Recreational & Family - Rehabbing Old 10-speed

After realizing that a big-box-store mtn bike isn't the best way to enjoy the local bike trail (or even my hilly neighborhood), it looks like I can get an old Raleigh, steel-framed road bike for super cheap ($29, maybe even less). I've ridden it briefly and it appears to be in good shape. But I'm sure if any maintenance has been done on it at all, it was ages ago.

What's the most inexpensive way I can turn this into a safe, relatively efficient machine to ride recreationally on paved trails about once a week? Sounds like the chain needs cleaning and lubing, brakes need to be replaced (or something done to decrease stopping distance and eliminate squeaking), and probably need new tires. How do I go about making these repairs without spending too much money or time, given I know very little about bike maintenance (but am pretty handy, for a chick :p). Anything else it may need that I wouldn't have noticed, but could pose problems later?

Thanks for any advice!!!

Not directly related to your question, but only this afternoon I got talking to another guy on a similar subject. I had my two girls out for a ride on trails at a local park. I pull my almost 3 year old in a Burleigh Bee trailer behind my Trek Navigator 200, my 9 year old is on her Giant MTX 225.

Another family pulls up and parks two spots away. His kids are on modern bikes, he unloads his Schwinn Varsity. Man, it was like 1970 all over again! We got talking, and I laughed that he probably got that bike when he was about 13 or so (several of my friends got Varsity or the upmarket Columbia around then). Sure enough, I was pretty much on the money! He still enjoys riding it, and sees no reason to buy new.

So yes, it could make sense to invest. I would suggest, if you are not familiar with the basics, that you start with your LBS. Ask them for a walkaround and estimate of repairs. Don't commit to anything, just get an idea of what they would repair or replace, and the parts and labor costs. Tires and tubes can be a Walmart or mail order purchase, and are relatively cheap. Brake pads could be $10-20, depending on the type and quality, but you might need more than just the pads - cables at minimum, maybe the entire assembly. Suddenly you could be talking $25 to $50 for even a basic replacement system. Same with the gear systems. If it is of the same vintage as I was quoting, these bikes don't use index shifting so in some ways they are simpler (you determine the shifter travel by feel and ear). But unfortunately, many of these older units might be well trashed by time and neglect. Then there is the saddle, taping handlebars, conditions of wheels, spokes, bearings, pedals, crank, etc. etc. It could turn out to be a great investment or a money pit, but this is why I would suggest that you start with a professional opinion.

Steve

Fibber - thanks so much for your response. I was finally able to get my old 10-speed from my parents house, so now at least I'm fixing up a bike that was free (to me anyway). I went to my LBS today for a free bike maintenance class and to have it checked out, and am thrilled with their service. I should be up and rolling soon, and I can't wait!

Glad that you are making progress! After not hearing from you after a few weeks I kind of assumed that you had crashed and burned, and were not going any further. Let us know how your 'new' old ride turns out.

Steve

You might want to post this topic over on te Classic & Vintage forum. There's some Raleigh experts over there.

I would be interested to know what kind of Raleigh you have. Many of their bikes are really pretty nice.

When I get a n old bike from the 70's or 80's, I usually take the bike completely apart. I replace all the grease including the grease in the hubs, bottom bracket, and headset. I clean and grease the brake cables and shifter cables. Check the brake pads. The chain is checked and often replaced.

This might seem like a lot of work and might be intimidating to a newbie mechanic. If you think of it, though, a bike from the 1970's probably hasn't seen new grease in nearly 30 years. A bike from the 1980's probabaly hasn't seen grease in more than 20 years. Usually, when I clean up the bearings in these old bikes, the grease is full of contaminants and the grease is sometimes dried up. You can ride an old bike without re-greasing, but you will probably ride the bike to it's premature death due to lack of lubrication.

Of course, that really isn't a safety issue.

As for safety, You will soon notice safety issues by simply riding around the block. Before you hop on that old machine, check the critical stuff: Mainly,

"do the brakes work?".

Are the wheels secure on the frame?

Are the bearing cones on the wheel axles correctly or are the hubs loose and unstable?

