My bike is dying
#1
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My bike is dying
The wheel was trued less than 600 miles ago and the cogs have only gone 2100 miles and need changing. The break wire for the rear break snapped and my frame squeaks by the crank. I spend $180 on it. Is it worth repairing or should I just go get that hybrid I've been drooling over? Also I will be parked outside at work for 4 hrs in the morning then I'm gone. Suggestions?
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If I had to leave a bike parked outside I would use a beater. That sounds like what you have.
A cassette is $20 ish, a chain whip $10 ish, and a cassette lockring tool $5.
A brake wire is $5 ish and you can use common tools to replace it.
Whether it is worth roughly $50-$70 to fix is up to you. Those are all easy problems to fix.
The crank creak may take a LBS to look at. I've never messed with the BB before.
If you think it is worth it get the parts fixed and purchase another bike. Only 1 bike is a travesty.
A cassette is $20 ish, a chain whip $10 ish, and a cassette lockring tool $5.
A brake wire is $5 ish and you can use common tools to replace it.
Whether it is worth roughly $50-$70 to fix is up to you. Those are all easy problems to fix.
The crank creak may take a LBS to look at. I've never messed with the BB before.
If you think it is worth it get the parts fixed and purchase another bike. Only 1 bike is a travesty.
#5
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Hmmm......sounds like someone is looking for a good excuse to get a new bike . Been there! Each part of a bike is replaceable for much much less than a new bike. As long as you love the frame, I would simply replace the parts as needed. If you really want a new bike, however, getting one will make you happy; it just won't get rid of the kinds of problems you are describing. Those problems happen to all bikes at all costs.
#6
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Heres my delima. I need a bike that can get a rear rack and panniers. My MTB now cannot accept them. I will be needing it later for college next year. Would you lock up a $500 commuter at work for 4 hrs with a chain lock and u lock? At a college campus?
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What about new wheels? They seem to be breaking spokes and coming untrue in under 600 miles. After truing!!
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Check out the pawn shops in your area and get a good used bike . The more scratched up and gnarly looking it is, the less likely it'll be stolen.
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Almost no bicycle is safe locked outside at a college campus. That is why so many people ride old beaters. The more valuable it is, the riskier it is. Even beaters take hits from parts pirates.
If you want new wheels and can afford them, go for it. Just don't leave your bicycle locked up outside overnight.
#11
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I bought a beater for 50eu.
I have spent like 200eu on it just in parts. and more on tools.
The thing is, i know this bike so well, its hard to let go atm.
all it really needs is a new front wheel and the rear hub needs to be serviced/replaced.
For your bike, i say get a new BB, but more importantly clean and grease all your threads through out the whole bike.
Get a 20$ sealed BB and a BB tool, maybe even a lockring tool.
Then, www.parktools.com for instructions on how to service your bike.
Basicly, don't get a new bike unless you hate your curent one.
I have spent like 200eu on it just in parts. and more on tools.
The thing is, i know this bike so well, its hard to let go atm.
all it really needs is a new front wheel and the rear hub needs to be serviced/replaced.
For your bike, i say get a new BB, but more importantly clean and grease all your threads through out the whole bike.
Get a 20$ sealed BB and a BB tool, maybe even a lockring tool.
Then, www.parktools.com for instructions on how to service your bike.
Basicly, don't get a new bike unless you hate your curent one.
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I do it every day, no problems yet. I feel it's safer locked up on campus than somewhere else around town. Double lock is crucial, plus my bike isn't exactly new looking. Even a u-lock without a cable, and it's still locked better than any other bike there.
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I bought a $300 hybrid. It's pretty much OK but I had to build a new rear wheel for it. I don't have a lot of experience, but it seems to me that pretty much any sub-$500 bike is probably going to have machine-built mediocre wheels. Mine was a Giant, and starting at about 600 miles I started breaking spokes about every 100 miles. Finally at about 2000 miles I bought a new rim and a handful of DT butted spokes (total cost about $38), sat down and built a new rear wheel. It has > 12000 miles on it and no problems.
As for the other stuff, I guess I'd just replace the cables. I dunno, I've never broken a cable so I don't know what causes that. I don't tend to use my brakes heavily though, certainly not my back brakes, which are pretty much useless on a bike.
