Originally Posted by
RaleighSport
To be perfectly frank, from the pics you can't go wrong giving the guy his asking price unless he's a master flimflammer.. you'll do fine. Do check back in though and let us know how it goes.
Left side is your front gears, right side is the rear. It'll be obvious on the other part, the shifter will be in a position, note it and note where the corresponding derailer is on the gears, this is good anyways so you'll also know what gear the bike should be shifting too next.
Once you have the bike in your possession we can talk about what to do mechanically to it.
Seat tube measurements are notoriously inaccurate, there's a few different ways to do it and of course lots of people who are just really guessing.
I think it was already said in this thread, that bike is already setup for someone similar to your measurements so I wouldn't be too concerned.
Thank you very much, will sure do!
Originally Posted by
Chicago Al
From the other thread (and this is where it belonged anyway), re checking the bike out:
Suggest you just peruse the forum history or start a new thread. (But be careful about revealing where you are---bikes 'outed' here have been known to disappear quickly.)
Most of us assume with any old bike that it will need new brake pads, tires and tubes, cables, grease in wheel hubs, bottom bracket, etc. Having a bike shop do that can quickly add up into the hundreds, so any regular on this forum knows how to do their own work. In fact it's part of the fun.
Good luck and let us know how it goes! There are several threads about the Ironman here--as you'll see it's highly regarded.
Yea, I have been looking at some old threads too. Thank you for your advice, and reopening my thread, will continue all the discussion here from now on.
And yea, I am totally planning to work on the bike on my own, and I believe it would be really fun.
Originally Posted by
oddjob2
FYI, upon a closer look at the photos, that is a 1989, which would have been all Suntour GPX. Therefore the RD and wheels are all replacement parts. The paint on the stays is scuffed, but luckily the area around the crankset, the bottom bracket, is not rusty at all. There is a tendency of some Ironman's to rust in that area.
Bring a tape measure and measure from the center of crank to the seat bolt for frame size.
Here is a higher resolution photo of mine. With a large or iPad retina display, you can see every detail. The bar tape will probably go white.
Thanks for the photo. OMG I am in love with your bike. Anyway, should the replacement parts be a concern? I mean the bike is 25 years old, I totally understand that some parts don't last that long if the bike was used frequently.
Originally Posted by
browngw
Not trying to rain on your parade, but even though it is a great looking bike and excellent value to the right person, is it a good choice for a commuter bike?
If I was new to bikes and chose this to ride to work I think I would be disappointed. No fenders, no racks, aggressive position, DT shifters. There are lots better choices. Buy this one to resell and finance an appropriate commuter.
Any opinion is welcomed, so thanks! I am not sure if it is a good choice too, but I am not commuting a long distance to work, it would only be 5 miles round trip everyday. And I only bring a small backpack that fits my laptop and some documents, and sometimes my lunch box to work anyway, so a rack is not really required. Depending on the weather, I may add a fender on the bike. But if the road conditions are really bad, I would just take the bus because it is very convenient anyway.
Plus, I have always liked how road bikes look and always wanted to own one. But the DT shifters is something that I don't prefer.