Bicycle Mechanics - Newbie made rookie buying mistake

I'm haven't ridden in a very long time and am just getting into the cycling thing. I went to several bike shops here in town and narrowed my choice to a Trek 7100 or a Specialized Expedition Sport. I found a brand new, factory sealed 2004 Specialized Expedition Sport on eBay (seller had 300 feedbacks with 100% positive rating). The bike (including shipping) was about $80 cheaper than I could have purchased it locally. As a fulltime student, this had appeal for me. The bike arrived today unassembled (I knew this when I ordered it). The only problem was... no assembly instructions are packed with the bike. I managed to get it 90% assembled but now I have to take it in to a shop to get it finished and adjusted. It will probably cost me what I saved on the price of the bike (just guessing here) plus I'm missing out on the free lifetime adjustments I could have had if I had purchased locally. If I had known there were no assembly instructions I would have never made the purchase. Oh well, lesson learned. I'll not be buying another bike online. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Anyway, thought I'd post this in case another rookie out there is thinking about an online purchase. Learn from my stupidity and buy from a local shop.

While I agree with the idea of buying from a shop, what's done is done. You might be able to finish assembling things yourself. Check out the Park Tool Repair Help website (http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/index.shtml).

most adjustments they do on the bike is something anyone can learn in 15 minutes.

I saw that but decided to go local. The fact that I got some trade in from my BMX bikes didn't hurt either. It shouldn't be hard to figure out what needs to be done to get the bike ready. Mine is an 04 too, and I'll be glad to help in any way I can, inclusive of taking digital pics of anything you'd like to see in an assembled state. Just PM me.

Thanks for the link and the offer to help. I couldn't figure out how to adjust the brakes so they are applied evenly, and the wheels don't seem to be true when spinning (seem to have a bit of wobble). Last thing is I'm not sure I have the quick release assembly correct for the front wheel. That one causes me the most concern and is why I'm going to take it in. Once it's all set up I should be OK from there. Thanks again, guys.

you could try looking at the Barnetts manual (on this site) - if you take your time and think about what you doing you should be able to get the thing at least nearly finsished so the LBS costs will not be too high

Think of it this way, you will now gain valuable experience fixing your own bike.

How to reassemble a boxed bike:
http://bicyclehabitat.com/site/page.cfm?PageID=239

-chris

most adjustments they do on the bike is something anyone can learn in 15 minutes.


Not 15, but you've got the right idea.

I took the bike into the LBS (Bike World). They're charging me $29 to finish it up and tune/lube everything. I felt that was a bargain. Thanks to everyone for replying.

Yeah that sounds more than fair. Make sure you buy some goodies from them while you're there, cause they could have really stuck it to you. I'm sure you could use a pump, seat bag, spare tube, multi-tool, bottle cage or two, bottles, helmet, mirror....or at least some of that stuff!

Oh, and enjoy it...I'm loving mine.

well, $30 is a nice standard fee for a tuneup, which means you did a decent job. all you need now is to fine tune it, which means having the right tools and using the park tools website. the right tools is what costs, but in the long run it gives you huge peace of mind, confidence, and a nice hobby.

sd

Putting a bike together start to finish is a good lesson in bike maintenance/repair. You learn a little bit about every part of your bike. This knowledge can really help you identify problems and make adjustments out on the trail. If you need help, all the information is online. Check out sheldonbrown or webmountainbike.com