain loose. The fingers should not hold them tight.
Loose Bearings
When installing loose ball bearings, it is better to have one too few than one too many. Install the number of bearings that will best fit around the cone without any ball forced out of the ring.
Grease can help hold the ball bearings in place. Gravity is also helpful. Keeping bearing cup and cone in a horizontal rather than vertical position will help keep them in place.
A pearl tweezers is handy to place the ball bearings into tight spaces.
Adjust Bearing End Play
Follow these steps to adjust the bearing end play on cone and cup bearings. This task applies to both races with free bearings and caged bearings.
Frequency: As need, end play may need to be adjusted when no other maintenance is necessary.
Step
Action
1
Hand tighten the cone nuts.
2
On wheel hubs, verify the axle threads are about even on both sides.
3
Use wrenches on the cone nuts to tighten the bearings until you can feel the bearing drag when it is spun.
Exception: The steering headset has a knurled nut that should be hand tightened.
4
If you are not using a cone nut wrench, back off the cone nut until the bearing spins without drag and back off about a 1/12 turn more.
If you are using a cone nut wrench, leave the cone nut set where the bearing spins without drag.
Note: This is a starting point, and you will have to learn to feel good end play. On old bikes it is impossible to give a torque and back-off specification.
5
On wheel hubs, the wheel will have to be set in their axle slot on the bike. The lock nuts also hold the wheel to the bike.
6
Tighten the lock nut(s).
7
The bearings should spin without drag or slop. You may have to readjust the cone nuts and retighten the lock nuts a couple of times to get it right.
Notes:
A cone nut wrench will make it much easier to adjust wheel hubs. It can be used to hold the cone nut and keep the lock nut from walking it too tight.
If you are using loose bearings, they may click when the end play is good and will click when it is too loose. Clicking alone does not indicate excessive end play.
Front Wheel Hub
Follow these steps to maintain the front wheel hub.
Frequency: Annually or about every 500 miles.
Step
Action
1
Remove the outer nuts from the shaft and remove the wheel.
2
Remove the washers.
3
Measure the distance from the end of the shaft to the nut before disassembling further. Write down the measurement for reassembly.
Note: If the shaft does not extend equally, adjust the measurement to allow the shaft to have the same length on each side when reassembled.
4
Finish disassembling the hub.
5
Clean the parts.
References:
Cleaning for Poorly Maintained Bearings
Cleaning for Well Maintained Bearings
6
Inspect the parts.
Put in the ceramic bearings.
Replace worn parts.
Photograph worn parts that cannot be immediately replaced to make it easy to order replacement parts.
7
Lightly grease the bearings.
8
Reassemble the hub.
9
Adjust the bearing end play.
Reference: Adjust Bearing End Play
Rear Wheel Hub – Bendix Red Band Hub
This is a red band hub. There are hubs with other color bands and multiple bands.
Follow these steps to maintain the rear wheel hub.
Frequency: Annually or about every 500 miles.
Note: It is easier to use caged bearings rather than loose bearings in the rear hub because there are many opportunities for loose bearings to fall out during reassembly, even with a sticky grease.
Step
Action
1
Remove the outer nuts from the shaft and remove the wheel.
2
Remove the clamp that holds the Bendix arm to the frame.
3
Remove the washers.
4
Measure the distance from the end of the shaft to the nut before disassembling further. Write down the measurement for reassembly.
Note: If the shaft does not extend equally, adjust the measurement to allow the shaft to have the same length on each side when reassembled.
5
Finish disassembling the hub.
6
Clean the parts.
References:
Cleaning for Poorly Maintained Bearings
Cleaning for Well Maintained Bearings
7
Inspect the parts.
Put in the ceramic bearings.
Replace worn parts.
Photograph worn parts that cannot be immediately replaced to make it easy to order replacement parts.
8
Lightly grease the bearings and Bendix threads.
