Quote: Originally Posted by
oldbobcat .
Alf, I don't know how long you keep lubing old cables, but from my experience, after 25 years they should be replaced. As well as tires, brake pads, saddles, handlebar grips, and maybe even cogs and chains. And the bottom bracket, hubs, and headset should be cleaned and repacked.
Tell you what. You can tell Deanna which parts to buy and then she can ship it all to you and you can do the work for free and send it back to her. And then you can convince her that this thing you created is better for her purposes than, say, a shiny new Trek 7.1 FX.
And if you feel guilty about discarding an old bike, remember there are often local charities that take in old bikes, strip down the basket cases for parts, and rebuild them for distribution to the less economically privileged.
Well, we are both supposing a possible condition of
DeannaM's bike which might be at different ends of the spectrum ...
You are presuming that
DeannaM and/or other casual riders use their shifters as often as a more enthusiastic rider does ...
Maybe, yes ...
Maybe, no.
However, sometimes a bike needs a surprisingly small amount of "maintenance" to bring it up to snuff.
It's hard to tell without even seeing the bike, in person, or even a picture ...
And, worn out for me might certainly be different than for someone else ..
- of course, parts wear out
- parts are trashed, too
- but, most Japanese components are well designed & can last a surprisingly long time if they are not neglected by having the bike left out in the elements
so, a surprisingly small amount of rejuvenative "maintenance" can sometimes work "miracles"
I don't have a problem with
shiny-and-new ...
I just think that most "modern" bikes (
¿beginning with the late 80s?) generally require fewer tools to work on & they can be suggested to be "easier" to work on because of the use of cartridge-based components which often leaves component replacement as the only practical option for most people ...
Of course, component replacement is not as economical as simply replacing-or-repacking the bearings ...
UNLESS the rider is paying someone else to do the maintenance at an LBS, that is ...
- what does a "tune-up" cost, now, AND just what gets done?
- certainly, replacing the cables & housing will cost less than a new bike
AND, probably qualifies as a DIY project for most people
Of course,
sometimes it IS more economical-and/or-practical to buy a new bike!