Trek Antelope 830 repair
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I have a Trek Antelope 830, since 1992 or thereabouts. It's taken a lot of abuse so recently I took it into a bike shop for service. It has new tyres, brake pads and front wheel, but they did a terrible job with the gears which are still mostly unusable.
The problem is that the front gears wont shift properly, if at all. I have tried adjusting the derailer with the 2 screws but it seems like any combination wont work - the chain just grinds against it but doesnt budge; the chain will also completely come off sometimes, usually in heavy traffic. The other problem is that the highest (smallest size) rear gear will not grip the chain properly and usually skips teeth. There is certainly a lot of visible wear to the teeth, some of which are pretty blunted. Apart from squeaking, the rest of the bike functions quite well.
Im certainly not paying someone to fix the bike again; I would like to learn how to do it myself. Could anyone here point me in the right direction as to what I need to change, and if it would be financially viable against getting a new bike?
Note that the brakes and shifters are a combined unit. I believe the set is a Shimano Exage 300LX, but it would be annoying to replace that as I would have to pay for new brakes as well.
I have a Trek Antelope 830, .. recently I took it into a bike shop for service. .. the gears which are still mostly unusable.
...front gears wont shift properly, if at all. I have tried adjusting the derailer with the 2 screws but it seems like any combination wont work - the chain just grinds against it but doesnt budge;
The two screws set the limits of the derailleur's motion. They're probably set wrong if the chain can come off. BUT, if the chain is very worn and prone to skipping that might be the fault as well. They might be the reason why it won't change gear, but it's far more probable that wire length is to blame for this. If it won't change from small to big you need to shorten the wire, either by a barrel adjuster somewhere, or by using the screw that holds the wire to the derailleur itself.
The other problem is that the highest (smallest size) rear gear will not grip the chain properly and usually skips teeth. There is certainly a lot of visible wear to the teeth, some of which are pretty blunted.
There's no way around that, you definitely need a new set of sprockets for the rear and a new chain. maybe even new rings for the crank. Can't tell if that's a frewheel or a freehub.
Chains are cheap, freewheels/cassettes doesn't cost too much either. Chain rings tends to be a different matter, it might actually be cheaper to go for a new low-end crank instead. Some tools needed, chain splitter and a splined thingy (+ chain whip) to replace the cassette/freehub. Park tools and Sheldon Brown have good sites that explains further.
Either way, the cost of replacing a drivetrain wouldn't go far towards a new decent bike.
...Either way, the cost of replacing a drivetrain wouldn't go far towards a new decent bike.Not so sure. A new entry level steel Trek 820 or alum Trek 3500 is $240 - $250 respectively.
New drivetrain = estimate $70 not counting LBS labor
Crankset $40
Bottom Bracket $15
Chain $15
Cassette $15
New tires & tubes = $60
Tubes $3 each at Walmart
Tires $7 each at Walmart
Front Wheel $30
Front derailleur adjustment $10
Having to guess here on how much the OP spent but if he bought these items at an LBS I'd say $130 is a pretty conservative figure that would need to be spent to get the bike's drivetrain in like new shape. That doesn't include any LBS labor charges, replacements for the Shimano Exage 300LX, new brakes or derailleurs either. Nor does it include the time dicking around with it and having a chain pop off while riding in traffic.
Keeping in mind all of the future maintenance that will need to be done as it is an old abused bike (according to OP) it could very well end up costing almost as much as a new bike of the same quality grade. Actually, a new bike of the same grade would be a vast improvement due to the trickle down of technology in the components. Entry level bikes like this were designed to be ridden into the ground and tossed.
I have a Trek Antelope 830, since 1992 ...
Im certainly not paying someone to fix the bike again; I would like to learn how to do it myself. Could anyone here point me in the right direction as to what I need to change, and if it would be financially viable against getting a new bike?.I think Sydney has already given you the drill over here ... http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=121680
As painful as it may sound it is the correct advice.
I have a Trek Antelope 830, since 1992 or thereabouts. It's taken a lot of abuse so recently I took it into a bike shop for service. It has new tyres, brake pads and front wheel, but they did a terrible job with the gears which are still mostly unusable.
