old & rusty - worth fixing? with pics

scottie pippen

Hi all. I have an OK bike, but my other half as commandeered it. I cycle about 3 - 4 times a week.

so I came across this old heap, it spent a solid year in the rain, then a year in a shed.

is it worth fixing up, or should I bite the bullet and get a new one?
- if its worth fixing,would it cost much?

as you can see in the pictures, its quite rusty.

I would appreciate your opinions

thanks for reading

Tonyandthewhale

I wouldn't bother. You might be able to get it up and rolling for not too much money (you'll need a new chain I'd say, new cables, maybe new brake pads and possibly a few other bits and pieces as well as a general clean up and tune up.

Thing is it'd still be a piece of shit. Cheapo dual suspension mountain bikes are designed to be bought, forgotten about and left out in the rain to die. They are not designed for riding.

Rather waste money with that lost cause I'd be more inclined to go looking for a cheap and simple second-hand bike that's got at least some inherent functionality in its design.

kona

no.

kumate_champ07

looks like it would be ideal for a Clunker Classic, dont think theres any in Ireland

C3PO

Dump it ..... immediately!

scottie pippen

RPL1 wrote: »

Dump it ..... immediately!

Going into a skip.
I had good intentions - I wanted to recycle,

Thanks all

Dawn Rider

Bite the bullet and get another one..

It might be ok to use as a college commuter with a new chain and break cables etc. But it's not worth keeping.

Stick it on the Buy& Sell Freebies section or you can drop it into this lot in Mountjoy Square. They have bike maintenance classes on Wednesday nights.
http://seomraspraoi.org/

fat bloke

Re-cycling is the only kind of cycling that bike could be used for. It's a good idea though. Ideally you'd sell it on to someone looking to buy its new equivalent. You could still charge them the same, or more maybe because yours is pre-ignored, pre-unused, and pre-left out in the rain

Best of luck with its replacement. There are lots of nice bikes out there that are a pleasure to ride, just be sure to ask us, and do what we say.

Dawn Rider

fat bloke wrote: »

Ideally you'd sell it on to someone looking to buy its new equivalent. You could still charge them the same, or more maybe because yours is pre-ignored, pre-unused, and pre-left out in the rain

I believe the correct term is 'Seasoned'.

kona

Id strip it for the tubes and the shifter and brake levers, cranks, wheels etc, theres even a aheadset on that, make handy spares

Treason

I wouldnt advise to throw it out. I dont know how far you cycle, whether you can afford to buy a new one or how handy you are at fixing things.

In terms of fixing it. It dosnt look in to bad a shape. Nothing bar maybe the cables need replacing to get it going again.

The chain - get some wd40 or that teflon spray they sell in Tesco/lidl. Turn th ebike upside down and turn the chain while spraying the oil on. It should improve dramatically but you may be left with some stiff links. If so, use your fingers to bend the link back and forth and it should free it a little. Even with the odd stiff link the gears and bike should work.

The brake and gear cables may need adjustment. The end of one of the brake cables looks frayed in one of the photos there. That may make it difficult to adjust, but not impossible. Cables are cheap to buy but can be tricky to install, especially gear cables.

Front suspension fork looks very rusty and could be rusted stiff (I have a bike like that myself). But thats not a problem as its the same as having a rigid fork with some extra weight. Some oil, a scrubbing of the chrome pistons and pressing down on it might free it a little if its stiff.

Both tyres look like they need tubes but the tyres look operational.

If the rear cassette (gears on the back) are rusted stiff (although they look ok) they too can be freed with a hammer and bit of wood by banging it in the direction it should spin and adding some oil.

All parts should be oiled - rear and front derailer, crank, wheel bearings, shifters, everything!.

Overall cost:

Cables: 5 euro
Tubes: 10 or so euro
Spray Oil: 8-10 euro

Far cheaper than buying a bike.

BostonB

scottie pippen wrote: »

...but my other half as commandeered it...

Get your old bike back...

fatbhoy

Treason wrote: »

I wouldnt advise to throw it out. I dont know how far you cycle, whether you can afford to buy a new one or how handy you are at fixing things.

In terms of fixing it. It dosnt look in to bad a shape. Nothing bar maybe the cables need replacing to get it going again.

The chain - get some wd40 or that teflon spray they sell in Tesco/lidl. Turn th ebike upside down and turn the chain while spraying the oil on. It should improve dramatically but you may be left with some stiff links. If so, use your fingers to bend the link back and forth and it should free it a little. Even with the odd stiff link the gears and bike should work.

The brake and gear cables may need adjustment. The end of one of the brake cables looks frayed in one of the photos there. That may make it difficult to adjust, but not impossible. Cables are cheap to buy but can be tricky to install, especially gear cables.

Front suspension fork looks very rusty and could be rusted stiff (I have a bike like that myself). But thats not a problem as its the same as having a rigid fork with some extra weight. Some oil, a scrubbing of the chrome pistons and pressing down on it might free it a little if its stiff.

Both tyres look like they need tubes but the tyres look operational.

If the rear cassette (gears on the back) are rusted stiff (although they look ok) they too can be freed with a hammer and bit of wood by banging it in the direction it should spin and adding some oil.

All parts should be oiled - rear and front derailer, crank, wheel bearings, shifters, everything!.

Overall cost:

Cables: 5 euro
Tubes: 10 or so euro
Spray Oil: 8-10 euro

Far cheaper than buying a bike.

Great post. Do it if you think that you have the requisite patience and skill, otherwise, donate the bike to someone or some-group who has.