Either dead or dying

[Wankelschrauben]

The bike has finally said it is either dead or dying this evening, it lasted about 2 weeks.

The whole thing is creaking big time, the rear wheel seems to be wobbling within the frame, the rear brake no longer works, the left pedal misses from 12-6 and the gears gave up a few days ago leaving me with top gear only.

I need a new bike pronto really and don't have a very big budget at all, the employer is still umming and arring about joining the biking to work scheme and I feel he may use this oportunity to avoid a pay rise which is plain and simply taking the micky so for now it looks like I need a road bike for less than £500 that will be half decent and survive the hills I cycle on.

I've been looking all over E-bay and gumtree but have yet to have much luck actually finding one that's within budget or nearby for collection. The only one meeting the criteria so far sold this evening.

Ah, the car is laughing, it wants me to go back to driving to work.

 

[Globalti]

Why don't you repair the old bike? There's nothing on a bike that can't be fixed. By the time you've done that the boss might have made up his mind and the new bike might last a bit longer than two weeks as you'll have learned how to maintain it in good condition.

 

[Rouge Penguin]

Phone your LBS and ask if they've traded anything in.

Failing that, I'm sure you could get a boardman from halfords on some sort of credit (again, your lbs might do credit).

 

[buggi]

Halfords credit is higher than a credit card. don't do it. you will end up paying double for the bike, if not more.

if i was you i would fix your old bike and then save up for the Boardman that is around £600. quite often they do a good deal online, knocking a bit off. they might have your size but you have to keep an eye on the website. they currently have a "small" for £550

http://www.halfords....Id=-1&x=33&y=14

 

[MontyVeda]

I'm with globalti... repair it.

You'll save money and learn how it all works at the same time.

 

[Wankelschrauben]

I need the bike for tomorrow and don't have the parts.

I may well fix it in the future but right now I need another hack.

I've found these two online

This one says it's a ladies bike, meh who cares I'll give to the missus once I've finished with it
http://kent.gumtree.com/kent/13/73408313.html

Or
Super cheap bike, looks kind of odd, but at that price can I really complain?
http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/coyote-mens-racing-bike/78244636

 

[Wankelschrauben]

Ok people, update time.

I rode my girlfriends crappy mountain bike into work today, never again.

When asked I simply said to my boss, "It fell apart, I need a new one" now he's looking into the costs of the cycle to work scheme at last.

So the old bike, no point binning it, I may aswell use it for if nothing else a project.

Last night I had the bike in the air and poked around the pedal box, the rear wheel, the gear mech and the rather crude brake mechanism.

The rear wheel is rocking in the frame, the left pedal arm is warped, the pedal box needs new bearings, the brakes are useless and primative, the gear selection mechanism, being two levers are an incredibly rubbish design for selecting and maintaining a desired gear.

The frame itself does not appear to have any damage, to check more closely I'll nitromores the entire frame, if the frame is good and rust free then I'll go about spraying in bright blue and replacing the following for new equipment:

Rear spindle
Pedal box spindle bearings
Pedal arms and pedals
Entire brake assembly from the bodged on single point floating calliper to a 2 point calliper as modern bikes use
Gear shift mechanisms over crank and cassette
All cables and chain


I would imagine that a new handle bar complete with brake handles and gear shifters would be a good idea if possible

 

[mcshroom]

Maidstone isn't (too far) from the Decathlon in Thurrock. Have a look at their BTwin Triban 3 Road bike. It's a 24sp tripple with a carbon front fork for about £300. Would be a decent bike in it's own right, and could always become a nice winter bike if you buy a shiny expensive thing on C2W What is the bike that is currently ailing btw?

 

[PpPete]

Nitromors & respray is a bit of waste of time IME. It ends up costing more in stripper, cans, abrasives etc than a professional powder coat... and it usually looks crap.

From your descriptions I suspect you might have problems of compatibility with modern equipment. There are solutions though - and there are many experts on this forum to help you find those solutions.

Help us to help you by taking some pics of the whole bike and what you think are the problem areas.

 

[Wankelschrauben]

I don't know what make the bike is but it is a 1950's 10 speed oval racing bike with a steel frame, it is quite light and has 27 inch wheels.

Compared to the modern mountain bike it is lightening fast so I do really appreciate the difference between the type of bikes now, I miss the drop bars already.

I'll get a picture up of it later.

 

[the snail]

What you are suggesting sounds like a lot of work and money, I don't think I would do that in your situation. Bringing an old bike up to modern spec could get expensive, and doing a full strip + repaint is quite a job in itself. If you want modern components, it would be better to buy a new bike, especially if you can use C2W. For £300-500 there are loads of bikes that would make great commuter bikes. I would look at what you need to do as a minimum to make your current bike roadworthy. For example, wheel/bottom bracket bearings you might get away with servicing them. Old style friction gear shifters work fine, it might just be a matter of a new cable or just lubrication. Old style brakes aren't up to modern stuff, but properly set up they should be good enough to get you to work and back. If you're going to do the bike up, I'd suggest you post more details/photos of the bike, then people will be able to advise you better. If you need to replace stuff then it's worth checking out the classified section, quite likely someone has what you need sat in the shed. Also check out the 'know how' section, there's lots of useful information there.

 

[LosingFocus]

This one says it's a ladies bike, meh who cares I'll give to the missus once I've finished with it
http://kent.gumtree....3/73408313.html

Not sure, if the add is correct and the picture is the right bike, that that is a ladies. Very nice, I'd have that away if I had the money.

 

[Klaus]

The May edition of Cycling Active has a review of five hybrids costing between £430 & £500.
Not sure whetehr this is on a website as well but it's well worth getting a copy - good content generally.

 

[Wankelschrauben]

Ah well, I tried using the GF's mountain bike yesterday, that was an experience, it is a horrible thing. I drove in today hoping that I may be able to pick up a box of bits with a new bike inside.

Only time will tell if that is the case or if I have to wait some more.

 

[the_mikey]

Don't throw good money at that old bike, false economy etc... Get a new one.