ChappyEight

The wife and I have begun bicycling as something to do together and with the kids. I picked up this bike, a Giant Sedona, last fall from a neighbor who was moving for $25 (apologies for those of you who've already seen this thread on /r/cycling.

Initially I figured we'd just hang onto this bike and get her something a bit more up-to-date (this appears to be a late 90's early 2000's bike). However, being a former sprint car racer and generally a tinkerer and mechanic at heart, I figured I could get this bike in tip-top shape and maybe have a little fun doing it with my 7 year-old son.

After looking over the bike, it would seem a "frame-off" (sorry, not sure what the equivalent biking term is) restoration would be in order. Disclaimer: I'm fully aware that I could buy a brand new entry level, similar bike for her possibly cheaper than what I want to do here, but that's not really the point.

So, with that in mind, here are some questions I have for you much wiser than myself:

• Should I go so far as to remove/replace the BB and Headset or should I just clean thoroughly and regrease?
• Is it worth it (or even possible) to rebuild the FD & RD's? Seems like the Shimano "Tourney" line is very similar to what I have here and is a mere $40 on Amazon. (Would it work with the existing SRAM grip shifters?)
• Safe to assume replacing the crankset would likely also be in order?
• Should I replace all the brake/shifter cables and housings?
• Should I consider replacing the wheel hubs to be the "cassette" type rather than the current freewheel setup?
• Should I go ahead and rebuild the front shocks? (And the shock in the seat post as well)

I'm not too arrogant to swear off using my LBS for some items that require expensive specialty tools. But, I'd really like to do as much as possible on my own. Between YouTube, this forum, and the Park Tool Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair, I'm certain I can probably handle most tasks.

I'm certain I've forgotten something (or many things), but as you can see I essentially want this to feel and operate like a new bike. The frame is in good shape and I'm pretty sure I can accomplish a rebuild for equal to or less than a somewhat equivalent new bike and I'll have the benefit of learning and spending time with my son to do it.

Any and all advice is much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Chappy

(EDIT: You may see full albums start to finish here.)



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(EDIT 2: Project is now complete!)

SkyDog75

Sounds like a good plan! I've rebuilt a bike or two with my daughters.

It depends on what kind of headset and bottom bracket you have.

Glancing at the Giant Sedona on Bikepedia, it looks like you should be able to disassemble the headset, clean it, regrease it, and put it back together. There's no need to replace anything except maybe the balls unless something's damaged.

According to Bikepedia, 1999 & 2000 Sedonas would've originally been equipped with a cartridge bottom bracket. They're essentially service-free. Leave it in place and ride it until it develops slop or starts to feel gritty. When it does, remove the cartridge and replace it.

If and when you choose to do so, removing and replacing the bottom bracket will require two specialized tools: a crank puller like a Park Tool CWP-7 to remove the crank arms from the spindle, and a splined bottom bracket tool like a Park Tool BBT-22 or BBT-32 to remove and insert the cartridge bottom bracket.

Rebuilding derailleurs generally isn't practical. Beyond cleaning, derailleur servicing is typically limited to removing, cleaning, and lubing the rear derailleur pulleys. Or replacing them if they're worn.

Unless it's damaged, there should be no need to replace it.

Yes. Brake pads, too. And tires if they're original, since rubber doesn't age too gracefully.

Chains are consumables as well. They're cheap, so you might as well replace it if you're going for "good as new". A SRAM PC-850 or PC-870 chain would be an ideal replacement. If the bike has been ridden quite a bit, the freewheel might be worn enough to replace. (Probably not necessary if this bike spent more time in the garage than on the road.)

Freehub/cassette systems are superior to freewheels in a few ways -- the most notable being the axle bearings are located further outboard, so the axle is better supported. But unless you plan to be doing something that'll strain the axle, like loading the bike up with racks and bags for long-distance touring, there's no pressing need to replace a perfectly functional freewheel hub.

I'll defer to someone with more suspension experience since all my bikes are rigid. ...but I wouldn't be shocked (no pun intended) to find out the fork and seatpost on your bike weren't designed to be rebuildable.

