Front Wheel Rehab

Well it's time to replace the old "roller" front wheel with my semi-restored front wheel.

For comparison, here's what my bike looks like with the wheel I use to "roll it around" while working on it (above).

The old bearings on the semi-restored front wheel were in need of replacement.  One wheel bearing had frozen up.  So, I used my trusty split-collet extractor tool to pop out the bearings.  This tool comes in handy if you do a lot of bearing removal (I also used it to remove steering bearing races). In the photo (above), I had just driven out one bearing.  You can see it stuck on the collet. It's amazing how simple bearing removal is with this tool.

Here's a little more detail - the collet is on the right and the driver punch tip is on the left (junked bearing in the middle).  All you have to do is place the small spilt side of the collet into the bearing and drive in the blade of the punch driver into the split.  The collet expands and grips the bearing - then all you do is pound the punch with a hammer and voila! The bearing pops out. 

Here's the "after" photos.  I installed new wheel bearings, seals, new brake shoes, the new tire, and added the required grease.

It looks so much better.  The rear wheel is next.