[email protected] wrote:
> I don't know much about expensive bikes, but I have lots of
> experience with cheap kmart jobbies 
>
> My current sh1tter is a Royce Union from KMart. It has an
> aluminium frame, which seems quite nice and light, although
> I wouldn't know whether it suffers from alignment problems
> as others have suggested. Then they go and ruin it with
> meaty great suspension forks. Who actually needs front
> suspension?
It's not hard to put regular forks on one, you just need to find a
source of them.
> It is a bit like all those toorak tractors out
> there - everyone has massive great desert duellers and
> a snorkel, but no one goes offroad.
Off-topic, but I could have used a snorkel on my Econovan while I was
living at the end of 13km of dirt road. Air filters clogged up pretty
quickly, and are a pain to replace - at least a snorkel would move the
air intake above the thickest of the dust.
> The gears were never particularly good. Clunky, and I always
> had trouble finding fourth on the rear gears. They probably
> just need adjustment, and if I had bought it from a bikeshop
> they would have adjusted them for free.
Tweak that cable adjuster on the rear derailleur. Try giving it a turn
one way, and if that helps fine-tune it with further half turns. If
the initial turn makes it worse, try two turns in the opposite
direction then fine-tune as appropriate.
I've found that most grip shifters need to be "helped" into gear once
they wear a little. On mine I need to go to a "click and a half" while
downshifting until the chain snicks over, then let it drop back to its
"rest" position.
> The seat is very uncomfortable. I feel thoroughly abused
> after an hour, and I often suffer from numbness.
Nobody else seems to like them, but I'm rather fond of sprung saddles
on "upright seating position" bikes. They cost about $15 at Big W /
Kmart.
> The front wheel has a buckle and always did, so the
> front brakes have to be so far out as to be useless. The
Get thyself a spoke key (~$10) and have a look at the relevant Sheldon
Brown page:
http://sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html#tensioning
It's not difficult, it just needs a little patience. Provided you
don't have any broken spokes, up to 5mm of sideways wobble can be
removed pretty easily. If you have more than 5mm of wobble then have
another look for broken spokes, and replace them first! (~$1 each at
your LBS).
> tires have very chunky tread, which is great in that I have
> never had a puncture, but the rolling resistance is awful.
You *could* spend ~$30 or so each for 1 1/2" slicks, or you could visit
your local bike dump and find something more suitable. I'm using a
Chen Shin slick on the front of my MTB (last one in Kmart) and some
anonymous 1980's 1 1/2" sort-of-knobby on the rear (knobs are mostly
worn out). The rubber is so old and hard that I suspect it'll never
wear out now.
I've also had some success with the $10 Mongoose "semi slicks" that
Kmart sells, I mount them on the bike then cut the useless knobs off
the sides of the tyre with a stanley knife (why would I need them for
commuting?) They only last about 1500km on the rear though.
> But the worst aspect is the bearings. After 18 months of
> use (average once a week I guess) it squeaks and groans
> in a most embarrasing fashion.
~$15 for a cone spanner, and ~$8 for a lifetime-supply tub of
automotive grease. I hear you can also use vaseline, if you (*ahem*)
have some on hand. ;-)
I like to clean the old grease off the bearings first. An old tin or
bowl, toothbrush (either an old one or somebody else's) and some
kerosene works well for that.
Oh yeah, you'll probably also want some guidance:
http://sheldonbrown.com/cone_adjustment.html
> Still, what can you expect for $130? It works.
You can get an equivalent machine for $98 at Big W now (albeit with a
steel frame) - you were had, my friend! ;-)
Even a $100 bike will last a hell of a long time, if you do regular
basic maintenance on it. My cheapish (~$240) bike-store-purchased MTB
has clocked up about 5000km over the past year and a bit, with the only
problems being cracked plastic pedals after a few hundred km[1], a
couple of broken spokes[2], and the lockring holding the gears onto the
freewheel somehow coming unscrewed.[3]
Punctures don't count, we all get them. ;-)
BTH
[1] Replaced with metal ones & half-clips.
[2] Could happen on anything.
[3] Needed a handful of new ball bearings, a steady hand and some
Loctite to reassemble.
