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04-29-06, 05:40 PM
It all started back around 1990-'91, when I bought my Miele Astro. Mountain bikes were becoming all the rage, and finding a low-cost road/racing bike was nearly impossible. The Miele Astro was the last of a dying breed, at under $500. Sure, they cut corners, but in places it didn't matter much...like using cheap pedals, a cheap "Mountain bike" seat, and steel handlebars. However, the frame was double-butted chromoly, and many of the components (including the rims) were aluminum, making this bike lightweight.
I had many ups and downs with that bike, but more ups than downs. I installed a carrier to haul things like groceries and text books. I probably shouldn't have overloaded it so much while hopping curbs. I destroyed the original rear wheel; no amount of work would ever balance it again. It was my main mode of transportation for a few years, until I bought a car in my final year of College, in '95. The bike was due for another tear-down and rebuild, but I didn't bother. It sat for a good year. Then in late '96, I went out for a ride with my brother. We got to the end of the driveway, then the back wheel locked up. The frame broke right at the drop. The frame had a lifetime warranty, but the place I bought the bike from no longer existed. Neither did Miele. I stored the bike away.
http://72.141.130.33/bicycle/100_1127.jpg
Now, 10 years later, I finally decided to rebuild the bike. I started by getting the frame welded. My friend did an exceptional job; it's stronger now than it was before. However, I didn't want to invest a lot of money in rebuilding this bike just in case something went wrong. I sanded and cleaned the rear drops, and gave them a coat of flat black tremclad I already had. I put the wheels on and got everything to line up. I cleaned and repacked the crank and rear wheel bearings. I couldn't get the gear sprocket to spin, but some WD-40 fixed that problem real quick. The tires still held air, though the sidewalls are showing cracks. I did replace the frayed rear brake cable, as it only cost $2.99. I made the mistake of not doing that once already in life, and learned that lesson.
I managed to get everything reassembled. The old chain was twisted; I worked it back with plyers, but in retrospect, maybe I should've just replaced it. I rode it out to the end of the driveway, shifted down, and my Schimano Exage motion ended up in my spokes. $35 for a replacement (they now call it an Altus, though it's almost the exact same thing), and $10 for a new chain (just in case). I was approaching the $50 mark. I got everything set up; heck, I even got the index shifting to work again so the deralieur hits the right gears at the clicks. Some days, I even impress myself. Then I spent the afternoon riding it everywhere.
After riding the mountain bike for so long, I almost forgot what it felt like to have every ounce of effort transformed into forward motion. I could zip up hills without downshifting. Attaining the speed of the flow of in-town traffic was possible again. How I missed this bike!
I have concluded that I cannot live without this type of bike again. My next step is to replace the brake pads, tires, and inner tubes. Next will be the seat, and a new wrap of handlebar tape. If the frame holds up for a year without fatigue, I'll strip it down again and get it professionally painted. No more curb hopping, and definitely no more carriers for this bike. I'll eventually replace some of the components with better ones.
http://72.141.130.33/bicycle/miele_rebuilt.jpg
I had many ups and downs with that bike, but more ups than downs. I installed a carrier to haul things like groceries and text books. I probably shouldn't have overloaded it so much while hopping curbs. I destroyed the original rear wheel; no amount of work would ever balance it again. It was my main mode of transportation for a few years, until I bought a car in my final year of College, in '95. The bike was due for another tear-down and rebuild, but I didn't bother. It sat for a good year. Then in late '96, I went out for a ride with my brother. We got to the end of the driveway, then the back wheel locked up. The frame broke right at the drop. The frame had a lifetime warranty, but the place I bought the bike from no longer existed. Neither did Miele. I stored the bike away.
http://72.141.130.33/bicycle/100_1127.jpg
Now, 10 years later, I finally decided to rebuild the bike. I started by getting the frame welded. My friend did an exceptional job; it's stronger now than it was before. However, I didn't want to invest a lot of money in rebuilding this bike just in case something went wrong. I sanded and cleaned the rear drops, and gave them a coat of flat black tremclad I already had. I put the wheels on and got everything to line up. I cleaned and repacked the crank and rear wheel bearings. I couldn't get the gear sprocket to spin, but some WD-40 fixed that problem real quick. The tires still held air, though the sidewalls are showing cracks. I did replace the frayed rear brake cable, as it only cost $2.99. I made the mistake of not doing that once already in life, and learned that lesson.
I managed to get everything reassembled. The old chain was twisted; I worked it back with plyers, but in retrospect, maybe I should've just replaced it. I rode it out to the end of the driveway, shifted down, and my Schimano Exage motion ended up in my spokes. $35 for a replacement (they now call it an Altus, though it's almost the exact same thing), and $10 for a new chain (just in case). I was approaching the $50 mark. I got everything set up; heck, I even got the index shifting to work again so the deralieur hits the right gears at the clicks. Some days, I even impress myself. Then I spent the afternoon riding it everywhere.
After riding the mountain bike for so long, I almost forgot what it felt like to have every ounce of effort transformed into forward motion. I could zip up hills without downshifting. Attaining the speed of the flow of in-town traffic was possible again. How I missed this bike!
I have concluded that I cannot live without this type of bike again. My next step is to replace the brake pads, tires, and inner tubes. Next will be the seat, and a new wrap of handlebar tape. If the frame holds up for a year without fatigue, I'll strip it down again and get it professionally painted. No more curb hopping, and definitely no more carriers for this bike. I'll eventually replace some of the components with better ones.
http://72.141.130.33/bicycle/miele_rebuilt.jpg