OLD newbie - fix up old Trek or just buy new?

[Alex Rodriguez]

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
>I've been thinking about riding again after years. My bike is 15 years
>old and hasn't seen daylight in at least 5 years. I'm wondering about
>the tradeoffs of buying new components for this old frame vs. buying a
>new, low-end bike from the bike shop. My antique is a hybrid Trek
>chro-moly something-or-other (I've forgotten the model! ...but it was
>3 digits).
>
>Here are my options:
>
>1. The local bike shop's entry point is in the $250~$300 range.
>PRO: new tech, new bike
>CON: wife's against spending, I'm not keen on full-blown research
>
>2. Re-hang old frame with new parts.
>PRO: new quality parts, possible on $75~$150
>CON: need to research
>
>3. Give in and buy a department store POS bike for $80.
>PRO: probably OK for around the block with wife and kids
>CON: oh the shame!, how long will it last?
>
>My preferred choice is #2 -- ESPECIALLY if I can come in around the #3
>budget!
>
>Can anyone recommend a decent-quality components list that totals under
>$100? Here's what I would most likely replace (in order):
>
>1. derailleurs (front and rear)
>2. all cables
>3. brake pads
>(up to here is essential. Following would be if I had money left)
>4. front chainring (it came with those horrible eccentric chainrings.
>I replaced one or two of them years ago.)
>5. tires (since I'll have a good sized order if I go mailorder... but
>probably buy local anyway)
>
>better yet..
>5a. tires and rims (but that seems like a budget-buster for sure)
>
>
>I can find components from catalogs and online, but I would sure
>appreciate your advice on what the smart money purchase is. Also, I'm
>out of date on frame geometry and construction. Anything wrong with
>the antique (I saw some guy on ebay selling a bike kinda like mine. He
>was saying how great the chro-moly frames were and how "they just don't
>make 'em this anymore!" Is there a reason?)?

Why do you think you need to replace your derailleurs? A 15 year old bike
will have index compatible derailleurs, so there is no need to replace them
unless they are damaged. Not changing the derailleurs will save you some
cash. Changing the cables should only cost you $10 or so. Unless the
chainring really bothers you, leave it alone. A new chainring will eat a
large portion of your budget, ~$30. If you go mail order you can get some
decent tires for $35. New wheels are not in your budget. What is wrong with
the old wheels that you think you need to change them? It sounds like you
should be able to get by spending well under $50 just to get your bike back
on the road.
---------------
Alex

 

[Alex Rodriguez]

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
>Dan,
>You wrote:
>>Why do the derailleurs need replacing?
>>Do the cables and housings, brake shoes. Clean everything, put it back
>>together, and then ride it for a week or two or three.
>Thanks for asking the obvious! As you may have guessed, I haven't dug
>the bike out of the shed yet. Thinking about it a little more, I don't
>KNOW that the derailleurs need replaced. I remember something happened
>(crash, maybe?) and I was never able to adjust them properly afterwards
>(could it have been when I replaced the Biopace chainring with a round?
>Dunno.).

In a crash front derailleurs rarely get damaged. Unless you can see real
damage to the rear derailleur, it is probably fine and what you did was
bend the derailleur hanger. A new derailleur will not fix that problem.

>Anyway, cables and pads, then test -- YES! Now why didn't I think of
>that?

Because what you really want is a new bike and you are trying to find a
good excuse to get a new bike. Been there done that.
--------------
Alex

 

[pam_in_sc]

BORT wrote:
> I've been thinking about riding again after years. My bike is 15 years
> old and hasn't seen daylight in at least 5 years. I'm wondering about
> the tradeoffs of buying new components for this old frame vs. buying a
> new, low-end bike from the bike shop. My antique is a hybrid Trek
> chro-moly something-or-other (I've forgotten the model! ...but it was
> 3 digits).

I decided to buy a new bike, not fix up my mid-1970s Fuji. It had the
older wheel size, plus I now live in a hilly area and wanted a triple.

But before buying I rode my husband's late-1980s Nishiki for a few
weeks. I put on new tires and tubes and sprayed the chain with WD-40
and went out and rode. It took me several days to realize that
replacing the brake pads was easy and would make the ride a whole lot
quieter. When I bought my new bike my husband decided he wanted to ride
a little but not buy a new bike, so we had the bike shop replace the
cables on his bike--I think it cost about $60. The bike hadn't been
ridden much so nothing was worn out. I actually would like to find
another one like it at a yard sale to use as a rain bike.

Pam

 

[BORT]

Thanks to all for the input. I've spent the weekend tuning up the
oldie and have discovered she's still a goodie! Here's a synopsis of
the key events of the week.

1. Waited til Friday to visit LBS #2. Good guy. No pressure. Let's
just say I'm a customer.

2. Replaced cables.

3. Bought wrong pads, so lightly touched surface of old pads to disc
sander w/ fine grit. Replaced and seem to work (a little squealing on
the rear, but...)

4. Soaked chain in kerosene. Worked links. WD40. Reassembled.

5. WD40 shower for shifters. Took one apart to go after gritty sound.
OK.

6. Discovered true nature of derailleur problem. Will describe in
another post.

7. Replaced tires (sides dry rotted)and tubes (since I was there).

All in all, it took me much longer to bust the rust and tweak the old
girl out than I would have guessed (still need help with derailleurs).
However, twice around the block felt great!
Thanks again for the help and great info!

Bort,
Maryville, TN

 

[peet9471]

Spend your money on flowers and good wine. Then maybe she'll want to go riding with you.

 

[jmoryl]

Thanks to all for the input. I've spent the weekend tuning up the
oldie and have discovered she's still a goodie! Here's a synopsis of
the key events of the week.

1. Waited til Friday to visit LBS #2. Good guy. No pressure. Let's
just say I'm a customer.

2. Replaced cables.

3. Bought wrong pads, so lightly touched surface of old pads to disc
sander w/ fine grit. Replaced and seem to work (a little squealing on
the rear, but...)

4. Soaked chain in kerosene. Worked links. WD40. Reassembled.

5. WD40 shower for shifters. Took one apart to go after gritty sound.
OK.

6. Discovered true nature of derailleur problem. Will describe in
another post.

7. Replaced tires (sides dry rotted)and tubes (since I was there).

All in all, it took me much longer to bust the rust and tweak the old
girl out than I would have guessed (still need help with derailleurs).
However, twice around the block felt great!
Thanks again for the help and great info!

Bort,
Maryville, TN

I think you are on the right track; fix up the old bike as best as possible and get into shape, study the bike scene for awhile. That way you will be better able to assess what you want when it comes time to buy new gear. Just a few comments. First, use something better than WD-40 as a lube, especially on the chain. WD-40 is actually meant to be a water displacer (hence WD) and isn't a very good lube; try something bike specific like those made by Finish Line or Pedro's (I'm using Pro-Link on my chain).

Also inspect all the sites where there are greased bearings, e.g. wheel axles, bottom bracket, headset. These should turn smoothly without any play; if you find this is not the case, get the bearing cleaned and re-packed with grease. You may find that modern seats are a lot better than what is on the bike, but you will get a million diverging recommendations as to what is the best. And clipless pedals are a big improvement over toe clips and straps; cheap but servicable SPD type pedals are available for around $20 and can be used with MTB type shoes (so you can walk around).

Good Luck!
Joe