If you use the brake hard, use a high temperature bike grease to keep from melting the grease out of the bearings. If you race cruiser bikes or brake going downhill a lot, you use the brakes hard.
Note: Do not grease the metal brake pad faces. They are tolerant of grease, but it doesn’t help.
9
Slide the bearing onto the sprocket assembly and insert them into the hub.
10
From the other side of the hub, insert the Bendix nut and thread it onto the sprocket assembly.
11
Slide the bearing onto the threaded axle. Slide them through the sprocket.
12
Drop in the brake pads.
13
Screw on the cone nut with the square head. The ears will have to drop between the brake pads. It is easiest to hold the nut and screw the axle into it.
14
Install the:
dust cover
Bendix arm, and
lock nut.
15
Adjust the bearing end play.
Reference: Adjust Bearing End Play
16
Tighten the Bendix arm down. Then back it off about a quarter turn. This adjusts how fast the brake grabs.
17
Put the chain on the sprockets.
18
Use a pry bar against the tire to tighten the chain. Make sure the tire is aligned with the frame.
19
Tighten the locking nuts.
20
Attach the clamp that holds the Bendix arm to the frame.
Bottom Bracket – Crank Bearing
Follow these steps to maintain the crank bearing.
Frequency: Annually or about every 500 miles
Important: It is easy to lose bearings in one of the bike frame tubes.
Step
Action
1
Remove the pedal from the crank on the side away from the sprocket. It is left hand threaded.
2
Remove the lock nut. It is left hand threaded.
3
Remove the washer.
4
Remove the cone nut, preferably with a pin spanner. It is left hand threaded.
5
Finish disassembling the bottom bracket.
6
Clean the parts.
References:
Cleaning for Poorly Maintained Bearings
Cleaning for Well Maintained Bearings
7
Inspect the parts.
Put in the ceramic bearings (with a cage or loose).
Replace worn parts.
Photograph worn parts that cannot be immediately replaced to make it easy to order replacement parts.
8
Lightly grease the bearings.
9
Reassemble the bottom bracket.
10
Adjust the bearing end play.
Reference: Adjust Bearing End Play
11
Install the pedal.
Steering Headset – Handlebar and Fork Bearings
Follow these steps to maintain the chain.
Frequency: Annually or about every 500 miles.
Step
Action
1
Remove the handlebar stem.
Loosen the wedge bolt.
Tap the bolt to loosen the wedge.
Pull out the stem.
2
Loosen the lock nut.
3
Loosen the knurled cone nut by hand. A channel lock pliers may be needed if it is stuck.
4
Slide the fork out of the headset.
5
Finish disassembling the headset.
6
Clean the parts.
References:
Cleaning for Poorly Maintained Bearings
Cleaning for Well Maintained Bearings
7
Inspect the parts.
Put in the ceramic bearings (with a cage or loose).
Replace worn parts.
Photograph worn parts that cannot be immediately replaced to make it easy to order replacement parts.
8
Lightly grease the bearings.
9
Reassemble the headset.
10
Adjust the bearing end play.
Reference: Adjust Bearing End Play
11
Install the handlebar stem. Make sure it is aligned with the front tire.
Chain
Maintenance
Follow these steps to maintain the chain.
Frequency: Monthly
Step
Action
1
Scrub the chain with a dish brush and soapy water, rinse with water, and dry. The goal is to clean off the grim. It is not to degrease the chain.
2
Inspect the chain for sticking links or grooved rollers. This chain is in good condition.
3
Put chain oil on the chain.
Note: Dry chain lubricant is not recommended. It doesn’t lubricate the internal parts of the pins and rollers well.
4
Verify the chain has about a half inch of slack when pushed with your fingers. Tension adjustments are done by sliding the rear hub forward and backward.
5
At least an hour after applying the oil, wipe the excess oil off the chain.
Replacement
Follow these steps to replace the chain.