If you have to replace the fork, you've got some choices to make: rigid or suspension? Stick with threaded fork and headset or switch to threadless? There are a few parts considerations, but let's not cross that bridge 'til we come to it.

You may have to pick up a few inexpensive specialty tools, but otherwise, this shouldn't be too difficult.

Off the top of my head...
crank puller (e.g. Park Tool CWP-7)
bottom bracket tool (e.g. Park Tool BBT-22 or BBT-32)
freewheel tool (specific to your freewheel)
headset wrench
cone wrenches to disassemble/reassemble/adjust wheel hubs
metric Allen wrenches
cable/housing cutter (or a Dremel with a cutting wheel)
chain tool

Totally doable. Have a blast!

dsbrantjr

If you decide to disassemble the headset you might as well go ahead and replace the bearing balls; they are cheap and it is no more work to put in new ones than old.

Barabaika

You should regrease the front and rear hubs (you need a special narrow wrench), the headset, the pedals.
The bottom bracket is not serviceable. If it creaks, you replace it.
You can change the cables and housing.
You can change the brake pads in the brakes.

The bike most likely has a cassette, not a freewheel, 7-8 speed.
You can clean everything else.

The wheels are likely out of true.
The shifters may need adjustment or replacement.

Tool Tips for Bicycle Maintenance and Repair

AlexCyclistRoch

If it's a freewheel "cheapie", I'd say that an overhaul is not worth the time or money.

SkyDog75

ChappyEight's Giant Sedona was an entry level mountain bike. Whether it has a cassette or a freewheel, it's a pretty ideal family cruiser to ride around town with a 7-year-old.

$25 purchase, plus some parts, plus some quality time wrenching with the kid? Totally worth it.

Barabaika

It was a $500 bike with good components.

SkyDog75

The 2000 Sedona SE (the one with a suspension fork) had a $330 MSRP, but what's $170 between friends? ;-)

And to be clear, I meant it was an entry level bike shop mountain bike. You're right to say it has quality components because they're a cut above anything you'd find in a department store. Overall, I think it's well-suited for how Chappy wants to use it.

ChappyEight

I very much appreciate all the exceptional advice, well-wishes, etc. Skydog, that's my feeling as well... have some fun wrenching and riding with my wife and 7 yr old. Will I come out ahead financially in the deal? Probably not. Will I have spent some fun hours with my boy and learned a ton along the way? Absolutely!

I suppose worth truly is in the eye of the beholder, both financially and regarding time.

I've begun to order some of the tools you guys listed and others I thought I might need. Having raced cars previously, and being generally handy, I've got pretty much all the standard tools necessary, just needed the bike specific ones.

I'm hoping to get her up on the lift this Sunday afternoon to start disassembly. I haven't yet pulled the rear wheel to see for sure if I'm dealing with a cassette or a freewheel yet, but i'm hoping to do that tonight or tomorrow morning. After a brief inspection, the cogs seem to have little wear, just an insane amount of rust (as seen in the pics I mentioned above that I am not allowed to link to yet).

I'll try to take lots of good pictures when I start breaking her down so I can come ask questions as I go along. Hopefully I can get it back together and ready to go before it really starts to warm up here in Indy around April.

Thanks again to all of you for the advice so far. Much appreciated.

Gresp15C

Personally, I would only do what's necessary to get it working, i.e., probably lubricate the derailers so they work OK, pump up the tires, and make sure the chain is lubricated well enough to be flexible.

Then, repair what needs repaired, replace what needs replaced. I have parts ranging from 0 to 50+ years old on my bikes, so I tend to assume that replacement is a last resort. Naturally some items such as brake pads and tires are considered to be consumable. Puncture resistant tires are probably the first upgrade I'd consider for a bike today.

ChappyEight

So, I just came in from giving the bike a thorough review.

