New bike?

"Tim Jones" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Just wondering if I can get some opinions on what I should do...

The bike I have has a Wheeler 2100 frame, custom wheels, STI levers and decent shimano gear. The
bike is targetted for strength rather than racing and I've done about 15,000k over the last 6
years that I've had it.

Last week, started getting a bad noise from the bottom bracket so took it

in

Quoted message said:

to the local store and decided I'd go for the repair and a complete strip service for $100. The
pedals also needed replacing, so decided also to upgrade from clips to cleats, so I was up to
about $400 with shoes.

When they started work on the bike however I was informed that the STI levers were just about
shot, which was why I was getting poor shifts and chain slips, so that's another $300.

So, with a $500 repair bill that I was looking at, started to look at the possibility of a
new bike.

A new bike with similar group sets but poorer rims is about $900 or I am thinking about a mountain
bike for $800-$1200. It would be used for

comuting

Quoted message said:

and riding with my 6 YO son predominantly.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Tim

Oh yeah - the reason I need a tough bike is that I'm 6'4" and 105kg.

"Tim Jones" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Last week, started getting a bad noise from the bottom bracket so took

it in

Quoted message said:

to the local store and decided I'd go for the repair and a complete

strip

Quoted message said:

service for $100. The pedals also needed replacing, so decided also to upgrade from clips to
cleats, so I was up to about $400 with shoes.

So that's a $300 upgrade - it's not REALLY a necessary repair (although I do personally like
clipless pedals on my roadies).

Quoted message said:

When they started work on the bike however I was informed that the STI levers were just about
shot, which was why I was getting poor shifts

and

Quoted message said:

chain slips, so that's another $300.

Hmm, what about the cables? Are they in good nick? I'd perhaps swap the cables first and get the
brakes and gears re-adjusted and see how it performs.

Quoted message said:

So, with a $500 repair bill that I was looking at, started to look at

the

Quoted message said:

possibility of a new bike.

Actually that adds up to $700 ;-) New bikes are always a nice possibility. If you have the money -
why not? If you don't REALLY need a new bike (only you will be able to work this part out) then you
can probably get away with some cheaper repairs. Perhaps forget the shoes for now, try new cables
and a service and THEN see how the bike performs. If it's still flaky, weigh up the cost of repair
versus the cost of replacement.

Quoted message said:

A new bike with similar group sets but poorer rims is about $900 or I

am

You could use your existing wheels and sell the others or swap them for other parts at the shop.

Quoted message said:

thinking about a mountain bike for $800-$1200. It would be used for

comuting

Quoted message said:

and riding with my 6 YO son predominantly.

That's another option. I've recently swapped from commuting on road bikes to commuting on mtb's
(even a recently built singlespeed) and I like them. It's a tiny bit slower sometimes but I'm having
a bit more fun because you can venture off road a bit or jump curbs, etc without feeling like you're
destroying the bike. An mtb would probably be easier to ride around in parks, etc with your son.
Again, it depends on if you can afford one and how much use it would get.

hth still pre-caffeine hippy

"hippy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Tim Jones" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Last week, started getting a bad noise from the bottom bracket so took

it in

Quoted message said:

to the local store and decided I'd go for the repair and a complete

strip

Quoted message said:

service for $100. The pedals also needed replacing, so decided also to upgrade from clips to
cleats, so I was up to about $400 with shoes.

So that's a $300 upgrade - it's not REALLY a necessary repair (although I do personally like
clipless pedals on my roadies).

Quoted message said:

When they started work on the bike however I was informed that the STI levers were just about
shot, which was why I was getting poor shifts

and

Quoted message said:

chain slips, so that's another $300.

Hmm, what about the cables? Are they in good nick? I'd perhaps swap the cables first and get the
brakes and gears re-adjusted and see how it performs.

The cables were going to be replaced, but in the (paraphrased) words of the mechanic, the STI levers
were the most crapped out he'd seen - that most people upgrade bikes before that happens to them.

He said I could continue using it, just that it would probably become completely unusable in the
next few months.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

So, with a $500 repair bill that I was looking at, started to look at

the

Quoted message said:

possibility of a new bike.

Actually that adds up to $700 ;-)

With the shoes and new pedals, yeah.

Quoted message said:

New bikes are always a nice possibility. If you have the money - why not? If you don't REALLY need
a new bike (only you will be able to work this part out) then you can probably get away with some
cheaper repairs. Perhaps forget the shoes for now, try new cables and a service and THEN see how
the bike performs. If it's still flaky, weigh up the cost of repair versus the cost of
replacement.

Quoted message said:

A new bike with similar group sets but poorer rims is about $900 or I

am

You could use your existing wheels and sell the others or swap them for other parts at the shop.

