A tale of two bikes



strava4days

Banned
Jan 10, 2016
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So, recently I went and got a new chain for my mountain bike, cleaned the drive train ( did this a month before as well but the jockey wheels were looking dirty and I wanted to make sure the whole drivetain was clean before putting on a new chain). So anyway I did all of that, relubed it, then the next day when I went into town to pay for my jersey, the chain kept on skipping and popping.
My bike is a seven speed with 3 on the crank.
so I asked on of the people at the bike shop if he could take a look at it, he rode it then told me that the cassette probably needs replacing.
we went back in to the bike shop and he adjusted the deraileur, which was apparently bent, and said that I should probably replace that too ( I don't remember his exact words), and so I figured that I would be best that I just got a full tune up for it,which would cost about 100, plus parts.

Now just a little while earlier, I found this bike in the trash, and basically it had a light frame but nobby tires
and two gears on the crank, so I figure it might be a cyclocross bike, which is great because that is the exact bike that i'd like for the terraine where I live.
I put some pictures down below.

So now i'm not sure whether I should try and restore the cyclocross bike with parts from the mountain bike, sell both, restore the mountain bike then restore the cyclocross bike, should I just restore the mountain bike and sell the cyclocross bike to a salvager, thoughts?

Also this cyclocross bike is weird, brake calipers are strange and it has a brake cable going through the handle bars.
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If I were you, I would fix my mountain bike simply because it rightfully belongs to you. With that junk you found in the trash, it's up to you if you want to have it fixed too and then choose between the 2. However, it would be a good choice if you will just have the junk fixed and have it as a reserved bike for you. It looks like that junk had caught your fancy.
 
Agree with Corzhens. I'd put that junker back in the trash. You need to spend the money to fix up one bike with what it needs, not take on a second project that will cost way too much. Any bike with rust is generally a bad idea anyway.

Cassettes and chainrings are considered wearout parts, just like chains and tires. I've found on my road bike I need to replace the cassette with every second chain, or at around 10K mile intervals. (If not, the new chain will skip on the worn cassette under heavy loads).

Give your current bike what it needs, you'll be surprised with how much better it goes.
 
Thanks for the advice, I think i'll just fix the mountain bike as that way there isn't any risk of things going wrong with it that I don't know about, thanks again for the advice.

Also does anyone know what are going one with those brake callipers?
 
Thanks for the advice, I think i'll just fix the mountain bike as that way there isn't any risk of things going wrong with it that I don't know about, thanks again for the advice.

Also does anyone know what are going one with those brake callipers?
FIRST. The brake calipers are NOT strange. Those are standard Shimano-type CANTILEVER brake calipers.

SECOND. Without knowing what your current MTB is, although the MIYATA may be a bit too large a frame for you AND there were many different models, even in its neglected condition the Miyata is probably 10x nicer than your MTB's frame.

BTW. IMO, instead of handing $100+ to your LBS, you may want to consider spending time reading the Parktool.com website + the Sheldonbrown.com website & checking Youtube (just to name the obvious resources) and learning to DIY ...

BECAUSE, the harsh reality is that if your current MTB only has a 7-speed Freewheel-or-Cassette then it probably isn't worth $100 unless it has an exceptionally rare frame OR possibly some rare components ...

For example, a vintage Ritchey MTB with XT components might be worth more than $1000 to the right person if the condition were exceptional ...​

So, you are probably better off ponying up for some "new" components on an as-need or as-desired (cosmetics DO matter, sometimes!) basis.​
 
1. Fix your current bike. Yes, it does need a new cassette from the sound of it.

2. Keep the beater you found in the trash. It's just a low-end Miyata, but if you can scrounge parts and use it as a training ground to teach yourself bicycle mechanics it will be effort well spent.

I don't know where the OP lives, but in my area there are lots of decent bikes tossed in the trash. Replacement parts salvaged from department store and big box store bicycles would soon have that Miyata looking good, working perfectly and the bonus of having a backup bike and mad wrenching skillz. Win-win!
 
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Agree with Corzhens. I'd put that junker back in the trash. You need to spend the money to fix up one bike with what it needs, not take on a second project that will cost way too much. Any bike with rust is generally a bad idea anyway.

Cassettes and chainrings are considered wearout parts, just like chains and tires. I've found on my road bike I need to replace the cassette with every second chain, or at around 10K mile intervals. (If not, the new chain will skip on the worn cassette under heavy loads).

Give your current bike what it needs, you'll be surprised with how much better it goes.

Naa man listen to Bob.
You can fix that baby up for next to nothing, and you will learn a few things along the way.
Once it's rocking there's a lot you can do with it.
 
If you buy parts at retail (and you will need to if you're new to this), that junker will end up costing more than a decent used bike. If you pay a shop to do it, it will end up costing more than a new low-end hybrid. However you do it, the finished bike will still be worth a lot less than the money you put into it.

My advice is, if you want to learn how to fix bikes, start with maintaining something that works. You need a baseline, a reference point, of how things are supposed to work.
 
thanks for the replies everyone, I feel like I kinda dodged a bullet.
1. Fix your current bike. Yes, it does need a new cassette from the sound of it.

2. Keep the beater you found in the trash. It's just a low-end Miyata, but if you can scrounge parts and use it as a training ground to teach yourself bicycle mechanics it will be effort well spent.

I don't know where the OP lives, but in my area there are lots of decent bikes tossed in the trash. Replacement parts salvaged from department store and big box store bicycles would soon have that Miyata looking good, working perfectly and the bonus of having a backup bike and mad wrenching skillz. Win-win!

I live in Australia, NSW, the roads around here are a bit rough so that's why i'm thinking CX or mtb.

also here are the pictures of the mountain bike.
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I would like to do all the tune ups myself but I just don't have the skills to do it properly yet, or the reserve of tools, but I think i'll take your advice bob and just keep to maintaining the mtb, but I think i'll also scrounge for some parts so I can use the miyata as 2nd hand back up.
 

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I prefer to fix it but sometimes it can be damn expensive that you wonder if it is better to just buy a new one.