Newbie With Question About A Bike Build Or Rebuild



Tennjed

Member
Mar 18, 2015
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So i posted last week about buying a diamondback hybrid to get started in biking. I am in my late 30s and horribly out of shape. Got some great answers, this place seem great for dumb newbies like me.

I honestly forgot I had bought a Raleigh M-30 mountain bike about 18 or 20 years ago in college. I rode it a couple of times then stuck it in an open air leaky shed at my parents. Got it out today.

The frame seems fine. No rust. Seat and tires are dry rotted. Some of the spokes are rusted on the rims. Gears will not move.

So I figure the frame is the only thing worth trying to salvage. Does anyone have an idea if it would make sense to try to do antlything with it?

I think it would be kinda cool to bring this old college bike back to life, if i could do it for as round $300 - $350

Could I take it like it is, rusted parts and dry rot, to a local bike shop and askthem to rebuild it for that price?

Could I strip it myself and buy all the necessary parts on my own, then take that to a local shop and get them to build it and keep the total around that?

If this is a stupid question, forgive me. This is new to me
 
Just take it in to a local bike shop (LBS) and have them give you an estimate on what it takes to bring the bike back. Might just be within your budget. I wouldn't advise that you waste time trying to do it yourself, because labor at bike shops really isn't very expensive, and they can usually get it finished and have you out riding quickly.

Depending on the estimate to fix it up, you may just want to buy a new bike instead. You could always get something new to ride now, and keep the old Raleigh as a learning project to tear down and rebuild as time permits.
 
Yeah, it might not be in as bad shape as you think. Your bike shop has experience estimating these things.

But if it takes more than $300, consider a new bike and either donating the Raleigh or keeping it around for a learning experience.
 
Tennjed said:
Could I strip it myself and buy all the necessary parts on my own, then take that to a local shop and get them to build it and keep the total around that?

If this is a stupid question, forgive me. This is new to me
If you have a limited budget, then YOU can-and-probably should do the rebuild yourself ...

Presuming the bike was functional when you last used it, then 3-in-1 oil (or equivalent) + time will resolve any rust on your derailleurs and/or chain ...

Often times, plasticized oil-or-grease will be mistaken for rust ... so, a Brillo-or-SOS pad or other scouring pad + soap & water may be all that is needed to clean your wheels ...

It will take much less hands-on time-and-effort than you think ... but, if there are any rusted components (e.g., derailleurs), then it may take a few days for the oil to penetrate & some modest effort on your part manipulating the part & re-oiling-and-flushing any rust until the part moves freely.

BTW. You'll want to scrub the contact surface of your brake pads with some emery cloth or sandpaper ...

If the shifters are truly non-functional, you can buy a set of NOS replacements off of eBay for about $30 +/- plus shipping.

New cables & housing may-or-may-not be beneficial ... MTB shifters often come with shifters included/attached ...

Some people may disagree, but I am in the camp which believes that even pre-lubed housing benefits from a dab of thin grease applied to the cable before insertion ...

If you can DIY, then your cost will be mostly in the new tires-and-tubes + (possibly) any bike specific tools which you may need (a chain tool will probably be a beneficial tool to own at some point in time) ...

IMO, you should be able to bring the bike up to whatever function it had way-back-when for less than $100 + some of your time.

Sheldonbrown.com, Parktool.com, & YouTube are online resources which you may want to become familiar with.
 
Awesome stuff guys. I like the idea of using it as a learning bike. I love to tinker and if I am going to ride, i am the kinda guy that likes to know how things work