• It's definitely a freewheel rear hub (Shimano 34T MegaRange Super-Low) and it needs replaced. Found one at Harris for $20.
• Chain is junk, replacing it as well.
• The chain rings actually seem okay other than some surface rust. I'll try to clean those up.
• Tires are "Kenda Breaker Anti Lek" (26x1.95) which are no longer made. I have no idea what year they were manufactured.
• Based on the original specs I was able to find, it would appear that both derailleurs were replaced at some point. The front is a shimano C101. The back is a Shimano of some sort, it has a red badge.
• The crank seems to be the original SunTour but in decent shape.
• Grip shifters are original SRAM Max Plus and are working.
• The front fork suspension is basically frozen. I'm going to look to see if I can't open it up and get it operational again.

So, to this point, I still intend to replace cables/housings, service both hubs, replace freewheel assembly, give it a THOROUGH cleaning (including a scouring pad where necessary), replace brake pads, repair the fork suspension, and possibly re-grease the headset. Should I still consider pulling the crank in order to re-grease it?

I don't think this will be as horrible as I initially imagined. That said, I have no doubt once she's actually up on the stand, I'll go a little crazy with the tools and remove more than I intended... we'll see.

By the way, the exposed aluminum looks like it has leprosy with all the spot rust circles. What's the best way to get surface rust off aluminum?

dabac

Aluminium doesn't rust. If the spots are brownish, the material is steel, presumably with some plating. People have their preferences, but basically any metal polish will work. Rust on chrome can even be tackled by rubbing with crumbled up aluminium foil.

Or submerging in a weak acid. Citric acid or oxalic acid.

Aluminium corrodes into white spots or patches, which can be polished out in a wide manner of ways depending on severity. Steel wool, scouring pads, metal polish compounds. Even (very) fine wet grit sand paper can be used/may be needed.

Bill Kapaun

You're not "beholden" to match the original parts.
If the bike will be ridden on relatively smooth pavement, a 26X1.50" tire will be a bit lighter and quicker accelerating.
I run 26X1.25 "street slicks" on my Rockhopper like these-
https://www.biketiresdirect.com/prod...tire?fltr=3771

You may find a different freewheel more useful, such as a 13/14-28, instead of that 34T monster cog.
Especially if your chain rings are of the 22-32-42 or similar ilk. A 22-34 gear combo will virtually climb walls if you could get the traction.

SkyDog75

Yep, 7-speed freewheels are still cheap and plentiful.

It's generally a good idea to replace the chain when you replace a freewheel. A worn chain whose links are a little longer than half an inch due to pin wear will cause accelerated wear on cassette/freewheel sprockets designed for exactly half an inch.

And besides, if you mate a worn freewheel with a new chain (or possibly vice versa?), the chain may skip across the top of the cogs when pedaling hard.

If they don't clean up nice, check out the 'ISO/Trade' thread in the Classic & Vintage forum. I'm sure you could source a replacement crankset for practically nothing. I know I've got one or two I'll never use.

Toss 'em. Replacements are cheap and in my experience, old rubber isn't reliable. Pick up any other 26" x X.XX" tires to replace them.

Be aware there are many different non-interchangeable 26" tire standards. In general, stay away from ones with a fractional width like 26" x 1 3/8". Ones with their width expressed as a decimal value should be safe, e.g. 26" x 2.1".

To be absolutely certain, you can look for the ISO/ETRTO size on a tire. Those sizes are expressed as width-dash-diameter in millimeters -- you may find the size noted as 50-559 on your current tires. The 50 in that example is width and 559 is the bead seat diameter (BSD) of the rim and tire. You'll be looking for 559, which is the BSD of 26" mountain bike tires.

Good luck with that. If you're not successful (or find that rebuild kits are prohibitively expensive), you can replace the fork with either a suspension fork or a basic rigid fork. If you have to go that route, there are some measurements you'll need to take when searching for a replacement fork.

Sounds like a plan. Skip greasing the bottom bracket (crankset) because the original is a sealed cartridge according to the specs on Bikepedia. (We could confirm by looking at it.) Cartridge bottom brackets are basically a disposable part and not designed to be serviceable. When the bottom bracket feels gritty or develops play, pull the cartridge and replace it.

It ought to be pretty easy, except possibly the fork.