The possible killer is that squeak. It's probably just the bottom bracket. If so, personally I ignore bottom bracket problems for a long time; I finally spent the $15 for a new bottom bracket a couple of months ago after listening to it groan for about 5000 miles (over a year). It's not dangerous and it's not wrecking anything else if it's not actually loose.
However, if the squeak is really from the frame, then you should stop riding it immediately; riding with a cracked frame is highly dangerous. Get it welded or throw the thing out.
As for the other stuff, I guess I'd just replace the cables. I dunno, I've never broken a cable so I don't know what causes that. I don't tend to use my brakes heavily though, certainly not my back brakes, which are pretty much useless on a bike.
The possible killer is that squeak. It's probably just the bottom bracket. If so, personally I ignore bottom bracket problems for a long time; I finally spent the $15 for a new bottom bracket a couple of months ago after listening to it groan for about 5000 miles (over a year). It's not dangerous and it's not wrecking anything else if it's not actually loose.
However, if the squeak is really from the frame, then you should stop riding it immediately; riding with a cracked frame is highly dangerous. Get it welded or throw the thing out.
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The wheel was trued less than 600 miles ago and the cogs have only gone 2100 miles and need changing. The break wire for the rear break snapped and my frame squeaks by the crank. I spend $180 on it. Is it worth repairing or should I just go get that hybrid I've been drooling over? Also I will be parked outside at work for 4 hrs in the morning then I'm gone. Suggestions?
Let's start with the wheels. If your wheels don't stay true after 600 miles, there's either something wrong with the wheel (poorly tensioned, cracked rim, a broken spoke, etc.) or something wrong with your riding. Do you jump a lot of curbs, ride into potholes, carry a lot of weight? All can contribute to wheels going out of true. But truing a wheel is pretty simple. Look here and here for some pointers on how to do it. You will need a spoke wrench but you can use the bike as a truing stand.
The cables are easy to replace with a minimum of tools. Look at the Park website for details.
Are the rear cogs worn out or do they just shift poorly. Often shifting poorly is an adjustment issue. Park can help you there too.
A squeaky crank could be the bottom bracket, the pedals, a rusty chain, etc. Start by lubricating the chain and listen closely to where the squeak is coming from. A bottom bracket is pretty cheap if you have to change it but, if you are new to doing mechanical work, the initial outlay for the tools isn't. The tools are a true investment, however, because they'll last forever. Again, the Park site is a very good guide on fixing this.
None of the adjustments is too expensive. But if you find that you have to replace parts, consider the cost of the parts as a whole vs a new bike. Don't dump a lot of money into a cheap bike. Better to just start fresh...and the fact that you are drooling on a new bike says you don't need much convincing
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Let's start with the wheels. If your wheels don't stay true after 600 miles, there's either something wrong with the wheel (poorly tensioned, cracked rim, a broken spoke, etc.) or something wrong with your riding. Do you jump a lot of curbs, ride into potholes, carry a lot of weight? All can contribute to wheels going out of true. But truing a wheel is pretty simple. Look here and here for some pointers on how to do it. You will need a spoke wrench but you can use the bike as a truing stand.
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Well I can't get a rear rack on my MTB so next year I will be buying a hybrid. When I say I jump curbs its not really jump I slow down and maybe go off of it at 7 or 8 mph. Also I am 170 lbs and carry about 15 extra poinds in my bag. I am thinking of just using this bike for going to work and back. Then get a better bike for riding lots of miles on, less maintenance. Do Hybrids with disc brakes normally accept rear racks?
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Well I can't get a rear rack on my MTB so next year I will be buying a hybrid. When I say I jump curbs its not really jump I slow down and maybe go off of it at 7 or 8 mph. Also I am 170 lbs and carry about 15 extra poinds in my bag. I am thinking of just using this bike for going to work and back. Then get a better bike for riding lots of miles on, less maintenance. Do Hybrids with disc brakes normally accept rear racks?
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Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#18
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The LBS will be able to help me find a hybrid that accepts a rack with discs I'm guessing. Would it be better to buy this years model or wait till next year since I'll be primarily using it next year?