Is my bike nearing the end of its life or does it just need a bit of care?

[Peter Fox]

On my 5yo Marin Larkspur hybrid
All the bearings are giving problems
- F & B hubs ("sealed mechanism") Can they be adjusted to take up
wobble?

- BB worn and may be impossible to replace due to the retaining nut
having sheared.

- Rear cogs : Smallest one has play in it

- Deralieur idler wheels squeak - even after greasing the metal/metal
plain bearing. [1]

Q1 : Which of these are adjustable/maintainable and which need
replacement?

Q2 : Is it likely that if the bearings have reached this stage then the
frame may be reaching the end of its life?

A3 : Yes (I've been on urc too long to expect any other answer.)
Oh you wanted the question as well! Time for a new bike?


[1]
(After the most sustained use it's had 40mins at 16.5mph today and
yesterday the same thing. This is really flying for me. The first time
I've really got into a steady continuous rhythm with easy gradients and
no bendy lanes.)

[BTW - No drama on the A12 this morning - They say the traffic tailed
back a long way but I didn't see any queue - I was at the front.]

--
PETER FOX Not the same since the deckchair business folded
[email protected]
www.eminent.demon.co.uk/wcc.htm Witham Cycling Campaign
www.eminent.demon.co.uk/rides East Anglian Pub cycle rides

 

[Arthur Clune]

Peter Fox <[email protected]> wrote:
: On my 5yo Marin Larkspur hybrid
: All the bearings are giving problems
: - F & B hubs ("sealed mechanism") Can they be adjusted to take up
: wobble?

No. But you could put new bearings in. Probably cheaper and better to get new hubs
fitted and even new wheels (your rims are probably worn out as well)

: - BB worn and may be impossible to replace due to the retaining nut
: having sheared.

A good LBS should be able to replace this. Not a do at home job though.

: - Rear cogs : Smallest one has play in it

New rear cogs and new chain are probably needed after 5 years. Maybe
a front ring or two as well.

: - Deralieur idler wheels squeak - even after greasing the metal/metal
: plain bearing. [1]

New idler wheels are easy to fit.

: Q2 : Is it likely that if the bearings have reached this stage then the
: frame may be reaching the end of its life?

No. Frames last for years

This isn't a cheap lot to get fixed, but it's not a sufficient (financial)
reason to get a new bike unless you want one.

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune http://www.clune.org
"Technolibertarians make a philosophy out of a personality defect"
- Paulina Borsook

 

[Pete Biggs]

Peter Fox wrote:
> On my 5yo Marin Larkspur hybrid
> All the bearings are giving problems
> - F & B hubs ("sealed mechanism") Can they be adjusted to take up
> wobble?

Sorry I don't know those hubs, but you probably can adjust them if they
don't have cartridge bearings.

>- BB worn and may be impossible to replace due to the retaining nut
> having sheared.

Pass.

> - Rear cogs : Smallest one has play in it

Is it a cassette or freewheel? If cassette, perhaps the lockring is
loose, or the whole freehub could be loose: usually not a major problem in
either case.

> - Deralieur idler wheels squeak - even after greasing the metal/metal
> plain bearing.

LBS should have replacements.

> Q2 : Is it likely that if the bearings have reached this stage then
> the frame may be reaching the end of its life?

Frame probably has decades of life left.

> A3 : Yes (I've been on urc too long to expect any other answer.)
> Oh you wanted the question as well! Time for a new bike?

Not if you like it.

~PB

 

[Simon Brooke]

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

> On my 5yo Marin Larkspur hybrid

First, bikes are almost infinitely repairable. If the frame isn't
cracked or bent, it's repairable. If the frame is cracked or bent, if
it's steel it's still repairable. The question is whether you want to
repair it.

As a matter of general advice, I would tend to replace one bit at a time
as they wear out, ideally with better components than originally
fitted. This way the cost is spread over time and the bike gradually
improves; but (at this point) that doesn't sound like an option for
this bike.

> All the bearings are giving problems
> - F & B hubs ("sealed mechanism") Can they be adjusted to take up
> wobble?

Don't know. Sealed bearing hubs are usually not designed to be serviced
- that's why cup-and-cone hubs are a good thing. If they can't be
serviced, it would be possible to lace new hubs into your existing
rims, but probably not worth the bother. If you get new wheels, try to
get ones with cup-and-cone hubs.

> - BB worn and may be impossible to replace due to the retaining nut
> having sheared.

Don't believe this. Your LBS will have *lots* of experience of
extracting recalcitrant bottom brackets, and new ones aren't expensive.

> - Rear cogs : Smallest one has play in it

New cassette. It is probably possible to replace individual cogs but
again the question is is it worth it.

> - Deralieur idler wheels squeak - even after greasing the metal/metal
> plain bearing. [1]

You can get new idler wheels for most half-decent deraileurs.

> Q1 : Which of these are adjustable/maintainable and which need
> replacement?

Your hubs (which in practice probably means your wheels) _probably_ need
to be replaced.

> Q2 : Is it likely that if the bearings have reached this stage then
> the frame may be reaching the end of its life?

No. If it isn't cracked and it isn't bent its fine.

> A3 : Yes (I've been on urc too long to expect any other answer.)
> Oh you wanted the question as well! Time for a new bike?

Well, it might be. But I don't see why; the bits which you've described
above don't add up even nearly to the cost of a new bike of equivalent
quality. If you _want_ a new bike, then that's a different matter. But
you'll get just as good service out of your old one if you give it a
bit of TLC.


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

;; Woz: 'All the best people in life seem to like LINUX.'
;; <URL:http://www.woz.org/woz/cresponses/response03.html>

 

[Peter Fox]

Following on from Peter Fox's message. . .
>On my 5yo Marin Larkspur hybrid
>All the bearings are giving problems
>- F & B hubs ("sealed mechanism") Can they be adjusted to take up
>wobble?
[etc]

Many thanks to all responders. A consensus!
--
PETER FOX Not the same since the pancake business flopped
[email protected]
2 Tees Close, Witham, Essex.
Gravity beer in Essex <http://www.eminent.demon.co.uk>