TimCurryPowder

I'm still pretty new at this, so I was hoping you guys could give me some input.

I got these two Raleigh mountain bikes at an auction today (see attachment); the grey bike for $10CDN and the yellow one for $15CDN. Do you think $25 for both was a good deal? There is some rust on both of them. If it makes things any better, both frames say 'chromaly' on them.

I'm hoping to repair them and use the yellow Raleigh as a winter beater. The tires are worn out, but I was going to replace them with studded tires anyway. I would like to get rid of the shifters and derailers, and turn it into a single speed.

Also, as I've never repaired anything more than a flat tire before, and don't really have the tools to repair these bikes at the moment (this is meant to be a learning experience), is the Spin Doctor Team Tool Kit any good?

Thank you very much!

TrackSmart

Were they a good deal? Well, depends on what you do with them. The frames appear to be different sizes. Hopefully one of them fits you. If so, great start. They are probably low-end and very heavy mountain bikes (I don't recognize the models). Don't drop any real money on them. Fix them with crap/spare parts that you can find. Having two bikes means you can cannibalize parts of one bike to fix the other. That would certainly save some cash.

Personally, I wouldn't spend $105 for knock-off tools. Spend real money on just the tools you actually need OR knowingly buy supercheap disposable tools ($30-40 set from Nashbar) to start with and replace them with good tools once you figure out which ones will see constant use and which ones are completely unnecessary.

Better yet, don't buy ANY tools until you know what needs to be fixed! It's possible that the bikes just need a tune-up. No expensive tools needed!

TrackSmart

For winter commuting, which destroys bikes, these old bikes are probably perfect.

moxfyre

Tim, I think this was a very good deal. I had a very similar Raleigh model in college, which I paid $300US for brand new, and rode as my sole form of transportation for 4+ years. I abused the hell out of it, and it survived snow, mud, very little maintenance, and one round of theft and recovery, before finally getting stolen 3 years ago :'(

I would say that ANY bike in good riding condition is worth $20US (with the exception of department-store junk). I would have paid $60-80 for the larger mountain bike if it had showed up on the local craigslist ads!

So, yes, you got a great deal.

I have the Spin Doctor Team Tool Kit and have been EXTREMELY happy with it. I don't know why TrackSmart dismisses it out of hand. I have gotten 2 years of heavy use out of it, with only one broken tool due to misuse by my roommate. The only other problem I've had is a broken clasp on the tool box

The tools are of a good quality. The wrenches are all made of hardened chrome-vanadium steel and I have found them to be extremely durable under serious use. The main difference from the top-of-the-line Park Tools (~$300 for a similar set) is that the handles are not as beefy and easy to grip. This means you will have to take a few extra seconds to get a good grip on some tools, which is a big annoyance for a professional mechanic working on dozens of bikes a day, but not a problem for a home mechanic. Also, the crank extractor tool and bottom bracket tool use a separate wrench as its "handle" rather than having a built-in handle. Again, the only effect of this is to slow you down slightly.

I highly recommend the Spin Doctor tool kit. The only things I have needed to add to it are a Park combination pronged lockring wrench (for working on old bottom brackets) and a pair of good adjustable wrenches. One of the great things about the Spin Doctor kit is that it includes not only L-shaped Allen wrenches, but also T-shaped wrenches, and a three-way combo allen wrench with the common 4,5,and 6 mm sizes for finding the right wrench quickly. I also have the Spin Doctor truing stand, which was on sale for $30, and it's very good for home use as well.

TrackSmart

I'm glad the Spin Doctor kit is actually decent. Off-brand tools usually disappoint - some of them are practically disposable. That's why my experience says stay away... stay away... You have first hand knowledge of these tools, so I defer to your review.

moxfyre

You're right... no-name hand tools are usually crap. I especially avoid cheap "Made In China" wrenches and screwdrivers, which never fail to round themselves off... or the bolt they're turning . I stick w/Sears Craftsman whenever I've got the cash.

I was able to inspect the Spin Doctor tools at a bricks-and-mortar Performance store before buying, that's why I got them. I've never bought any of the Nashbar tools. Although Nashbar and Performance are the same company, a lot of their stuff is of a different quality (Nashbar lights and inner tubes are much better IMHO, but Nashbar pedal bearings are much worse, as we've discussed in another thread ).

TimCurryPowder

Thanks guys, I really appreciate your comments. moxfyre, it's reassuring to hear that similar Raleighs can take a lot of punishment, because that's why I bought them.

I guess I'll have to figure out which tools I need, and then decide whether the Spin Doctor tool set is right for me (i.e. determine if I can spend less than $100 on tools and get the same result). But either way, it's nice to hear that the tools are pretty good quality. I wonder how long they'll be on sale...

moxfyre

They've been on sale for $100 foreeeeeeeever... no hurry ;-) But no, you won't be able to assemble those tools for <$100. If you buy a Park Tools set of similar stuff, $300+. If you buy the Spin Doctor tools individually, $150 or so. The Spin Doctor kit is nice because it includes NEARLY everything that you need to work on a modern bike short of frame repairs. As soon as you get the kit, any time you wonder if you have the tool for XYZ new task, you can be pretty confident you have it... it's quite frustrating to have to run out and buy a new tool everytime you need to do something new.

slowandsteady

What about winter commuting destroys bikes?

Little Darwin

Any bike in riding condition is worth at least $20 to me, if they are what I am looking to ride...

If they seem to fit what you want, and you are happy, I would say you got a good deal.

Like someone else said, it may not be worth investing a lot of money into them, but unless your goal is to get rich on a quick resale, you did good...

TrackSmart

Salt. Grit. Dirty salty slush slopped on to your chain, gears, BB, etc (even with fenders, you will still take it from the cars that pass you). I wouldn't take an expensive mountain bike or road bike out in that stuff. Not unless I had the time to rinse it off after getting home each day (not that I even have a garage where I could do that!).

If you live somewhere with less snow, less salt, and that doesn't have practically daily precipitation, well you won't need to worry so much about it. And yes, technically you could hose your bike down daily.

But in upstate NY, winter is hard on bikes that are used for daily commuting.

slowandsteady

I just hose down the bike, dry with a towel and do a quick lube. Not really a big deal. It takes me longer to get dressed than to clean up the bike. We are such prissies with our road bikes, but they aren't fragile. Just think of the abuse a MTB goes through. Talk about grit.