They said that they would look into this, but weren't too keen. AFAIK, the cost of stuff on a new
bike is way below what parts cost for repair, so would only be saving a little, but would have
wheels that I'm much happier with.

Main issue I believe was whether it could handle going from 7 to 8 speed cluster.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

thinking about a mountain bike for $800-$1200. It would be used for

comuting

Quoted message said:

and riding with my 6 YO son predominantly.

That's another option. I've recently swapped from commuting on road bikes to commuting on mtb's
(even a recently built singlespeed) and I like them. It's a tiny bit slower sometimes but I'm
having a bit more fun because you can venture off road a bit or jump curbs, etc without feeling
like you're destroying the bike. An mtb would probably be easier to ride around in parks, etc with
your son. Again, it depends on if you can afford one and how much use it would get.

hth still pre-caffeine hippy

Yeah, I'm thinking that I'd enjoy a MTB, it'd be a lot of fun, without really messing up my regime.

Thanks for the comments.

Tim

Tim Jones said:

The cables were going to be replaced, but in the (paraphrased) words of the mechanic, the STI
levers were the most crapped out he'd seen - that most people upgrade bikes before that happens
to them.

He said I could continue using it, just that it would probably become completely unusable in the
next few months.

There's no reason you should believe this. Suppose you flushed each lever with WD40 and replaced the
cables yourself, chances are they will work like new again, all for ~$10. My STI levers are 12 years
old and gear changes are faultless, never have paid a mechanic to work on my bikes either.

"Tim Jones" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Hmm, what about the cables? Are they in good nick? I'd perhaps swap the cables first and get the
brakes and gears re-adjusted and see

how

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

it performs.

The cables were going to be replaced, but in the (paraphrased) words

of the

Quoted message said:

mechanic, the STI levers were the most crapped out he'd seen - that

most

Quoted message said:

people upgrade bikes before that happens to them.

He said I could continue using it, just that it would probably become completely unusable in the
next few months.

"probably" means they might last another hundred years... ;-) How much do you trust your mechanic?
I'm not trying to disrespect him, just trying to save you money. You could try to find some
secondhand shifters - that's another option. Or use lower quality new shifters? Again, it comes down
to how much cash you have and how willing you are to depart with it.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

You could use your existing wheels and sell the others or swap them

for

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

other parts at the shop.

They said that they would look into this, but weren't too keen. AFAIK,

the

Quoted message said:

cost of stuff on a new bike is way below what parts cost for repair,

so

Quoted message said:

would only be saving a little, but would have wheels that I'm much

happier

Quoted message said:

with.

That's true. OEM parts (the ones that come on factory bikes) are a fair bit cheaper (so I'm told)
than the same thing purchased off-the-shelf. This is why it is often cheaper to buy a whole new bike
rather than replace some old, worn parts.

Quoted message said:

Main issue I believe was whether it could handle going from 7 to 8

speed

Quoted message said:

cluster.

I'm not sure what's required for this, a re-dished wheel? new freehub? Is it a screw on one or a
cassette one? You could always sell your old bike and put the proceeds towards a new one?

Quoted message said:

Yeah, I'm thinking that I'd enjoy a MTB, it'd be a lot of fun, without really messing up
my regime.

When in doubt... spend! :-) "I" would probably ride the roadbike into the ground (maybe after a
cheap service) and buy an mtb. Then you have two bikes. More bikes = better!

Quoted message said:

Thanks for the comments.

No problem.. just beware that I'm a little obsessed with pedal power, so you might not want to buy
every bike you see and then have trouble fitting _people_ in your house.. like some of us do. ;-)

hip now really hangin for some iced coffee

"Gary K" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Tim Jones said:

The cables were going to be replaced, but in the (paraphrased) words of

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

mechanic, the STI levers were the most crapped out he'd seen - that most people upgrade bikes
before that happens to them.

He said I could continue using it, just that it would probably become completely unusable in the
next few months.

There's no reason you should believe this. Suppose you flushed each lever with WD40 and replaced
the cables yourself, chances are they will work like new again, all for ~$10. My STI levers are 12
years old and gear changes are faultless, never have paid a mechanic to work on my bikes either.

Thanks for the info Gary. I might just get the bike fixed without the RTI levers.

The reason he's says they're stuffed is that the levers (Shimano RTX) move in their housing, and NOT
the way they're meant to. There is about 8mm travel to the side in the right level and about 4mm in
the left - this is movement when you grab the top of the lever (the pivot point) and push it to the
side. I've taken them appart and can't see what is causing it, it looks like it all just doesn't fit
together like it used to.

