Posts in Category: Project
LeRun Restoration
Nice restoration. Love the colours. Here are the emails between Theresa, John N and myself.
Hi, My name is Theresa Ness, of Chester Iowa. I picked up this LeRun at a flea market a few weeks ago. I didn’t know what it was, and was told it was a training unicycle. My curiosity and price convinced me to buy it. Through your website, have learned not only what these are, but that they can be restored.
I focused on the front part right away as I don’t know anything about skateboards. A skateboard shop got me on the right track. The bushings were completely worn out (see pics), and the tires were original (says LeRun on them) but were dry hardened. I was able to get all these parts replaced.
Today I took apart the tire, as the rubber was very dry rotted. There was a lot of dirt in the axle, so I took it apart, taking pics of the progress to make it easier to put back together. However, when I took apart the bearings on the inside, it all popped apart, I can’t tell which goes where, and if these pieces that I don’t recognize, can be replaced (see pic).
I do plan to strip the frame down and repaint it, as there are rust spots. I am unsure if it’s worth trying to get a replica brand sticker.
I know VERY basic bike mechanics (I am a touring cyclist), and thought this would be a fun little restoration. But I would greatly appreciate any information and advice on getting this LeRun rolling.
-Theresa N
Theresa
Nice ride. Jon is our LeRun heavy having restored several. The front truck looks great. How much you tighten the screw effects vertical stability. Also depending on your weight a firm spacer helps. I usually run 90+
On the site if you look at the LeRun posts there are many pages of info.
https://skatebike.org/category/garel-lerun-max/lerun/
On Nick’s page is a LeRun template for the logo
The wheel inside is standard coaster brake setup
https://sheldonbrown.com/coaster-brakes.html Sheldon is the wiki of bike repair
https://www.parktool.com/en-us/blog/repair-help/coaster-hub-overhaul-pedal-brake-hub
Rich Helms
Hi Theresa, that’s a really cool Lerun! I checked out the photos and looks like it’s in good condition. It looks like you’ve got an extra bushing put in the truck set up, there’s no need for the black bushing and metal spacer in there, but if it works for you then stick with it! I use 96a bushings on mine and have the hanger (the axle with skateboard wheels) quite loose but would recommend starting with it quite tight and loosen it when you get more confident on it.
It looks like you’ve got the coaster brake workings in the right order in the photo, the bearings will rest in the wheel hub, screw the driver into the clutch, the brake pads need to be pushed on a little. Basically when you back pedal the clutch will move backwards and push the bake pads against the wheel hub wall to stop the wheel turning. Alternatively you can get a 12 inch wheel off another bike and put that on it, the standard coaster brake Lerun used is pretty twitchy of either nothing or skidding. I have deactivated or change wheel on most of mine and run it without brakes and use my foot instead.
When riding I’d say the main thing to remember is the faster you go the easier it is to balance, like if you were riding a bike with no hands.
I hope the restoration goes well, give me a shout with how you get on with the wheel
Hello again!
I figured I’d send you pics of the completely customization/restoration of my LeRun. It’s already got a few miles on it.
New parts:
- KMC bike chain
- OJ Hot Juice wheels 78a 60mm
- Kris Holm KH double post seat clamp
- Twisted Tangerine PC pedals
- WD 12.5x 2.25″ Black/Neon Green tire.
- Glow in the dark duck valve stem cap
- Painted by myself with Rustoleum neon spray paint and clear coated.
People asked about the seat restoration. See last 5 images in the gallery.
It had a thin plastic barrier between the seat and metal mount, which I had taken off because it was crummy. I put a piece of window barrier plastic, cut to size, in its place. I figure it is an anti rust/corrosion barrier and the window plastic is thicker and hardier. I painted the exposed metal underneat with rust protectant black spray paint. Outside of the plastic barrier and nuts (as I prefer lock nuts), all parts are original to the seat.
The other pictures are for the specific question on Facebook. I put an Australian dollar coin that can be used for scale of part sizes (since it was an Australian who asked).
Nick’s Minson Restoration – Nick Z – NJ
Hello!
Nick from New Jersey here. Some time ago I entered a hardware store with one of my unicycles. (I rode it there) The person behind the counter asked me if I was familiar with skate bikes. I was not. But I was intrigued. Later that day I went on Facebook market place and found my first one. Soon after I dropped off the frame to get powder coated and then evennntually got it all the cleaned up. I needed the seat to be higher so the seat post is new, tire, skateboard truck with wheels are new. And a few little other things like the chain. I did keep the original cottered cranks and rim. Just cleaned them up. The seat is original, for now just have a black cover on it. Maybe I’ll add a black modern seat. Annnd I redid/designed the sticker using photoshop! It’s also reflective like the original. I had it printed out by carstickers.com
I also own 2 more skate bikes, a LeRun and an AXL
Needless to say these odd bikes are nice convo starters and neat to take to unicycle meet ups where sometimes different odd bikes may pop up.
Nice job Nick. That is quite the collection. Rich
Beautiful LeRun Restoration – Yujin – Singapore
Yujin from Singapore contacted us on Jan 29, 2023 with questions on restoring his LeRun. Yujin was looking for the LeRun sticker. I forwarded Nick’s template he used on his restoration.
Today:
Gosh has it been 1.5 years. Anyway, i’m happy to declare that my Lerun restoration is complete. I did my best to restore it on my own, but after a whole year of struggling, I had to get some help. The condition of the skate bike was quite poor and it was a challenge to disassemble. I sent everything to a bike restorer, who chromed the metal parts, re-upholstered the seat, and de-rusted and re-painted the skatebike for me. I gave him the stencil you shared with me earlier, and he used it.
Once I got it all back, I bought the bushings from amazon, pivot cups from Lazada, a new chain, and here is the final product. With before and after pictures.