As noted above, aluminum doesn't rust. It can corrode, which may show up on bare metal as white/gray dusty specks. They're generally nothing to worry about, though. Aluminum oxidation (corrosion) doesn't spread like rust can.

Bill Kapaun

[QUOTE=ChappyEight;19417536]...... repair the fork suspension...........

IF both sides are "frozen", I'd be tempted to leave as is.
Will BOTH sides end up "equal" if you "free them up"?
Do you really NEED a suspension fork?

dabac

[QUOTE=Bill Kapaun;19420203]Don't think that's particularly important.
AFAIK Only elastomer forks have symmetrical fork legs. Oil/air and oil/spring generally use one leg for suspension and one for damping.
And yet the brake bridges look the same.

Retro Grouch 

What are you trying to accomplish?

1. You want to fix up this $25.00 bike so that you can sell it for $50.00.
2. You want to fix up this $25.00 bike so that it can be ridden by your wife.
3. You want to tinker with this $25.00 bike in your shop.

I've done all 3 at different times so I have no judgement regarding which defines you. Each of the 3, however, will result several much different decisions during the refurbishing process.

ChappyEight

Grouch, it's to serve three main purposes:

1. Learn more about bicycle mechanics in general (again, I have a race car background, not cycles).
2. Spend time wrenching with my 7 yr old son and show him the satisfaction in working on something and the joy in handing it over to Mommy.
3. Do something nice for the wife as she most definitely deserves it. She's been riding this bike for about 9 months and, while it's done okay, the chain has been slipping and it's generally worn out.

That said, I really cannot thank you all enough. I ordered a bunch of parts yesterday and am looking forward to digging in next weekend! I realize this is not a "wise" decision in the sense of cost, value, and maybe even logic. But, as my goal is to serve the three purposes I stated above, I think this will do just fine.

I still need to pick up an appropriately sized headset wrench, but I've not had a chance to check and see what size I need yet. I'm also unsure about the bearings situation, so after I open them up, I'm thinking I may need to replace some bearings. I'm also probably going to have my LBS true the wheels for me (if they need it).

But, that said, I'm pretty sure I have everything else I need to have some fun, bond with my son, and give the wife back a relatively nice, feels like new, older bike.

ChappyEight

BTW, here's the parts list I ordered:

• Shimano 7-speed freewheel
• Shimano Acera Crankset
• Shimano UN55 BB
• Kool Stop Brake Pads
• Kenda K838 Tires w/ Tubes (26 x 1.95)
• Shimano Brake Cable/Housing Set
• Shimano SUS Shift Cable Kit
• Pedals
• KMC Z50 Chain

Total parts cost: $265

Pretty sure I bought all the proper fitting parts... we'll see. Also going to try and polish all the steel (handlebars, brake levers, etc.) when I clean/wax the frame. I decided to leave the front suspension alone for now. Whether it's operational or not doesn't really make much difference for the riding the wife does.

I'll try to take some pics through the process and report any snags I hit. I'm certain I'll run into something needing advice, too.

Retro Grouch 

Here's the problem that I see:
1. It's March and the weather is only going to get nicer. Your wife has been using this bike and is likely going to want to ride it before you are finished.
2. Working with the son is going to draw out the process.

I'm thinking that it's time for an additional bicycle or else you are going to sacrifice one of your objectives.

ChappyEight

Ha! You may very well be correct, sir.

70sSanO

Here's a plan... Rebuild it and have fun doing it. Regardless of the value of the bike, you will save so much over the years by learning to fix your own stuff. A basic bike tuneup is probably $100 without any parts. The best part is you can't possibly hurt that bike with your OTJ training.

John

70sSanO

One more thing... eBay is your friend for some of the parts you may need, especially stuff like older Gripshift shifters, etc.

John

ChappyEight

Here's a silly question:

What is the clear shield behind the freewheel called? The mounting points have broken off this one and it's basically just rattling around. Any idea where I might pick one of those up?

Barabaika

It's a spoke protector. https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...s.php?id=50758
If you adjust the dérailleur limit screws correctly, you don't need it.