Thanks Tim

"Tim Jones" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The reason he's says they're stuffed is that the levers (Shimano RTX)

move

Quoted message said:

in their housing, and NOT the way they're meant to. There is about 8mm travel to the side in the
right level and about 4mm in the left - this

is

Quoted message said:

movement when you grab the top of the lever (the pivot point) and push

it to

Quoted message said:

the side. I've taken them appart and can't see what is causing it, it

looks

Quoted message said:

like it all just doesn't fit together like it used to.

Are the levers easy to disassemble? What about some custom spacers (washers) on the pivot "axle"?

hippy

"hippy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Tim Jones" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The reason he's says they're stuffed is that the levers (Shimano RTX)

move

Quoted message said:

in their housing, and NOT the way they're meant to. There is about 8mm travel to the side in the
right level and about 4mm in the left - this

is

Quoted message said:

movement when you grab the top of the lever (the pivot point) and push

it to

Quoted message said:

the side. I've taken them appart and can't see what is causing it, it

looks

Quoted message said:

like it all just doesn't fit together like it used to.

Are the levers easy to disassemble? What about some custom spacers (washers) on the pivot "axle"?

I had a cursory look, and while it's easy to pull the front off, I could not see how to full
disasemble it.

I did go looking at bikes this morning however ;-)

I really like the 2004 Giant Yukon, which also comes in large frame sizes (23" and 25"😉.

Comes with mechanical disk breaks, deore gear up back, adjustable shocks for around $700 and a nice
matt black. An attractive solid bike for a couple of hundred more than getting the old one repaired.

My fingers were getting itchy!

I'll keep you posted ;-)

Tim

"Tim Jones" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I did go looking at bikes this morning however ;-)

Uh oh, here's trouble 😉

Quoted message said:

I really like the 2004 Giant Yukon, which also comes in large frame

sizes

Quoted message said:

(23" and 25"😉.

members.iinet.net.augiant2004.htmlOpen ↗

Looks quite nice except for those cranks. But real-life would probably see them looking better.
Black is good 🙂 Those RST forks look much nicer than the ones i just replaced on my Avanti and the
parts list sounds great. MTB's just keep getting better for less money!

Quoted message said:

My fingers were getting itchy! I'll keep you posted ;-)

Understandable! Please do.

hipsta

"hippy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Tim Jones" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I did go looking at bikes this morning however ;-)

Uh oh, here's trouble 😉

You were right...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I really like the 2004 Giant Yukon, which also comes in large frame

sizes

Quoted message said:

(23" and 25"😉.

members.iinet.net.augiant2004.htmlOpen ↗

Looks quite nice except for those cranks. But real-life would probably see them looking better.
Black is good 🙂 Those RST forks look much nicer than the ones i just replaced on my Avanti and
the parts list sounds great. MTB's just keep getting better for less money!

Quoted message said:

My fingers were getting itchy! I'll keep you posted ;-)

Understandable! Please do.

The bike's getting delivered tomorrow for pickup - getting it with reversable cleats shimano shoes
and aluminium bar ends, for about 20% more than getting my last bike repaired, shoes and cleats.
Easily save that in maintenance costs for the first year (no - I don't really service my own bikes!)

Excited to go for a ride tomorrow now and see what I can do on a MTB compared to a road bike!

Now all I have to do is decide what the hell I do with my old bike?

Quoted message said:

hipsta

Tim

"Tim Jones" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:3f460a2a$0$23585

Quoted message said:

You were right...

Of course ;-P

Quoted message said:

The bike's getting delivered tomorrow for pickup - getting it with reversable cleats shimano shoes
and aluminium bar ends, for about 20% more

What are reversable cleats?

Quoted message said:

than getting my last bike repaired, shoes and cleats. Easily save that in maintenance costs for
the first year (no - I don't really service my own bikes!)

Sounds like my first mtb. I am still riding it in 'near' original condition, but due to poor
maintenance the driveline is STUFFED! Clean your chain as often as possible and don't lube a dirty
chain.. that's all I've got to say about that. 🙂

Quoted message said:

Excited to go for a ride tomorrow now and see what I can do on a MTB compared to a road bike!

Well, from my experience, plenty more, just slower. There's wider range for hard-to-learn skills to
be developed. For example, rather than race tactics, you'll wanna learn things like bunnyhopping,
jumping stuff, handling more varied terrain compared to a road bike. Im always amazed at how quickly
I land on the ground when riding off road! :-D Just getting to know the bike and how it handles
should be your first priority. That and getting it set up correctly.

Quoted message said:

Now all I have to do is decide what the hell I do with my old bike?

Leave it as a spare/commuter, sell it here or Trading Post, etc. Donate it to charity, donate it to
a relative, etc, etc. I'd hang on to it personally.

