How best to improve a cheap bike?

[Pyromancer]

I live 10 minutes drive, and 30 minutes cycle, from my office, and
currently cycle about two days out of five. I really enjoy the ride,
even though it is right through Leeds city centre on some decidedly
dodgy routes, with maniac bus drivers and suicidal pedestrians providing
equal risks, even in the middle of busy dual carriageways!

My current bike is a bog standard big clunky fixed-frame 100 quid
ex-catalogue reject MTB, bought from Langsett Cycles in Sheffield about
six years ago and somewhat abused since - it spent several years living
outside, had the original saddle, seatpost, and seatpost bolt nicked,
and gained lots of evil looking, but functionally harmless, rust on the
chrome sections of the handlebars. It now lives in a warm and dry
basement, chain oiled, saddle and post replaced, and the traditional
seat-mounting changed to one with an allen bolt fixing to the saddle
rails, which an LBS told me was a better arrangement, and seems less
prone to the saddle fore-and-aft movements that have always plagued
bikes I've ridden.

It's 21 speed, v-brakes, and does the job reasonably well, despite two
slow punctures requiring both wheels to be pumped up again before each
trip. I ordered full mudguards and a back rack when I bought it, this
meant the supplied rear reflector was removed and nothing ever replaced
it. The gear cables are out of adjustment though I made sure the brakes
were OK before taking it out again. I find I tend to ride mostly on the
extremes of the gearing - just using largest or smallest cog on the
cassette and using the three chainrings to keep the cadence / speed
ratio to something I'm happy with.

It has one major fault, in that the smallest sprocket on the cassette
has seemingly bent or broken off the end of the pin which I assume keeps
them all locked together, and this can rotate on it's own. The other
gears still work fine however so I've not yet done anything about it and
just use No6 instead of No7 as the fastest working gear.

I don't want to (can't, in fact) spend a lot of money on it, but I want
to fix it up so I can start riding to work the majority of the time. I
can already feel my stamina improving from the restricted riding I'm
doing now, having lurked for a while in here I'm now trying to keep the
pedals spinning at a steady rate instead of the hill-heroics I used to
get up to, and it does seem to work.

I'm assuming I should junk the back cassette and get a new one rather
than messing about trying to repair it, I'm also thinking of just
replacing both tyres and tubes, and then getting the index gears back
into adjustment. I gather getting rear cassettes off is a bugger of a
job, and I've never been big on upper body strength, it's all in my legs
from nearly 25 years of cycling, off and on, esp as a teenager.

So I'm planning to take both wheels to the LBS that did me the saddle,
Drakes in Harehills, Leeds, and have them do the tubes and cassette at
the same time.

So, the questions:
Anyone got any experience of this shop and their service facilities? How
much, roughly speaking, should I expect to pay for these jobs?
Anything else I should be looking at doing to the bike?

I've had lots of bad experiences with cheap dynamos, so in these days of
cheap batteries and LED lamps I'm planning to go the battery light route
- how much should I expect to pay for a cheap but functional (as opposed
to cheap and useless) system? I'm not fussed about whether the lights
are technically legal, given the complete disregard everyone else round
here on bikes shows the law, I think jut having lamps which make me
visible will be welcomed by other road users and the police alike.

Long term, I've the frame of what was once a very expensive Peugeot
racer which I plan to slowly rebuild myself into a really good bike -
I'm planning to turn the basement into a workshop for woodworking, and
the bench will be handy for a bit of bike work too, but for now I want
to use the clunker as a basic get-fit and get-to-work runabout.

All suggestions / comments / "get a real bike!" rants welcome!

NP: (in my head) The "Big Bad Bicycle" song by PWEI.
--
- Pyromancer Stormshadow.
http://www.inkubus-sukkubus.co.uk <-- Pagan Gothic Rock!
http://www.littlematchgirl.co.uk <-- Electronic Metal!
http://www.revival.stormshadow.com <-- The Gothic Revival.

 

[Pete Biggs]

Pyromancer wrote:
...............
> I'm assuming I should junk the back cassette and get a new one rather
> than messing about trying to repair it, I'm also thinking of just
> replacing both tyres and tubes, and then getting the index gears back
> into adjustment. I gather getting rear cassettes off is a bugger of a
> job, and I've never been big on upper body strength, it's all in my
> legs from nearly 25 years of cycling, off and on, esp as a teenager.

Depends on whether it is actually a cassette or a freewheel. See:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/free-k7.html

Cassettes are easy to remove when you have the right tools, requiring
little physical strength; may also be possible to get that top sprocket
sorted out. Freewheels are a different matter: can require vice or extra
long spanner plus big muscles!

> So I'm planning to take both wheels to the LBS that did me the saddle,
> Drakes in Harehills, Leeds, and have them do the tubes and cassette at
> the same time.

Get some tyre levers and a puncture kit instead of replacing the tubes.

