new touring bike maintenance & adjustments
09-30-08 | 01:10 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 136
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From: Barossa Valley, South Aust.
Bikes: Walmart supermarket bike in China, and a Schwinn Frontier GS 1999 in Australia
new touring bike maintenance & adjustments
Hi all,
I hope the title I've used will cover this post, and that regular users of the touring forum will indulge me on this, rather than sending me to a different (maintenance or general questions) board on this site
I did a search but only found one small thread which discusses this.
I am going to Hong Kong in 4-5 weeks' time. I will cross the border into China and hope to buy a cheap, new (probably from a Walmart or similar-type store) bicycle for my trip to SHanghai. My tent, sleeping bag, panniers, kit is all prepared.
For numerous reasons, it is unfortunately not possible to take my much-loved bicycle from Australia, which I know inside-out, is ultra-reliable and comfortable, and would be perfect for the trip.
There are plenty of roadside repairmen and shops in every town and village along the way who repair mountain bike and commuter bikes for a dollar or two. All the better if parts for the bike I'm riding can be easily obtained from the repairmen set-up for that purpose.
My knowledge on bicycles would probably sit at around 4/10 - certainly not a pass grade but I can do basic adjustments!
My question is: What maintenance or adjustments are likely to be needed for a new bike. Any bike - supermarket bike or not - but specifically a supermarket bike. Are brakes likely to need adjusting or cables tightened? Can I expect gears to go missing in the first few days? Is the chain typically not oiled enough, etc? I imagine a set of Allen keys to tighten the handlebars and other poorly-assembled parts would be necesary.
I am hoping GPSBlake in particular can add something to this thread
I've had my bicycle for 9 years and it will probably last another nine. I had a supermarket bike immediately before that. It lasted for 18 months before I discarded it and bought my current bike, so I don't have a lot of experience with what is likely to need adjusting.
Thanks in advance,
Matt
I hope the title I've used will cover this post, and that regular users of the touring forum will indulge me on this, rather than sending me to a different (maintenance or general questions) board on this site
I did a search but only found one small thread which discusses this.I am going to Hong Kong in 4-5 weeks' time. I will cross the border into China and hope to buy a cheap, new (probably from a Walmart or similar-type store) bicycle for my trip to SHanghai. My tent, sleeping bag, panniers, kit is all prepared.
For numerous reasons, it is unfortunately not possible to take my much-loved bicycle from Australia, which I know inside-out, is ultra-reliable and comfortable, and would be perfect for the trip.
There are plenty of roadside repairmen and shops in every town and village along the way who repair mountain bike and commuter bikes for a dollar or two. All the better if parts for the bike I'm riding can be easily obtained from the repairmen set-up for that purpose.
My knowledge on bicycles would probably sit at around 4/10 - certainly not a pass grade but I can do basic adjustments!
My question is: What maintenance or adjustments are likely to be needed for a new bike. Any bike - supermarket bike or not - but specifically a supermarket bike. Are brakes likely to need adjusting or cables tightened? Can I expect gears to go missing in the first few days? Is the chain typically not oiled enough, etc? I imagine a set of Allen keys to tighten the handlebars and other poorly-assembled parts would be necesary.
I am hoping GPSBlake in particular can add something to this thread
I've had my bicycle for 9 years and it will probably last another nine. I had a supermarket bike immediately before that. It lasted for 18 months before I discarded it and bought my current bike, so I don't have a lot of experience with what is likely to need adjusting.
Thanks in advance,
Matt
09-30-08 | 06:07 AM
#2
Any new bike is going to need a tune-up after about 100-200 miles. Check the brakes, hubs, wheels, shifters, etc. It's unlikely that a bunch of parts would just drop off, more that things will get a little out of adjustment.
I'd assume if you get a cheap bike, something is going to break at the most inopportune moment possible. If you're mentally prepared, though -- and maybe have a bivy sack just in case
-- it won't be the end of the world.
I'd assume if you get a cheap bike, something is going to break at the most inopportune moment possible. If you're mentally prepared, though -- and maybe have a bivy sack just in case
-- it won't be the end of the world.
