Man, grief.
OK so basically during the mid to late 90s some one realised that 10mm axles* (*I know they are not 10mm they are Imperial) were too thin and changed the whole thing around so that BMX bikes used 14mm axles. I guess it was to add strength for things like pegs etc. A good idea, but caused some headaches back then. You would either have to cut your frame or file the axles flat down to 10mm.
OK, so basically the bike I bought back in '14 that got nicked had 10mm dropouts. This is because most race BMXes did not need 14mm axles (and it added weight) so they stayed at 10mm. Only problem is the bike I bought (well the frame and forks) has 14mm dropouts.
Not a problem, I will just buy what I did before (Primo 14-10mm washers) and bolt the wheels straight on. Problem is Primo no longer exist and so anything custom made costs lots of money. In the end I decided to settle on some Diamondback 10-14mm screw on adapters. They are long enough so you can use pegs..
The only problem is they have a fat circular part that is flattened to use a spanner on. This extra width means the wheel axles are too wide if you just bolt them over your existing axles.
So basically I needed to remove the cone lock nuts and then substitute them with these axle adapters. Problem is some one obviously has air tools in China and they were done up by King Kong.
I started out with two spanners and managed to get one side off (but the lock nut refused to budge I had to take it and the conical nut out that goes into the bearings.
So you know what's next.. One side comes off, bearings all over the place and then the other side is locked tight. Trying to hold a greased spindle with a pair of pliers is hand damage. I don't have a cone nut spanner (I will order one tomorrow to nip them up) so I ended up having to hold the axle with a monkey wrench the right way so that it bit into the axle when I turned it.
Finally managed to get them off, adapters are now on. Will nip them and adjust properly when I get the tools.
Also. My friend went ahead and belatedly bought me the ltd ed Mushroom 2s for my birthday (quick reminder).
Frame goes to powder tomorrow. Really can't wait
Still waiting on a few items to arrive (number plate which I think is at the post office, fork stickers which should be here tomorrow, seat and brake parts from Hong Kong that are taking ages).
But yeah, this time next week I should have my bike back all ready to assemble
Oh yeah, the crank spacer is too wide (it's like a tube) so I gotta cut that down (oh what fun :S ) and I totally forgot just how many small parts there are when you just take a raw frame and fork and turn it into a bike ! it's insane..
Oh yeah last thing, tyres came today and they are amazing