| Motobecane project of mine.
I got my old Motobecane out and fixed what I could today and even rode
it a bit, to find all the sqeaks and things that needed attention. All
is well except for a few odds and ends. One is stopping me from riding
it at all. The left pedal was bent and falling apart and had to be
surgically removed with the help of a Dremel carbide grinding disc.
After getting the pedal unscrewed I find that not only is it a reverse
thread (left side) but it appears to be a non-standard size. I have some
pedals from newer childrens bikes but they are a smaller diameter than
even my Mongoose and slip right on through. A pedal from my Mongoose or
Schwinn Super Sport 'looks' like the correct thread but will only just
engage and then binds. Does anybody know what a 1950-1960s Motobecane
would be likely to use? This bike is entirely European with non-drop
bars and 27" x 1 3/8 tires. It also uses the pin attach for the cranks
so I was able to use an old Schwinn vintage 1960s crank on the right
side, but had no such thing for the left. I am trying to get this bike
fixed up as a ridable museum piece, for lack of a better description.
The tech group might ask me why am I bothering. Even the 9 year old brat
next door said why am I working on junk, that he has new bikes. I don't
think he would have bought the Chinese junk thing I was about to lay on him.
Any help appreciated. E-bay or a junk shop is a last resort.
Bill Baka
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