Guide to Stripping Bikes and Sorting Parts

Introduction

Often at the Bike Kitchen we strip down bikes that are severely broken or unlikely to be reused. The components that we strip go into the digging stream so people can use them to build up other bikes. Also, when you're completely overhauling your own bike, you start by stripping it down, but it's the former case we're most concerned with here.

It is also worth noting that to strip or not strip a bike has its own issues :

• usable components don't get stripped and end up in metal recycling
• components that are not reusable often make it into digging stream
• components are often stripped or made incomplete, also making them unusable.

Why Do we have this guide ?

We often have untrained volunteers strip bikes. This has leads to some problems:

• Usable components are left on the frame and are thus lost when the frame is recycled
• Non-usable components are put into the digging stream
• Usable components are themselves taken apart, making them non-usable
• Volunteers do not learn how the different components are put together and work, defeating the purpose of having them strip the bikes

We therefore wrote this step-by-step guide to stripping a bike for the uninitiated. You'll need some bike vocabulary to get it. One of the best places to look up such vocabulary on-line is Sheldon Brown's Glossary of Bicycle Terms.

To some extent, these steps can be re-ordered. Depending on the condition of the bike that you are stripping, you may also skip some steps. The order below is the ideal one to follow. Perhaps one day we will add some photos to make this more interesting and useful.

When do you strip a bike ?

The easy answer is, "When it makes sense." There is no hard and fast rule about stripping a bike, but you could apply the following rules:

• Can the bike be built up by a member starting "as is?" --> The bike should not be stripped.
• Does the bike need parts removed just to get it working, as when major components are broken? --> Such components should be stripped.
• Does the bike have unique parts that should stay together and with the frame? --> These should stay on the bike.
• Will the bike get used as is, or do we just want the parts? --> If the frame is unlikely to be claimed (for example, if it is a very unpopular style), we may remove components even if the frame is re-usable.
• Is the frame junk? --> Strip it.

If you are unsure whether something should be stripped, ASK!

The process

Accessories

Accessories include any parts that are not essential to the basic operation of the bike. Some examples include:

• Lock mounting brackets
• Cycle-computer mounting brackets
• Water-bottle cages
• Racks
• Seat bags
• Light mounting brackets
• Mirrors

Get these out of the way.

Sorting

If the accessories are complete (light mounts with lights; computer mounts with the computer, the sensor, and the magnet et cetera), bundle them up and file them with similar complete accessories.

Disposal

If the accessories are incomplete, throw them away or recycle them.

What do we do about water-bottle cages and racks? 
They are almost always complete but we don't seem to store them.

Cables and Housing

Most bikes have up to four cables that each run through one or more lengths of housing: one for each brake and one for each shifter. Removing the cables and housing makes the rest of the stripping job simpler and cleaner.

Removal

• Trim off the any aluminum cable crimps at the ends of the cables (These will be projecting out past the brakes and derailers) using the cable cutters.
• Loosen the anchor bolt that holds the cable to the derailer or brake.
  • 'Do not completely remove the anchor bolt!'
• Pull the cable through the anchor bolt
  • Trim off any frayed or crimped end using the cable cutters.
• Slide the cable through the housing.
• Cables have molded ends that are held in place within the brakes and shifters. Once the cable is loosened and pulled out of the housing, try to extract it from the brake or shifter to which it is attached. If you don't know how to do this, ask a mechanic.
• The housing should come out of the frame easily.

Sorting

• If the cables are in really good condition, you can usually save longer cables like the rear brake and derailer cables. The same goes for longer pieces of housing. This is not a place to be over-zealous, though. Cables and housing are meant to be replaced at semi-regular intervals. In particular, if a cable is corroded, kinked or frayed, it should be recycled.
  • Coil up all cables tightly so that they won't unwind into a big mess. This includes any cables to be recycled!

Disposal

• Waste cables can go in the metal recycling.
• Waste housing goes in the trash.

Wheels

Take off each wheel

• Ensure that the skewer or nuts that hold it remain in place

Inspect the tires

• Are they really worn out?
• Are the side walls failing?
• Are there any big cuts or tears?
• Are they in reasonable condition, but either very common or a size that doesn't get reused much (e.g., knobby 26" MTB tires, 24")?

If so, take them off and throw them away.

If they are in good shape and popular reuse candidates (e.g., 27", slick 26"), store them with the tires.

Inspect the inner tubes

• If the valve is torn, or if the tube has a big tear or blow out
  • throw it away.
• If the tube is flat? If there's only one or two holes
  • put the tube in the 'tibes with holes so it can be checked and patched
• if the tube is good
  • get as much air out as possible, wrap up the tube, and put it in the appropriate good bin.

Inspect the freewheel or cassette.

• remove the Cassette or freewheel
  • be sure that all of the spacers, all of the cogs, and the lock ring are zip-tied together
• Is it obviously worn out or broken?

• • If it is, Take it off and recycle it.

• • Otherwise, Remove it and put it with its cousins.

Inspect the Hubs

• Are the axles broken?
• Are any lock nuts missing?
• Is the hub really loose or does it appear very worn out?
• Is it grindy?
• Is the axle missing entirely?

If any of these are true, the hub may need some major work before it can be reused. This work may be worth it if there's a prayer of finding the parts and if the wheel is otherwise in good shape (see next paragraph). Ask if you need help evaluating this. However, if the hub is in decent shape, move on to consider the rest of the wheel.

Now inspect the wheels. Are they relatively straight? Are all of the spokes present? Are the nipples in good shape (i.e., not stripped or excessively corroded)? If you've made it this far, the wheel is probably good. Put it with wheels of the same size. Sometimes the wheel is pretty bent or missing a spoke or two. Determining how fixable a bent up wheel is can sometimes be difficult to predict. If you have any doubts, ask. If the wheel is completely bent, corroded, or otherwise broken, throw it in the recycle bin.

If the wheels are in really good shape, match, and have matching tires, you may consider zip tying them together and putting them on the rack for reuse. This is a pretty rare case.

Chain

Remove the chain with a chain tool. If you don't know how to use one, ask for help. Please avoid bending or breaking the chain pin on the tool. After you have the chain off, grab a chain gauge or a ruler and measure the it. Is it worn out or super rusty? Put it in the metal recycling. Is it in okay shape? Put it in the chain bucket in the digging room.

Derailleurs

With the cables, housing, and chain removed, the derailleurs should come right off. Ensure that the cable anchor bolts and all mounting hardware are tightly fastened to the derailleur so they don't get lost as the derailleur tumbles around in the storage bin with its cousins.

Further Information

A Note on Parts and components

Bikes are made of components. Components are made of parts. A component that is missing some parts is not useful until you dig up the missing parts. In order for the component to work, the parts must be compatible. In some cases, achieving compatibility is not a big deal. For example, many many brakes use the same cable anchors, and those cable anchors can be readily found in the shop. When compatible parts are not readily available, or when it's not obvious which parts are compatible, you're stuck substituting and experimenting. I've seen some pretty extraordinary successful substitutions, and I've seen some pretty big disasters. In fact, a whole book could be written on this topic. But here we minimize the need for substitution and experimenting by ensuring that the components we strip off of bikes are complete. This results in bikes that work better.