Rgds,
Yujin
What a beautiful restoration. Well done Yujin.
Chrome LeRun Restoration – Jon N – UK
I had seen this chrome Lerun for sale and had a vision of how it could look with a few changes. Whilst I’m not able to verify a production date it has a few differences from the other Lerun models and I believe this is from towards the end of the Lerun skatebikes, if you have a record of when you bought your Lerun from a shop please get in touch!
The crank has 36 teeth like the previous Lerun models however the rear wheel has a 12 tooth gear on it rather than 14, the serial number is different in that now it is a sticker with the number on rather than being stamped into the metal on one of the wheel-stays. There was no seatpost housing when I purchased it but I did try it with the housing from a different one, do you think it looks better with or without it?
As it has a mirror-like chrome finish my vision was to swap out the rear black 5 spoke rear wheel and put in a chrome wheel with as many spokes as I could find and put some distinctive skateboard wheels on to top it all off. I managed to source a 52 spoke 12” coaster brake wheel through ebay and was shipped from the USA with a 16 tooth gear pre-installed and I also purchased a Duro whitewall tyre that was wider than the previous Kenda whitewalls I have used on other models and also has a wider whitewall section than Kenda tyres.
I tried some 70mm skateboard wheels initially but they were slightly too big and were changing the angle of the seatpost to be leaning back slightly so I switched to some 60mm shark wheels which maintain the 90 degree seatpost angle. Shark wheels are fantastic and definitely get more looks and interest from people with their unique design that looks like it would be a rough ride but have a perfectly round end-view profile.
Riding with the 16 tooth gear means it’s more of a cruiser rather than speed demon however this could be made faster by switching to a gear with fewer teeth. This isn’t one I’ll be using down at a skate-park anytime soon but definitely widens the spectrum on how skatebikes can look!
Jon N (UK) at Instagram: @SkateBikeUK
See Jon’s Chrome Minson Restoration
Chrome Minson Restoration – Jon N – UK
Before
After
This second generation chrome Minson needed some serious TLC to bring it back to life and I could see the potential of how it could be with a good clean and some new parts!
The rear wheel was in a poor state and full of rust and whilst I’m into the distressed, relic and steampunk aesthetic it wasn’t in keeping with the vision I had for this one so I sourced a 72 spoke 16” form ebay which has a coaster brake built in. The new wheel gives it a much cleaner and lavish look, I had taken inspiration from low-rider bikes I had seen online and thought it would be interesting to see if it was possible to try and do something similar for a skatebike.
The seatpost was an issue as it had rusted and fused to the frame. I had to send it off to a specialist who has a device that can pull out pretty much any seatpost without damaging the frame. This was an added expense however this Minson needed saving! Whilst it could have been used by younger people at the height it was stuck at, it was far too low for me (just over 6 foot) and so it was a necessary spend. It’s a 25.0mm seatpost and I opted for a 400mm long model to give me the greatest range and also still leave ample depth in the frame.
The brake cable and callipers were yellow/gold initially so I switched these to blue options to try and match the saddle colour and the brake leaver colour. As the saddle is higher I got a slightly longer brake cable that I had sourced from ebay and that was designed for a Raleigh Chopper but had a good length for a skatebike.
I also put on a new chain and gave the frame a good clean with cola initially and then used some Autosol on a shammy to try and bring out more of the shine. The skateboard truck was switched as the rubber had eroded in the pivot cup and I couldn’t locate a replacement that would fit so switched over the full truck.
Riding the Minson is different to the Lerun and Max/AXL models and feels more sturdy due to the increased distance between the front and rear wheels and the crank is slightly closer to being directly underneath the seatpost. The 16” wheel does feel a bit quicker than the Lerun with it’s 12” wheel, however, the biggest change difference is the braking. Personally I prefer the coaster brake option rather than the handle and callipers however it’s great to have the ability to use both!
This Minson has come a long way since I took receipt of it and I’m pleased with how it has turned out, if you could do something different to a skatebike, what would it be?
Jon N (UK) at Instagram: @SkateBikeUK
See Jon’s Chrome LeRun Restoration
Restoring an Original AXL – Linda M – Florida
Linda M. (Florida, USA) and her husband bought this AXL for their 12 year old son in the mid 1990’s. They decided to restore it as a Christmas present for their 11 year old grandson.
The frame was stripped and powder coated. The seat was commercially redone.
Before
After
Mats van der Gugl – Slovenia
Mats van der Gugl has some skatebikes in Slovenia. Here are Instagram posts from him.
I’ve attached a shot from Instagram of a design similar to the Lerun but with a 16inch wheel. Mats said it was a Slovenian bike maker who made it. Looks pretty cool.
Jon N (UK)Jon asked:
@skatebikeuk
Is the red one a Lerun too? I’ve not seen a 16inch wheel Lerun, looks very cool!mats.garage.67
@skatebikeuk No, it’s a “PlayBike”, made in a small Slovenian local bike shop in 80’s. I admit didn’t know for them till I got one in my hands 😉
Steampunk SQRL
Here is an interesting Steampunk SQRL that Jon N (UK) found on Instagram. Hey @rosierockets, amazing paint job.
Out for a little ride – Jon N – UK
Jon Newton (UK) rode 11 miles on his Garel skatebike in the heat! He injured his ankle in June so have been resting for a bit. In the words of his idol Richard O’Brien ‘Would you start the fans please!!!’ He has no idea when he got up to 17.7mph
SkateBike.org Paper Truck
Here is a fun activity for the kids. Print and assemble a SkateBike.org Paper Truck. Chris at PaperTruckLogo.com made the pattern for me. Print on a card stock, cut out and glue together.
PaperTruckLogo_papercraft_vw_camper_SkateBike
Click to Download the Pattern to Print pdf