Have fun!

hip

"hippy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Tim Jones" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:3f460a2a$0$23585

Quoted message said:

You were right...

Of course ;-P

Quoted message said:

The bike's getting delivered tomorrow for pickup - getting it with reversable cleats shimano
shoes and aluminium bar ends, for about 20%

more

Quoted message said:

What are reversable cleats?

You have a regular pedal on one side, so you can ride with regular shoes if you want to (so I can
quickly head down to the shops without having to put on other shoes).

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

than getting my last bike repaired, shoes and cleats. Easily save that

in

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

maintenance costs for the first year (no - I don't really service my own bikes!)

Sounds like my first mtb. I am still riding it in 'near' original

condition,

Quoted message said:

but due to poor maintenance the driveline is STUFFED! Clean your chain as often as possible and
don't lube a dirty chain..

that's

Quoted message said:

all I've got to say about that. 🙂

Thanks - I'll keep that in mind. So you need a chain breaker to clean a chain? Or can you clean it
on the bike?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Excited to go for a ride tomorrow now and see what I can do on a MTB compared to a road bike!

Well, from my experience, plenty more, just slower. There's wider range for hard-to-learn skills
to be developed. For example, rather than race tactics, you'll wanna learn things like
bunnyhopping, jumping stuff, handling more varied terrain compared to a road bike. Im always
amazed at how quickly I land on the ground when riding off road! :-D Just getting to know the bike
and how it handles should be your first priority. That and getting it set up correctly.

Not getting it in today :-(

Next week some time.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Now all I have to do is decide what the hell I do with my old bike?

Leave it as a spare/commuter, sell it here or Trading Post, etc. Donate it to charity, donate it
to a relative, etc, etc. I'd hang on to it personally.

Have fun!

hip

Tim

Tim Jones wrote:

<snip>

Quoted message said:

Thanks - I'll keep that in mind. So you need a chain breaker to clean a chain? Or can you clean it
on the bike?

IMHO you need to take it off the bike to clean it properly. This can involve using a chain breaker
(e.g. on Shimano chains) or simply opening a special link by hand (e.g. on Wippermann chains, as
I've just learnt myself). Once removed, they say the easiest way to clean it is to drop it into a
Coke bottle, pour in some solvent (I've heard of both kero and citrus-based degreaser being used),
screw on the cap and shake it up.

Alternatively, you can get on-bike chain-cleaning tools - complicated-looking contraptions made of
clear plastic that have little cogs and brushes, compartments for cleaning fluid, etc. I've never
used one though - they look too gimmicky. Anyone tried them? Swear by or at them?

&roo

Quoted message said:

IMHO you need to take it off the bike to clean it properly. This can involve using a chain breaker
(e.g. on Shimano chains) or simply opening a special link by hand (e.g. on Wippermann chains, as
I've just learnt myself). Once removed, they say the easiest way to clean it is to drop it into a
Coke bottle, pour in some solvent (I've heard of both kero and citrus-based degreaser being used),
screw on the cap and shake it up.

Alternatively, you can get on-bike chain-cleaning tools - complicated-looking contraptions made of
clear plastic that have little cogs and brushes, compartments for cleaning fluid, etc. I've never
used one though - they look too gimmicky. Anyone tried them? Swear by or at

them?

Quoted message said:

OK, here is a chain cleaning technique I heard about from another ng (you are gonna love this!!!).

Soak your chain in cheap olive oil, and leave it sitting out somewhere like a shed overnight. Rats
will come along and lick it perfectly clean!

Note that I have not tested this out yet, but just loved the idea of it!
---
DFM

Swear at They are fiddly and messy, the Sachs type breakable chain is the way to go.

Jack Russell

Quoted message said:

Alternatively, you can get on-bike chain-cleaning tools - complicated-looking contraptions made of
clear plastic that have little cogs and brushes, compartments for cleaning fluid, etc. I've never
used one though - they look too gimmicky. Anyone tried them? Swear by or at them?

&roo

"Tim Jones" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:3f46d7c8$0$23609

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

What are reversable cleats?

You have a regular pedal on one side, so you can ride with regular shoes

if

Oh thooose. :-) I just call them double-sided (flat/spd) pedals.

Quoted message said:

Thanks - I'll keep that in mind. So you need a chain breaker to clean a chain? Or can you clean it
on the bike?

Well, if the chain doesn't have a special 'easy-to-remove' link (usual case), then you will need a
chain breaker. You can clean the chain on the bike but it wont be as effective and you're liable to
splash solvents over your shiny paint work and/or wheels and tyres.

Quoted message said:

Not getting it in today :-( Next week some time.

Patience grasshopper.. for the longer the wait, the sweeter the ride. Or, was it 'the angrier the
customer?' ;-)

hip