I've had some conflicting input from bike shops about what I should do here, so I thought maybe I'd throw this out to the forum and hopefully get of your input. :)
I just purchased a new 2004 Gary Fisher Tassajara (clearance of old stock at a LBS) to replace my Trek 850 which was 10 years old and had been ridden extensively on roads and bike paths during the first five summers and winters of its life and on and off during the summer and winter during the last five years. Last winter, the chain started jerking forward under pressure which was very disconcerting. :rolleyes: I'm thinking that the drive chain needs to be replaced even though one LBS tweaked the gears and after viewing the drive train said it should still be ok for another year or two. It is not skipping now (summer), but I've got a bad feeling that it'll be dicey in the winter again.
I've heard from one bike shop that I should keep the Trek as a winter beater, do nothing else to it, and avoid problem gears running it only on one if I have to; another bike shop said if I can get a couple of hundred dollars (Canadian) for it it'd be worth selling.
I realize this riding the GF in summer and winter will wear out the GF's drive train quicker, but it'd be nice to have only the one bike (I love the GF, my Trek served me well but man, there's not comparison in the ride). As you can see, I am leaning towards selling the Trek, but wanted to know if anyone has anyone has any strong advice that I keep a winter beater?
Oh yeah, I ride in temps down to about 30 below, snow and ice etc... They sand the roads in our area (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), but I don't think they salt.
Thanks.
Stubacca
06-12-05, 08:34 AM
Replacing the drivetrain completely is probably not required. The symptoms you describe sound like a chain that's been allowed to wear out well past it's used by date, which in turn has worn a few gears on the rear cluster. Likely the problems on the Trek could be solved with a new chain and a new cassette/freewheel.
That being said, if it were me I'd convert it to a singlespeed and use it as a winter beater bike. I can't see it being worth a couple of hundred bucks on the used market in the condition you describe.
What sort of maintenance did you do on the bike over the past 10 years?
stony
06-12-05, 08:41 AM
What sort of maintenance did you do on the bike over the past 10 years?
First five years regular maintenance at LBS but then I moved to a different city and let it slide for the past five years - cleaned and lubed it myself, but that was about it. :o
I know that the condition that the bike is in was my fault for not taking better care of the chain etc... espeically during the winter, but that will change. :)
Now that I've got my new bike I plan on learning more about repairing and tuning the bike myself, but also will be taking it in for annual checkups.
On your comment re: the worn chain, I had the Trek tuned up about 2 months ago and specifically asked the mechanic (at a very respectable shop) about the winter biking chain problems. He did check the chain (measured it and visual inspection) and the cogs (visual inspection) and said they were worn but didn't need replacing yet. That's what has me uncertain.
I guess the other thing to consider is that if I wipe-out in the winter, it'd probalby be nicer to do it on the Trek (which has already gone through a cople of spills with just a nick on the seat to show for it) rather than the newer bike.
Thanks for the advice Stubacca.
clevernamehere
06-12-05, 10:04 PM
I rode my new Marin Larkspur (hybrid) through this past winter (I live in Saskatoon SK, so I know what your winter riding conditions are all about). It was stolen & I bought a new Marin Novato. I plan to ride the Novato through the winter as well. The Larkspur survived pretty well with minimal maintenance, though I did wear out a chain & cassette.
I think it's worth it to ride a good bike in the winter. The way I see it, I'm saving hundreds if not thousands of dollars/year by riding my bike rather than driving a car. Replacing parts on bikes, even if more frequently due to winter riding, is still much more affordable than operating a car. Good bikes are built to be ride. When I'm riding in -35c weather, I want to be riding the most reliable bike I can, not some questionable "winter beater".
I am considering buying an older "beater" mountain bike to take to the lake on camping trips - just something to ride to the beach. I don't think I want the stress of worrying about my good bike being stolen from the camp site.... so, I'd consider taking the Trek off your hands if you decide to sell it. :) I end up in Edmonton a few times/year.
stony
06-14-05, 06:51 PM
I'd consider taking the Trek off your hands if you decide to sell it. :) I end up in Edmonton a few times/year.
