Fixing a Used bike
 

Hi Folks: I am thinking about buying a used Santa Cruz bike that need work. The owner says the bb has play, the rear freehub is noisy (sounds like is really dry, rumbling) and some of the housing could do with replacing. Can anyone give me some thoughts on the cost of parts etc.? Also, What is the BB? Tks!

The BB is the bottom bracket. Do you plan on doing your own work? Do you have the tools?

Santa Cruz's are pretty sophisticated mountain bikes so if you don't know what a bottom bracket is you are better off starting with something simpler to learn on.

Cables & housings are cheap.
Hubs are $$ and generally not servicable.
BBs are $$
If the owner neglected those items enough he/she probably neglected the more sensitive $$ items as well.

Tks for the quick reply. I would probably do a combo of both trying to save $, but recognizing my limitations (hopefully). I have friend with tools and could help, but I am not a mechanical genius. Tks,

A whole new rear hub would probably cost $30 online for something like a Shimano Deore. However, if it's just the freehub body (the part that allows the hub to coast), then it might only be $20-30 for a replacement. Hubs generally *ARE* completely serviceable, I have overhauled many of them. It is a fairly messy task (lots of dirty grease and bearings) and requires a couple very thin wrenches (cone wrenches) as well as some practice.

Bottom brackets are not that expensive either. You can get a new square taper cartridge BB from Nashbar for about $15. If the BB is an old cup-and-cone style, rather than a cartridge BB, it may only need some new ball bearings and grease. Again, a messy job requiring a couple special tools, and very similar to overhauling a hub... once you learn one job, you'll have no problem with the other.

joyster, I recommend this book which is a very basic and well illustrated--but very thorough--guide to bike repair and maintenance. Also, Sheldon Brown's web site contains even more and better repair info, but it's nice to have a book laying in front of you when actually working on your bike. You can definitely learn all this stuff at once, but be patient and be aware that it may be a steep learning curve.

Tks much for helping a newbie. I did find that website and it is helpful. I'll ck out the book next. Tks again!