Is the headset stable or is it loose?

You will discover some of the other less important issues as you ride.

I would be interested to know what kind of Raleigh you have.

Mike - I should have been more clear. The Raleigh I was interested in was a bike I was considering buying from someone in my neighborhood who was selling it on eBay. I couldn't get it quite as cheaply as I wanted, and considering I didn't know how much work it needed I decided not to take my chances.

The old 10-speed I'm working on now is a Schwinn Sprint, circa late 1980s. What I know so far is that I need new tires and tubes (I now know how to change those myself, so I'll probably buy them online), the wheels need truing, the brakes need adjusting, and I need a new free wheel. Plus I'll probably get a new seat, eventually anyway. It looks like it could be worse, though, so I'm quite excited. I will check out the Classic & Vintage board, though (thanks, Grumpy).

Hehehe... you're in luck. This is something I do for fun.

The main thing is, it frequently costs you nothing more than some effort and some grease. Pull everything apart and clean it, then regrease and reassemble. Make all your adjustments while doing this.

If you DO need new parts, go BACK to the thrift store and look for a donor bicycle. By then you'll know what you need, and can buy a total junker that has the right parts for cheeeeep.

I've got an early '80's Univega Viva Sport 12 speed that I acquired for $20.00 - that's my daily rider, and all it needed was some grease, TLC and adjustments. Awesome bicycle, with one of the first Cr-Mo steel frames.

Oh yeah, if you can't find a donor cycle with right parts, try hitting your local hardware store. Here in California, I use Orchard Supply Hardware for a lot of stuff like brake pads/calipers/tires etc. Target and Wal-Mart are ok too.

You might want to post this topic over on te Classic & Vintage forum. There's some Raleigh experts over there.
there is loads of people passsionate about the retro rides on that forum.

Walk28, I'm fairly new (again) to cycling and do all my own maintence on my bike's. Welcome to the club, it's alot of fun, remember, even if you ruin something on your sprint, it's still cheaper to get it fixed then a new store model.
Be carefull buyiong rims of the internet though, if you have 26 in wheels on your Sprint it can be tricky to find the same size road tires, most I've seen on the WWW are 700X25, just a bit different, but a bit is all it takes to have your brakes not in line.

Good Luck, Have Fun

Thanks for the well wishes and advice, Peter. I see you're in the Chicago Burbs. My Sprint originated not far from you. I grew up in Naperville. The Schwinn bike shop where I bought the bike (using the gift crtificate I received one wonderful Christmas morning 15 years ago or so) was within walking distance of our house, just across the street from Portillos!

It looks like my tires are plain old 27 x 1¼, so I think I'm one of the lucky ones. Right now I'm just 2 tires and a frame-pump (for my repair kit) away from being on the road - can't wait!

Wendy

Thanks for the well wishes and advice, Peter. I see you're in the Chicago Burbs. My Sprint originated not far from you. I grew up in Naperville. The Schwinn bike shop where I bought the bike (using the gift crtificate I received one wonderful Christmas morning 15 years ago or so) was within walking distance of our house, just across the street from Portillos!

It looks like my tires are plain old 27 x 1¼, so I think I'm one of the lucky ones. Right now I'm just 2 tires and a frame-pump (for my repair kit) away from being on the road - can't wait!

Wendy
have fun, and good luck.
remember, you can never have too many tools, 1/2 the reason I ride with a camelbak is to store my tools, and you should kkep a small rag as well.