The problem is that the front gears wont shift properly, if at all. I have tried adjusting the derailer with the 2 screws but it seems like any combination wont work - the chain just grinds against it but doesnt budge; the chain will also completely come off sometimes, usually in heavy traffic. The other problem is that the highest (smallest size) rear gear will not grip the chain properly and usually skips teeth. There is certainly a lot of visible wear to the teeth, some of which are pretty blunted. Apart from squeaking, the rest of the bike functions quite well.
Im certainly not paying someone to fix the bike again; I would like to learn how to do it myself. Could anyone here point me in the right direction as to what I need to change, and if it would be financially viable against getting a new bike?
Note that the brakes and shifters are a combined unit. I believe the set is a Shimano Exage 300LX, but it would be annoying to replace that as I would have to pay for new brakes as well.
http://sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html
http://sheldonbrown.com/chains.html
http://sheldonbrown.com/cables.html
and some at:
http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQindex.shtml
Entry level bikes like this were designed to be ridden into the ground and tossed. And I said that the cost of drivetrain repair wouldn't go far towards a decent bike. Do you really consider a bike that isn't worth a drivetrain replacement to fit into that category?
And some of the items you've listed HAS alredy been paid for, like the new tires/front wheel etc. That's money down the drain if he can't get the bike rideable.
Sure, if the OP could turn back time to before he had the bike serviced in the first place, then an outright replacement would have been better, but that's no longer an option. This is all an excercise in damage control, and another $130 is still less than another $250. Besides, we don't know if he really needs new BB / shifters / derailleurs do we?
I've never had to replace a FD due to wear on a bike that's used as a beater, and very rarely RD's as well. New cables/housings/sleeves and sometimes pulleys together with a good clean and lube will usually go a long way to make a beater rideable again.
And I said that the cost of drivetrain repair wouldn't go far towards a decent bike. Then you're certainly not talking about a Trek 830. ;)
Do you really consider a bike that isn't worth a drivetrain replacement to fit into that category?
And some of the items you've listed HAVE alredy been paid for, like the new tires/front wheel etc. That's money down the drain if he can't get the bike rideable.
Sure, if the OP could turn back time to before he had the bike serviced in the first place, then an outright replacement would have been better, but that's no longer an option. This is all an excercise in damage control, and another $130 is still less than another $250. Besides, we don't know if he really needs new BB / shifters / derailleurs do we?
I've never had to replace a FD due to wear on a bike that's used as a beater, and very rarely RD's as well. New cables/housings/sleeves and sometimes pulleys together with a good clean and lube will usually go a long way to make a beater rideable again.The truth of it is, neither of us know what kind of shape (good or bad) this bike is in as we don't have it in front of us and can't see it or test ride it. We only know what he has told us and one of those things is... "The other problem is that the highest (smallest size) rear gear will not grip the chain properly and usually skips teeth. There is certainly a lot of visible wear to the teeth, some of which are pretty blunted." That tells me that he's let his chain stretch and wore out the rest of his drivetrain. People who don't know much about maintenance are pretty good at trashing their drivetrain. And if it's the original BB, the grease is probably turned to a melted peanut buttery sludge.
At least the the tires and tubes could be used on a new bike. The front wheel could be sold on ebay. The service he's already paid for is money out the window anyway as it didn't fix the problem he was having with shifting. That's why he's here.
You're right though. At this point it's an excercise in damage control. Neither of us know if another $130 will finish the job or if it will take another $130 on top of that. Ether way it's money down a rat hole. My take is he should cut his losses and run.
Then you're certainly not talking about a Trek 830. ;)
Well, Trek isn't that big over here, and I actually don't think we get the low-end models at all. You're right, I don't know what to expect from a Trek 830. (but thinking about ways to repair something is sure more fun than thinking about ways to scrap it :D )
The truth of it is, neither of us know what kind of shape (good or bad) this bike is in
Or what level of performance he actually requires out of his bike, which is equally important. You should see the bikes one of my relatives not only puts up with, but actually claims to enjoy 30-40 miles each week. As long as everything keeps turning and doesn't fall off he doesn't mind padding a busted saddle with bubble wrap, having mismatched cranks and pedals, and nursing the bike along using only 3 out of 7 rear sprockets.... Doing maintenace for him is breeze :D
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