Frequency: Five years or more
Caution: If the chain breaks, the bike will not have brakes. The coaster brake needs the chain to work. If you are unsure, replace the chain.
Step
Action
1
Observe how the chain is routed around the frame.
2
Loosen the rear hub to make the chain slack.
3
Remove the chain by either:
removing the quick link, or
breaking a link with the chain tool.
4
Verify the new chain has links that are the same size.
Note: If you get a coaster bike chain, it will be the right size. Expensive bikes that have different size chains.
5
Lay the new chain against the old chain and mark the new chain for length.
6
Wrap the new chain around the cogs and verify the length will be good.
7
Use the chain tool to remove the extra links.
8
Assemble the chain with either a
quick link, or
chain tool.
9
Adjust the tension and tighten the rear hub.
Tires
Inspection
Follow these steps to maintain the tires.
Frequency: Before each ride. It is surprisingly easy to not notice a low or flat tire when you start to ride.
Step
Action
1
Pinch the tire. If it is hard, the pressure is close to correct.
2
Sit on bike. If the tires look good, the pressure is fine
3
Look at the tread. The back tire tread is usually the first to wear out.
Note: Tire pressure can be adjusted for road conditions.
If most riding is done on
Then, adjust the pressure
Smooth roads
About 0 to 5 psi above the tire label to give the tires a smooth roll.
Bumpy roads
About 5 psi below to give the tires some shock absorbing bounce.
Replacement
Follow these steps to replace a tire and/or innertube.
Frequency: As needed after a flat or when the tire is worn out
Removal:
Step
Action
1
Let the air out of the innertube.
2
Mark the tire stem location on tire. This will make it easier to find the sharp object that punctured an innertube by aligning the tube leak and the tire.
3
Use the tire tools to remove one tire bead from the rim.
4
Pull out the innertube.
5
Finish removing the tire from the rim.
Inspection:
Step
Action
1
Inspect the rubber rim strip for places the spokes are poking through.
2
Inspect the innertube for leaks. Inflating it and submerging it in water or spraying it with soapy water will show the leaks.
If it is bad, replace it with a self-sealing innertube. It is usually not worthwhile patching a tube.
3
Look for the sharp object in the innertube. Run a cloth over the area to snag on the object if you can’t see it.
Caution: You could cut you finger if you run your finger inside the tire to find the sharp object.
Replacement:
Step
Action
1
If the rim strip is bad, it should be replaced. If immediate replacement is not an option, sections of bad innertube can be cut and placed over the protruding spokes.
2
Dust the inside of the tire and the innertube with talc.
Note: This step is helpful, but not necessary.
3
Roll one bead of the good tire onto the rim.
4
Slightly inflate the innertube. It should still be flabby.
5
Feed the innertube into the tire and pull the stem through the hole in the rim.
6
Roll the other bead onto the rim.
Important: do not pinch the tube between the tire and the rim. The tube will be punctured when it is inflated. You can recognize this puncture because it will have two holes like a snake bite.
7
Inflate the innertube to allow it to take shape. Squeeze the tire in several places to allow the tube to get into place without binding.
8
Release the air pressure.
9
Reinflate to full air pressure.
Lights
Follow these steps to maintain the front head light and rear marker light.
Frequency: As needed
About 4 hours of headlight use
About 15 hours of marker light use
Two pipe supports and a cheap flashlight have outlasted several bike headlights. Also, it has never gotten knocked out of alignment.
Step
Action
1
Replace batteries.
2
Put a little bike grease on the battery cover.
Note: Bike grease is generally safe on rubber O-rings.
3
Check for cracks in the case and repair if needed. This is most common on the marker light.
4
Make sure the mounts are secure.
5
At night, verify the headlight is aimed correctly and adjust if needed.
Revision History
Revision history of this document:
Rev No
Date
Description
0
15-DEC-2023
New Document – Joseph P. Laumeyer, Training Specialist and Technical Writer