I don't think this bike will be worth spending much money on at all. I
suggest either replacing it with a better second-hand bike or getting new
tyres and a few basic tools and maintaining the existing bike yourself to
save on labour charges. You don't have to be "mechanically minded", just
keen enough to avoid repeated bus rides home from bike shops

http://www.mwdyason.ltd.uk/shop.asp for: allen keys, puncture stuff,
cassette remover, chain whip (cassette remover requires large adjustable
spanner).

http://www.wiggle.co.uk for new tyres: Schwalbe City Jet are good for road
riding.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com for cassettes & chain, etc.

http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQindex.shtml for instructions

~PB

 

[Pete Biggs]

Pyromancer wrote:
> I've had lots of bad experiences with cheap dynamos, so in these days
> of cheap batteries and LED lamps I'm planning to go the battery light
> route
> - how much should I expect to pay for a cheap but functional (as
> opposed to cheap and useless) system?

£25ish to £40ish

I recommend this front light (to be seen by):
http://tinyurl.com/2x5ws

and this rear one: http://tinyurl.com/2y32r

~PB

 

[vernon levy]

It might be worth your while to visit www.upmystreet.com where there's many
a bargain to be had:

I have obtained from the site:

A Ridgeback Chro-Mo framed hybrid - mint condition £70 or so (from
Pontefract)
A Raleigh Equipe 12 Speed racer - good condition - free! (from Bradford)
A 23" framed Raleigh 12 speed bike - unknown model £25 (from Glasshoughton)
A Dawes Galaxy well used but in good shape £200 (from Cardiff)
A Raleigh R100 road bike - unused £160 (from Tingley - Leeds)

The site seems to be a portal for small ads placed in local newpapers from
around the UK. The goods are listed in order of distance from where you
live. There are plenty of bikes listed in the £25 - £60 price range which
may prove to be a better prospect than refurbishing your own bike.

Get a quote from Drakesand weigh up your options. I know it's hard to part
with a bike - it was a wrench for me to part with the two Raleigh 12 speed
bikes but it served several good causes - it equipped a colleague and his
spouse with a bike each, it soothed my wife's ire at the seemingly ever
expanding 'collection' and best of all it created enough space for a motor
cycle in the garage!

Vernon
in Leeds

 

[John Hearns]

On Thu, 20 May 2004 23:43:20 +0100, Pyromancer wrote:

>
>
>
> It's 21 speed, v-brakes, and does the job reasonably well, despite two
> slow punctures requiring both wheels to be pumped up again before each
> trip.
Get the tubes patched. Carefully go round the rims when the tyres are
off and make sure nothing sharp is causing the punctures.
Pump the tyres up very hard - its surprising how much of a difference
this makes to the effort to ride the bike.
In your bike shop, ask if you can use their track pump and get the
tyres blown up hard.
Its worth getting yourself a decent pump. There are plenty of
good quality 'mini-pumps' around.




> I've had lots of bad experiences with cheap dynamos, so in these days of
> cheap batteries and LED lamps I'm planning to go the battery light route
> - how much should I expect to pay for a cheap but functional (as opposed
> to cheap and useless) system?
I like Cateye lights, and the Paving Slab Fairy agrees.


You say 'system' - are you looking for one of the setups which have a
big battery in a bottle cage or mounted to the frame?
Depends if you want lights

 

[John Hearns]

On Thu, 20 May 2004 23:43:20 +0100, Pyromancer wrote:

> Long term, I've the frame of what was once a very expensive Peugeot
> racer which I plan to slowly rebuild myself into a really good bike -
> I'm planning to turn the basement into a workshop for woodworking, and
> the bench will be handy for a bit of bike work too,
I remember seeing a bike workstand which clamped into a Workmate bench.
I guess this would work on a normal vice as well.
Can anyone remember who made these workstands?

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, Pyromancer
('[email protected]') wrote:

> I'm assuming I should junk the back cassette and get a new one rather
> than messing about trying to repair it, I'm also thinking of just
> replacing both tyres and tubes, and then getting the index gears back
> into adjustment.

If you're replacing the cassette, get a new chain at the same time. You
probably need one anyway and it will save having to replace the
cassette again when the chain wears out. If you're replacing tyres the
single biggest improvement you can make to a bike like this for urban
use is slicks.

> I've had lots of bad experiences with cheap dynamos, so in these days
> of cheap batteries and LED lamps I'm planning to go the battery light
> route - how much should I expect to pay for a cheap but functional (as
> opposed
> to cheap and useless) system?

