Need assistance repairing the pivots on a cruiser bike

[Ian Calandro]

First, some context.

I have two bikes, a 29" mountain bike (that I bought off craigslist and repaired) and a 26" cruiser bike (that I have had for about seven years now). I am 6'4" and the 29" bike fits me better, so I use it a lot more. That bike is in currently in need of repairs (the front crankset is bent, which I have no idea how that happened) and I decided to use the cruiser bike until I could get the mountain bike repaired. When I rode it I noticed that the bike was very wobbly.

After further inspection I pinned down the wobbliness to two locations: the bike stem and the bottom pivot. The latter is what I am inquiring about.

But before I get into two much detail, here is a link to an auction of the same model of bike:
https://www.shopgoodwill.com/Item/68609973

Yes, I know it's a cheap walmart bike, but this was seven years ago, I didn't care as much back then.

Here are some pictures of the problem area:
https://imgur.com/a/oxzOXGY

Now that I got all of that out of the way, I have two questions to ask.

First question: How would I go about assessing this problem? What tools should I use? What procedures should I take?

Second question: Is it even worth it?

Like I said before, this is a cheap walmart bike. Since it is too small for me my goal is to hopefully repair it and sell it. But considering that is retails new at $120 I'm not even sure if it's worth it. Already I might have to get a new freewheel and stem for it, so that's a lot of repairs for something I cannot sell for that much.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts, and thank you in advance.

[CharleyFarley]

(06-30-2019, 11:54 AM)Ian Calandro Wrote:  ...Here are some pictures of the problem area:
https://imgur.com/a/oxzOXGY

First question: How would I go about assessing this problem? What tools should I use? What procedures should I take?

Second question: Is it even worth it?

Like I said before, this is a cheap walmart bike. Since it is too small for me my goal is to hopefully repair it and sell it. But considering that is retails new at $120 I'm not even sure if it's worth it. Already I might have to get a new freewheel and stem for it, so that's a lot of repairs for something I cannot sell for that much.
...

First, I'd check the tire pressures and make sure they are in good shape. Next, I'd check the wheel bearings to make sure one or both wheels are not wobbling.
I'm not sure what you mean by 'stem.' Are you referring to the saddle stem? Is the seat tube (which the stem goes into) cracked? If so, it's an aluminum frame and you'd need someone who does aluminum welding. That would probably cost more than the bike is worth.

Without being able to look directly into the pivot retainers I couldn't say what kind of tools you would need. Perhaps you could search it online, but as with cheap bikes, it might not be fixable. Parts would likely be a problem to obtain.

I just rebuilt the same bike that somebody threw on the dump. The pedals wouldn't turn, the brakes didn't work, the chain was rusty and hanging off. It had been left out in the rain and badly neglected. One of the BB (bottom bracket) bearings was rusted badly and disintegrated, and the other one was in bad shape. So two new BB crankshaft bearings, two new brake cables and a new gear cable, the bike was in good shape. The frame was clean. The tires were in great shape. If they had been bad I wouldn't have wasted time and money on it. It now sits in the shed, and I've advertised it for $40. No calls, so far. And if it doesn't sell, I'll try to find someone who needs a bike but doesn't have the money, and I'll give it to them.