April 02, 2016

Levena gear and seat post replacement

Rebena gear exchange

My 18 inch bike for kids, Bridgestone's Rebenna, was getting smaller, so I replaced the gears and seat post.

[Things prepared]

  • Replacement crank 36T 127mm (Rinei W guard gear crankset)
  • Seatpost 27.2mm 300mm (TIOGA AL2000)
  • without cotterless
  • chain cutter
  • replacement chain
  • Ordinary tools (hexagon wrench, monkey wrench)

[About exchange]

Rebena's gear ratio is too light, so if you grow up a little, you'll want to make it heavier. However, even if you want to replace the gear, there is not much information on the net, so I will upload it for reference. Since the gear of the rear wheel cannot be changed, it is easy to replace the gear crank with the pedal. The cranks used are 127mm 36T, and if they are larger than that, they may interfere with the frame. This product is perfect because the color is black. On the other side, the genuine crank is made of aluminum and is light, so it is better to leave it as it is.

Rebena gear exchange Size comparison of old and new cranks. It's going to be a lot bigger.

【important point】

Remove the pedals, replace the chain side cranks, and replace the chain. I will also replace the seat post before and after. You can find out more about each job by searching online. Nothing special, just like a regular car. If you are used to it, it will be a simple task. However, I have never played around with a bicycle before, so it took me quite some time. It took me a while to remove the pedals (too hard) and replace the chain. In particular, the chain does not match the length, and it will inevitably become loose. I noticed after worrying about it, but I can adjust it later by pulling the chain. (Of course.) Basically, it's easy if you have the tools, and I think you can do it all yourself.

[After replacement]

The Rebena is a very well made children's bike, characterized by its very light weight (7.9kg). If you replace it with a 22 inch, it will be about 11 to 13 kg at once. There are no alternatives, so many people may want to ride a little longer. I think that you can use it as it is until you can ride 26 inches (or 24 inches) with this exchange. Moreover, the plastic chain cover that used to look like a children's bicycle has been replaced with a geared crank with a guard, giving it a clean and sporty look. In this case, I wonder if I'll remove the mudguard that looks bad. It's the Levna Sport version because it's better to change gears and ride faster.

In fact, it would be perfect if the stem or handlebar was a little further away and the rear brake was replaced with a servo brake, but I actually bought a 24 inch, so I'll stop here. It seems to be active for driving around the neighborhood for a while.