Mountain Biking - Questions about my new (old) bike.

Hey, I just nabbed this GT Ricochet off Craigslist for $75 and I have some questions about it if any of you are familiar.

I think it's a 97? And it's practically unused. I don't think it ever left the pavement. And check out the grips. Original GT grips, not even worn! Aluminum frame, Rock Shox Indy, STX all in great shape. The cables need a little love, definitely needs a new seat, and needs a new back tire (for some reason, it's got a hybrid-road slick on back, but beef up front).

• What kind of maintenance should I be looking to do on a bike this old (even in this good of shape.)

• The front tire is mounted backwards. How can I tell which way the hub is supposed to face? Just wondering if I need to remount the tire, or just flip the whole wheel.

• Anyone know what the H / L settings do on the Servo-Wave brakes?

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http://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/BikeSpecs.aspx?Year=1997&Brand=GT&Model=Ricochet&Type=bike

It looks like 1997 is a good guess. The INDY fork was used that year. $75. was a very nice price to pick that bike up for. Good job. I always like to take the chain off clean and lube. If you are handy, you might re install the cables. At the least, spray some lube down the cable housing. Remember-WD40 is NOT a lubricant! Get a good spray lube from one of the Mart stores or a local bike shop. (LBS)

The front tire looks like a Velociraptor. Some people mount it that direction for a digging vs plowing action. It is more blunt in grabbing the dirt. If you are in loose dirt that may be preferable. You can just remove the tire and flip it around. There may be a difference with the brakes. It all depends on how true the rim is. I would go out and take a couple of test runs as it is and then flip it and see if you notice a difference in turning and rolling resistance.

Good job on the buy and post some ride photos.

Thanks! Yeah, I've got some cable lube, but may run new ones if needed. Thanks for the tip on the tires.

Yeah, I'm excited to try it out. I ride a fair amount, but just a short work commute and slow-ride cruiser, family-style. I have never really done much trail riding but have always wanted to. I recently lost a lot of weight and have been running a lot, so now that my stamina is up, thought it was about damn time to give this a shot!

Just flip the wheel (and the skewer to keep both levers on the non drive side). Don't worry about the hub.

As far as the levers- they change the pivot of the cable. I'm pretty sure the cable anchors at the end of the lever itself, by moving the pivot you change the amount of mechanical advantage you have over the v-brakes. Play with it, you might find a setting you like the feel of better.

Clean the cables in place, just create slack and slide them out of the slotted frame stops, then slide the housing aside.

I bet that tire is on the back for indoor trainer use. This thing might have more miles on it than you think- check out the chain and teeth of the drivetrain, it might be time to swap out at least the chain.

Nice find. I love those old GT AL frames, they're worth building up.

Good find! In addition to lubing the chain, I'd consider having both hubs relubed (grease that old tends to harden). I use Phil's grease, but automotive bearing grease works well too. Then ride the crap out of it.

Thanks all! Good advice all around.