Twenty quid (or less) for a CatEye HL500/LD500 set. That's what I used
before I was given my Lumis, and they were more than adequate. The
front's a (halogen) bulb. If you can afford a bit extra a front with
LEDs will be a lot cheaper on batteries in the long run.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; no eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn.
;; Jim Morrison

 

[davek]

Pete Biggs:
> Depends on whether it is actually a cassette or a freewheel. See:
> http://www.sheldonbrown.com/free-k7.html

I'm just wondering what could be causing the OP's problem and I'd guess that
it's more likely to be a cassette than a freewheel. Is it perhaps possible
that the locknut has come loose (but still attached) and the smallest
sprocket has fallen off its splines (maybe if it's an 11 tooth sprocket on a
C hub?) in which case it would just be a case of pushing the sprocket back
on to the splines and tightening the locknut. But this is pure guesswork and
my knowledge of cassette hubs is somewhat limited, to say the least. If it
was this then I'd guess there would be some lateral movement in the rest of
the cassette too.

> Freewheels are a different matter: can require vice or extra
> long spanner plus big muscles!

My sore arms can testify to the truth of that.

d.

 

[Daniel Towner]

> I've had lots of bad experiences with cheap dynamos, so in these days of
> cheap batteries and LED lamps I'm planning to go the battery light route
> - how much should I expect to pay for a cheap but functional (as opposed
> to cheap and useless) system? I'm not fussed about whether the lights
> are technically legal, given the complete disregard everyone else round
> here on bikes shows the law, I think jut having lamps which make me
> visible will be welcomed by other road users and the police alike.


A decent rear LED light will be 12-16UKP - its worth going for one of
the higher-end CatEye's or equivalents. You can get rear lights for a
fiver, but my experience is that they don't last very long, and aren't
particularly bright. Personally I hate flashing lights (its very
difficult to figure out relative position and speed from a flashing
light), but some people love 'em. Flashing lights make it obvious you
are a bike (not always a good thing!), but they are better combined
with a steady light as well. If you can't afford to get a flashing
*and* a steady light, get a really bright steady light.

A front LED light will be more expensive - a cheap CatEye will be
about 15-20UKP, while more expensive ones will be 25-35UKP. Its worth
paying the extra. Don't be tempted by the cheaper lights which use
orange or green LED's. The orange lights can often look like street
lights being reflected in car windows, and green lights just don't
grab people's attention until you are very close. White lights, like
flashing rear lights, scream `bike' these days.

You could get AA/AAA/C/D battery halogen lights, but a set of
batteries won't last very long, and the light will become noticeably
dim quite quickly. You can use rechargeable batteries, but in my
experience, only NiMH seem worth the effort.

Alternatively you could fit big-battery halogens, but commerical
systems are a complete rip off - 50UKP or more for a basic system. I
bought an MR11 low-voltage halogen downlighter (about 5 pounds for a
bulb and holder at local DIY shop), a few metres of cable, and a 12V
3Ah sealed lead acid battery. Throw in a switch, brackets etc, and for
about 15-20 quid you can have a 20W halogen lighting system - thats
bright enough that people think you're a motor bike!

hope this helps.

dan.

http://www.towner.org.uk

 

[Doki]

John Hearns wrote:
> On Thu, 20 May 2004 23:43:20 +0100, Pyromancer wrote:
>
>>
>>
>>
>> It's 21 speed, v-brakes, and does the job reasonably well, despite
>> two slow punctures requiring both wheels to be pumped up again
>> before each trip.
> Get the tubes patched. Carefully go round the rims when the tyres are
> off and make sure nothing sharp is causing the punctures.
> Pump the tyres up very hard - its surprising how much of a difference
> this makes to the effort to ride the bike.
> In your bike shop, ask if you can use their track pump and get the
> tyres blown up hard.
> Its worth getting yourself a decent pump. There are plenty of
> good quality 'mini-pumps' around.

I got a Blackburn Mountain Air pump the other week. Ten quid, not so small
as to be useful and you can get a decent amount of pressure in the tyre with
a bit of effort.

 

[Pete Biggs]

davek wrote:
> I'm just wondering what could be causing the OP's problem and I'd
> guess that it's more likely to be a cassette than a freewheel. Is it
> perhaps possible that the locknut has come loose (but still attached)
> and the smallest sprocket has fallen off its splines (maybe if it's
> an 11 tooth sprocket on a C hub?) in which case it would just be a
> case of pushing the sprocket back on to the splines and tightening
> the locknut. But this is pure guesswork and my knowledge of cassette
> hubs is somewhat limited, to say the least.

Seems like a reasonable guess, but I'm not sure. I've never experienced a
problem like it myself with freewheels or cassettes.

> If it was this then I'd
> guess there would be some lateral movement in the rest of the
> cassette too.

Not necessarily.

~PB

 

[Dave Larrington]

For the last couple of weeks, the Speedmachine had been making very strange
noises with the chain on cogs 7, 8 and 9. There was still drive, and the
shifting was OK, but it was all horribly noisy. Investigation last weekend
shewed the lock ring to be loose, and thus the sprockets were able to rattle
around in an undignified manner. A quick twist of the lock ring doofer and
pristine silence was restored.

I /always/ do up the lock ring pretty tightly, so how it managed to loosen
itself is something of a mystery.

--

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
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