Sorry clevernamehere, but I had an offer on the Trek so I took the opportunity. :) Your advice was helpful though as it got me thinking . . . I'm going to be riding my new bike all summer and fall so going back to the Trek which feels totally different and is probably not as mechanically sound didn't make too much sense for winter biking which is exactly when familiarity, comfort, and reliability are the most important.
I'll have to keep checking the forum to get some good ideas about preparing for winter when the time comes, but for now I don't even want to think about the 's' word. ;)
Happy trails.
ChroMo2
08-22-05, 05:32 PM
if you don't maintain your bike properly (working on it 10 to 15 hours a week) in the winter, it aint gonna ride too good. not only will road salt ruin your cable set, but your going to have to disassemble your brakes and deraillers a couple of times in the winter. Ride the Trek, let the Gary Fisher break in for a couple of seasons before you decide how much work you wanna put in a bike to make it ride the way it should ride in the snow and salt and mud etc.
clevernamehere
08-23-05, 01:07 PM
if you don't maintain your bike properly (working on it 10 to 15 hours a week) in the winter, it aint gonna ride too good. not only will road salt ruin your cable set, but your going to have to disassemble your brakes and deraillers a couple of times in the winter. Ride the Trek, let the Gary Fisher break in for a couple of seasons before you decide how much work you wanna put in a bike to make it ride the way it should ride in the snow and salt and mud etc.
I put in less than 1hr /week in cleaning/maintaining my bike this past winter (commuted to/from work every day). I probably should have cleaned drivetrain more often, but it never let me down due to being dirty. I had probably 3 rides where I couldn't shift the rear derailer, but it was because it was frozen, not damaged. No signs of corrosion on my cables or brakes. The only rust was in the heads of some of the alan head screws. Rims were wearing faster than they would in fair weather due to sand grinding them down each time I braked (switching to discs this year). The money you save on gas will easily pay for a bit of extra maintenance/replacing parts sooner if required due to winter riding.
ChroMo2
08-24-05, 06:01 PM
it takes me almost an hour to clean, inspect, and grease my chain. but I do it with a toothbrush. I'm thankful for a quick release master link. Shifting has got to be the most critical aspect of winter riding. It does take a long time to clean a bicycle. How much of a performance ratio is important to your riding style is the factor. One of my friends said I probably sleep with my bike. I wasn't offended by that comment!
CBBaron
08-25-05, 08:20 AM
I put in less than 1hr /week in cleaning/maintaining my bike this past winter (commuted to/from work every day). I probably should have cleaned drivetrain more often, but it never let me down due to being dirty. I had probably 3 rides where I couldn't shift the rear derailer, but it was because it was frozen, not damaged. No signs of corrosion on my cables or brakes. The only rust was in the heads of some of the alan head screws. Rims were wearing faster than they would in fair weather due to sand grinding them down each time I braked (switching to discs this year). The money you save on gas will easily pay for a bit of extra maintenance/replacing parts sooner if required due to winter riding.
Its obvious to me they do not salt your roads. Unfortunately here in Cleveland they salt heavily. I don't want to put the hours necessary to keep a geared bike working correctly in the winter with salt so I have switched to a fixed gear. This way I always have "brakes", There are almost no cables to freeze and very few other moving parts to cause problems. Plus the fixed gear gives me a very good feel for when the rear wheel starts slipping. It may not work for everybody but it works for me.
Craig
Guest
08-25-05, 09:26 AM
Why not? Get your Trek serviced and use it for your beater bike. I did the same thing when I got my new road bike. Old one= beater, and new one= training.
Koffee
ChroMo2
08-25-05, 03:29 PM
I gotta have it all when i'm winter riding. I like the looks off-roaders give me, when I make my 25 lb. bike float over freshly plowed snowbanks, and go where their 4 x 4s could't go without getting stuck. And dissappear from civilization into mother natures cold and snowy trails.
clevernamehere
08-25-05, 08:02 PM
Its obvious to me they do not salt your roads. Unfortunately here in Cleveland they salt heavily.
Actually, they do salt our roads... mostly at the beginning & end of winter when the temps are mild enough for salt to work... below around -15c salt doesn't really help melt the ice much, so they use more sand.
ross dungey
08-30-05, 04:27 AM
Hi, (you can tell by this question I'm new to cycling) it's winter here in Australia, what kind of basic maintenance should you perform in winter? :o