I buy old neglected bikes all the time, at my local university police abandoned property auctions. I replace only what needs it at the time and spend as little as possible. I clean and de-rust the chain, but don't replace it unless absolutely necessary. If you replace the chain expect to have to change the gear cluster. If the tires aren't totally trash - just put in new tubes, even tires showing some cracking will last for awhile while you decide if the bike is worth fixing further. I find most of these bikes don't have a lot of miles on them; they've just been left outside to rust. Replace the brake shoes and the cables. The bikes I buy usually need a better seat to make them more comfortable. I buy the bikes for $5-$30. The Walmart and Chinese-built bargain bikes are not usually worth putting more than $50 into them. I ride them for a year or so and give them away to people who think they'd like to get back into riding and then I buy another one, fix it up, and ride it. I am currently riding a 1988 Schwinn Aluminum Pro 1.86K MTB. I paid $5 for it last year. I have invested about $100 and plan to ride this one until I can no longer find parts for it. It has a wedge type seat post with no binder bolt and I expect this will be the part I will not be able to replace when it goes bad. I had to replace the gear cluster, chain, cables, brake shoes, and tubes. I replaced the seat for more comfort, added clipless pedals, and changed the stem so it was a better fit for me. The bike before this one was a chinese-made Pacifica. I replaced the seat, tubes, brakes shoes and cables and then rode it 300 miles before the bottom bracket self-destructed. I replaced it for $40 and gave the bike to a friend.

***warning**** you are starting to hear from those of us who are addicted. It can start innocent enough rehabing an old Schwinn Sprint (did a 86 to give away last spring), then you see a cro-mol frame @ thrift store for a ridiculous price. You now spend approx. $20 and feel a substantial upgrade, then riding down the road one day you will see a tragedy- good / great bike set to the curb as trash. I do not know what will be the reason: alloy wheels, better brakes, a beautiful crank but that bike will "follow" you home even if the frame is the wrong size.
Now you are teatering on the edge now aware that most bicycles that left the show room floor did not get worn out as the owner trained for the Tour de France, but got abandoned in a year or two, religated to the garage/basment/storage shed. The owner moved on to somthing else and frogot the simple plesure of riding and feeling the road float under you as you soar a few feet off the ground. They have decided that the TV offers decompresion for a hectic life, they are intertained for 4 hours a night watching actors ply their trade(pretending to be some one else in a hyped up sceen play that would not be possible in real life). Little do they know they are upping the stress in thier lives- watching someone else run might fool your brain into thinking you are active -but your body knows the difference and will get out of sink , growing fat and frail. While their trusty steel steed awaits barely fazed by the hands of time, Its metal frame still as strong as the day it saw sunlight on its inaugural ride. The rubber and other consumable items slowly rotting away leaving a tresure that just needs to be touched by the work of an "addict".
So becareful or you to may become addicted and discover that: there is life away from the TV, there is plesure in using your own hands to restore/maintain a simple yet elgannt machine and that you will want to share this knowlege with your friends.
The sad truth is they will politely listen to your "rantings" assured in the knowlage that tonights prime-time shows will satisfy them and if there is any thing missing or a restlessness about their body they will qwell it with sodas and junk food. You may be labled various names but it will not matter because you will have your own life back.

Just my opinion and experance, FYI directions for just about every repair has been written down in a book or on the internet. I hope you get more than your share of tail winds.

***warning**** you are starting to hear from those of us who are addicted....FYI directions for just about every repair has been written down in a book or on the internet. I hope you get more than your share of tail winds.

Haha - I see that! Perhaps I should have mentioned that I left the major stuff to the LBS. But I guess that may change in the future. I'm going to start out by putting on the tires I bought, giving her a once over with some simple green, and lubing the chain - then we'll see how it goes. I do like working with my hands, though - it's a nice complement to the hours I spend in front of the computer for my work. So it's possible I may begin to morph into one of you addicts soon.:eek: I have found lots of good maintenance and repair tips online and have spent lots of time reading, but I still need to learn the volcabulary a bit better. Thanks!!

Haha - I see that! Perhaps I should have mentioned that I left the major stuff to the LBS. But I guess that may change in the future. I'm going to start out by putting on the tires I bought, giving her a once over with some simple green, and lubing the chain - then we'll see how it goes. I do like working with my hands, though - it's a nice complement to the hours I spend in front of the computer for my work. So it's possible I may begin to morph into one of you addicts soon.:eek: I have found lots of good maintenance and repair tips online and have spent lots of time reading, but I still need to learn the volcabulary a bit better. Thanks!!

this is how it starts....... so you'll be one of us.

See my signature; I have five bicycles, the NEWEST of which is 17 years old. (The oldest, at 46, predates alot of my coworkers.) There is nothing like a high-quality older bicycle!